One of the most dog-eared cookbooks on my shelf is Molly Stevens’s All About Braising, and my favorite recipe in it is for the “World’s Best Braised Green Cabbage.” It transforms a humble cabbage into a tender, savory, vegetable showstopper!
Table of Contents
An easy and delicious braised cabbage recipe!
Braising cabbage—cooking it in some fat and a bit of liquid in a closed cooking vessel until it’s meltingly tender—is a magical example of how patience pays off.
My adapted Whole30-friendly version of this braised cabbage recipe is a mainstay in my arsenal of vegetable sides for good reason: it transforms a lowly vegetable into a dish worth oohing and aahing over.
Yes, it takes 2½ hours from start to finish, but the total prep time is only 10 to 15 minutes. Plus, this braised cabbage side dish makes your house smell irresistibly yummy.
Ingredients
- Cabbage: The best cabbage to use for this dish is an inexpensive green cabbage. Try to get one that’s about 2 pounds—any larger and the cabbage wedges won’t fit in a standard 9 x 11-inch casserole pan. No green cabbage? Savoy cabbage nd red cabbage also work great in this dish.
- Red onion: Thick slices of red onion add a touch of color and sweetness to this dish. If you don’t have red onions, you can use yellow or white onions or shallots. Don’t slice the onions too thinly or they may burn.
- Carrots: Carrots pair perfectly with the cabbage and onion. Besides, everyone has a couple of carrots languishing in the crisper that need to be cooked up before they get too bendy. Don’t have any or hate carrots? Just leave them out!
- Broth: Even though this recipe calls for only ¼ cup of broth, the quality of broth you use is important because it infuses the whole dish. I like to use homemade chicken bone broth or a high quality store-bought chicken broth (Roli Roti Butcher’s Bone Broth is one of my faves). If you want to make this dish vegan, use a great vegetable broth.
- Fat: Don’t skimp on the fat in this dish—it’s one of the reasons it tastes so dang good. I normally use a high quality extra virgin olive oil, but melted ghee, lard, duck fat, or coconut oil also taste delicious. If you tolerate dairy, butter is amazing.
- Seasoning: Nothing fancy—just salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper (for an optional fiery kick).
- Acid: Splashing on a drizzle of aged balsamic acid right before serving this dish helps to perk up this comforting dish. Other acid options include sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
How to Make World’s Best Braised Green Cabbage!
Heat oven to 325°F / 163°C with the rack in the middle. Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish or casserole pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted fat.
Lop off the tough stem end of the cabbage, discard any wilted outer leaves, and divide it into 6 to 8 wedges, keeping the core attached.
Place the cabbage pieces in a single layer in the greased dish – a little overlap is okay.
Toss on the onions and carrots and drizzle with broth and olive oil.
Season well with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper (if using).
Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven.
Braise the cabbage undisturbed for 1 hour. Crack open the foil cover and carefully flip the wedges over.
Reseal the dish tightly and braise in the oven for another hour or until fork-tender.
At this point, you can remove the cabbage to cool and store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat it (up to 4 days).
If you’re eating it right away or whenever you’re ready to serve it, crank the oven up to 425°F / 218 °C and bake until browned (about 15 minutes).
Drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar and serve!
What Do You Serve With This?
This braised cabbage dish tastes great with anything meaty! Some ideas include: Instant Pot Beef Stew, Instant Pot Magic Pork, Ollie’s Cracklin’ Chicken, and the Perfect Steak. I also love to eat leftover cabbage with a couple of crispy fried eggs for breakfast.
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
World’s Best Braised Cabbage
Ingredients
For greasing the baking dish
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil melted lard, duck fat, ghee, or coconut oil
For the cabbage dish
- 1 medium green cabbage about 2 pounds
- 1 large red onion or yellow onion, peeled and thickly sliced
- 2 large carrots peeled and cut in ¼-inch coins
- ¼ cup bone broth or vegetable broth
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil Melted lard, duck fat, ghee, or coconut oil also work.
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F / 163°C with the rack in the middle. Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted fat.
- Lop off the tough stem end of the cabbage and divide it into 6-8 wedges. Keep the core attached so the wedges stay intact after the long cooking time. Don’t worry: The tough core will get super tender, too.
- Place the cabbage pieces in a single layer in the greased dish – a little overlap is okay. Toss on the onion and carrots and drizzle with broth and ¼ cup of olive oil. Season well with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper (if using).
- Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven.
- Cook the cabbage undisturbed for 1 hour. Crack open the foil cover and carefully flip the wedges over. Reseal the dish tightly and braise for another hour or until fork-tender.
- At this point, you can remove the cabbage to cool and store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat it (up to 4 days). When you’re ready to serve, crank the oven up to 425°F / 218°C and bake until browned (about 15 minutes).
- Drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was amazing! It’s easy to make, the ingredients are simple, and it is absolutely delicious! Thank you Michelle!
I think you had turned me on to this recipe a number of years ago, and it became one of my favorite ways to eat cabbage. I love how so few ingredients turn into something so delicious. It’s easy, full-proof, cheap, and feeds a lot of people! My other favorite recipe from that book has just 4 ingredients- Brussels sprouts, cream, lemon, and salt. I know the dairy isn’t necessary paleo, but maybe you could try to convert that recipe too? I wonder if braising it in cashew milk or another substitute would work. Just so sick of coconut milk (I tried AIP a couple years ago and WAY overdid the coconut, can’t even look at it now..)
Melissa, I don’t have the cookbook, so I can’t speak to that exact recipe, but if I were trying to convert a creamy brussels, I’d go similar to how I’d sub creamed spinach ingredients. So, maybe a cashew milk blended with soaked cashews and hemp seeds to add extra creaminess. Or if you make your own mylk, just make it with more nuts/less water. When I’m wanting something premade, I simply use the califia barista oat milk, I usually have that on hand already and it tends to work well for me in dishes, though it’s not as thick as cream. No idea if it is paleo, though.
I’d love to make this with a meat. Is there a meat that this could be cooked with that you’d recommend? Chicken or pork loin? Also, would you put it under the cabbage or on top?
I’d cook the protein on the side. Most protein will be overcooked if you cook it for as long as the cabbage.
I had some cod I was going to cook separately, but after reading your question, I thought, “Why not?” So I laid two 6 oz. portions on top of the cabbage in the final step, brushed with melted butter and seasoned. When I took the dish out of the oven, I removed the fish before drizzling the balsamic. It turned out fine, and I imagine you could do this with any protein that you would cook for 10-15 minutes at 425.
N.B., I’m not sure if it would be safe to do this with chicken or not
I am going to make this today with a mix of red and green cabbage that needs to get used up and, I’m thinking a few apples would be lovely, too! Thanks!
Well that sounds delicious and beautiful. I think we need a photo!
This was delicious! Can you please add this to your app
It is on the app! If your app is missing recipes, delete it from your device and download it again for free. That should fix any issues.
All ingredients in pantry. Thus I’d on the meal plan for dinner. (Your new cookbook came in the mail yesterday. What a beautiful book. Thanks for your work .)
I would eat this everyday of my life! It is so delicious 🤤. WTG Michelle!!!
This is a great recipe! It converted my picky hubby who wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea of cabbage as a side. But the roasting adds such good flavor. This is also the first time he has enjoyed cooked carrots. A complete home run in my book, it won over a very picky eater. :). Thank you!
Since I’m starting late in the day… Can this be prepped ahead of time kept in the fridge and then cooked the next day?
Yep!
fabulous recipe. i seared them first for color, deglazed with a little mirin, and used chicken broth to braise. the result was melt in your mouth succulent cabbage. thank you. will be adding this to the rotation. keep the stem on and it wont fall apart. the presentation can be very beautiful when intact.