28 Palate-Pleasing Cabbage Recipes

Caramelized Cabbage with Caraway-Chile Crisp
Photo:

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver

Humans have been eating cabbage since ancient times. There are so many ways to prepare and enjoy cabbage, and we've rounded up our best recipes to celebrate this crunchy cruciferous vegetable's diversity. The classic American cabbage dish is coleslaw, awesome as a summer side or tangy sandwich topping. We also love it stuffed in these tofu-filled cabbage pockets, caramelized with onions and folded into noodles, or braised in fruity apple cider. Explore more than 20 amazing things to make with a head of cabbage here.

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Niños Envueltos Dominicanos (Dominican Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

Ninos Envueltos | Dominican Stuffed Cabbage
Ellen Mary Cronin

Rich with the flavors of sofrito and three types of ground meat, these savory cabbage rolls are irresistible — the recipe is from food writer Stephanie Gravalese's Dominican grandmother. The name of the dish, which translates to "swaddled children," comes from the shape of the cabbage rolls themselves, but also nods to their deeply comforting nature.

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Cabbage and Speck Panade

Cabbage and Speck Panade
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Tender cabbage is tossed with crispy speck in this luscious, smoky French country stuffing from 2018 F&W Best New Chefs Jess Shadbolt and Clare de Boer of King in New York City. "The key to good flavor is cooking the speck and rosemary at the start," they told us. "The pork fat and herbs will flavor the butter and perfume the bread and cream."

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Shaved Cabbage Salad with Paprika Vinaigrette

Shaved Cabbage Salad with Paprika Vinaigrette
© Tara Fisher

Chef Tim Wiechmann serves this kraüter salat: a colorful mix of shaved cabbage and radishes tossed with herbs, apple, and a lightly smoky paprika dressing.

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Red Cabbage Stir-Fry with Coconut

Red Cabbage Stir-Fry with Coconut
© Jonny Valiant

Chef Asha Gomez tops a cabbage stir-fry with fresh coconut, a Keralan staple. Home cooks can substitute shredded dried coconut (not sweetened) for the fresh kind; it's easier to find in stores.

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Classic Coleslaw

Classic Slaw
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox & John Somerall / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Your cookout needs this cool and creamy classic coleslaw. Barbecue expert Matt Horn keeps his recipe simple, using a mix of shredded red and green cabbage as the base. The mayonnaise dressing gets its tang from apple cider vinegar and mustard. That tartness is tempered with a hint of sweetness from honey, while dill gives the coleslaw herbal notes.

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Apple Cider-Braised Cabbage

Apple Cider-Braised Cabbage

© John Kernick

Star chef Tom Colicchio uses both apple cider and apple cider vinegar to braise cabbage wedges so they're fruity and tangy. This recipe is super versatile: You can make it with red cabbage instead of green and serve it with a huge array of proteins, from seared scallops or fish to roast pork or chicken.

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Charred Cabbage Salad with Pecan Dukkah and Chile-Lime Butter

charred cabbage salad
Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

At Otra in San Francisco, chef Nick Cobarruvias seasons charred cabbage with chile-lime butter, which is mildly spicy from árbol chiles and bright from lime zest. The pecan dukkah adds earthiness from the cumin and pops of citrus from the coriander, plus a lovely nutty flavor and texture from the toasted pecans and sesame seeds.

08 of 28

Pan-Seared Skirt Steaks with Carrot Puree and Braised Cabbage

Skirt Steaks with Carrot Puree and Braised Cabbage
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Velvety carrot puree, tender pan-seared steaks, and braised cabbage come together in a beautifully composed dish topped with a fresh, punchy cilantro gremolata from 2019 F&W Best New Chef Paxx Caraballo Moll. "I love the flavor explosions and textures you get from this dish," says Moll. "The sweetness of the carrots makes a great contrast with our gremolata, and every bite feels refreshing."

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Crispy Pork, Shrimp, and Cabbage Imperial Rolls

Crispy Pork, Shrimp and Cabbage Imperial Rolls
© Eric Wolfinger

To make the perfect roll, Rice Paper Scissors founders Valerie Luu and Katie Kwan cook the filling ahead of time and wet the rice paper with their palms. The results: "Crispy, chewy, and snowy white rolls!"

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Caramelized Cabbage with Caraway-Chile Crisp

Caramelized Cabbage with Caraway-Chile Crisp

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver

Packed with a variety of textures, this stunning vegetarian dish pairs juicy seared cabbage steaks with creamy, sweetened labneh and smoky chile crisp. The cabbage is marinated in a bright Champagne vinegar brine before being steamed until tender and then seared and roasted to pick up a golden brown, caramelized crust.

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Cabbage Velouté with Poached Pears and Croutons

Cabbage Velouté with Poached Pears and Croutons
© Chris Court

Chef Christopher Kostow is a big fan of cabbage; when he makes this soup, he uses cabbage juice to amplify the flavor, but it's also great prepared with vegetable stock.

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Fresh Cabbage Kimchi

Fresh Cabbage Kimchi
© Line Klein

Garlicky, spicy, and delicious, this quick kimchi combines crunchy bok choy and tender napa cabbage for an interesting mix of textures.

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Meat-Stuffed Cabbage Cakes

Meat-Stuffed Cabbage Cakes
© Kate Mathis

"My trick for making individual cabbage cakes: Use a coffee cup to mold the stuffing in the cabbage leaves. Different meats are good: I add bacon to the veal and sausage," says chef Hubert Keller.

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Barley Crêpes with Cabbage and Sauce Pierre

Barley Crepes with Brassicas and Sauce Pierre
Greg DuPree

For this dish, 2018 F&W Best New Chef Brady Williams envelops grilled fermented cabbage in savory crêpes made from whole wheat and malted barley flours. They're accompanied by a rich sauce made with lots of butter and dry vermouth.

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Napa Cabbage Pockets with Tofu

Napa Cabbage Pockets with Tofu

Charissa Fay / Food Styling by Nora Singley / Prop Styling by Maeve Sheridan

Stuffed with a medley of shiitake mushrooms, Chinese chives, and dried mung beans, these cabbage pockets are symbols of good fortune.

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Cabbage and Mushroom Toasts

Cabbage-and-Mushroom Toasts
© John Kernick

You'll need a knife and fork for these hearty, luscious toasts from chef Steven Satterfield. The cabbage topping would also be delicious as a side dish for roast pork.

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Cabbage and Kale Soup with Farro

Cabbage-and-Kale Soup with Farro
© Lucy Schaeffer

"I love a really flavorful pot of greens," says 2004 F&W Best New Chef Melissa Perello. For this kale and cabbage soup, she uses just a little bit of pancetta and a Parmesan cheese rind to give the broth a rich flavor. "It's definitely the kind of dish that tastes even better the next day," she says.

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Linguine with Red Cabbage

Linguine with Red Cabbage
© John Kernick

A little bit of cheese can add a lot of flavor. We top this linguine with a scattering of crumbled feta, which melts on the warm pasta to give the dish a creamy tang.

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Homemade Sauerkraut with Caraway and Apples

Homemade Sauerkraut with Caraway and Apples
© David Prince

According to Cultured Pickle Shop owner Alex Hozven, the apple used here is a traditional component in many Eastern European sauerkraut recipes.

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Red Cabbage Salad with Fennel, Orange, and Pepitas

Red Cabbage Salad with Fennel Orange and Pepitas
© Paul Costello

Chef Sera Pelle loves making this rainbow-colored salad with umeboshi vinegar, the salty vinegar leftover from pickling Japanese plums. The fresh lemon juice used here is easier to find and equally delicious.

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Savoy Cabbage and Sunchoke Pizzas

Savoy-Cabbage-and-Sunchoke Pizzas
© Brown W. Cannon III

This incredible pizza is topped with buttery braised cabbage, pureed sunchokes, crisp pan-fried sunchokes, and gooey Emmental cheese.

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Glazed Pickled Red Cabbage

Glazed Pickled Red Cabbage
Ditte Isager

This recipe is cookbook author Nadine Levy Redzepi's riff on traditional Danish red cabbage, a very popular dish eaten throughout the year, especially at Christmas. It's a lovely balance of sweet and tangy, with some richness from the addition of duck fat.

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Bruised Cabbage and Herb Salad with Spicy Fish Sauce Dressing

Bruised Cabbage and Herb Salad with Spicy Fish Sauce Dressing Recipe
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Yes, you can (and should) make salad in a mortar. When hardy vegetables like cabbage are lightly crushed in a tall Thai-style clay mortar with a long wooden pestle, they're tenderized just enough to yield a pleasing soft crunch. Bruised Thai basil, cilantro, and mint permeate this dish, with a dressing of fish sauce and lime, pounded chiles, garlic, and ginger.

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Beet and Red Cabbage Borscht

Beet and Red Cabbage Borscht
© John Kernick

Cookbook authors Alison Attenborough and Jamie Kimm always make borscht around the holidays. One year, they had roasted fennel left over after a day of food styling and decided to add it to the soup pot; they've been making borscht with fennel ever since. They like their soup really sweet and sour, but you can adjust the vinegar and honey to your taste.

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Caramelized Cabbage and Noodles with Lemon and Herbs

Caramelized Cabbage Noodles Recipe
Alison Miksch

"When traveling in Budapest several years back, I noticed (and leaned eagerly into) a recurring theme of noodles, dumplings, and other forms of homey starches on restaurant menus and in home kitchens alike," writes cookbook author Leah Koenig. "Above all was káposztás tészta, or cabbage noodles. This more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts dish sautés a pile of sliced onions and an equal amount of shredded cabbage until silky, deeply browned, and caramelized. The whole delightful mess is then folded into softened dumplings or egg noodles, still warm from the pot."

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Avocado and Cabbage Slaw

Avocado-and-Cabbage Slaw
© Marcus Nilsson

When chef Suvir Saran's mother tried this spicy, crunchy cabbage slaw, she said, "Baba, this is the best chaat I've ever eaten!" While Saran didn't intend to make over the traditional Indian snack — a dish with chickpeas, potatoes, yogurt, and chutney — the crunch, spice, and tang immediately elicit an iconic chaat. "There is nothing Indian about it, and yet, it's entirely Indian," says Saran.

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Miso-Ginger Chicken and Cabbage

Miso-Ginger Chicken and Cabbage
© Kana Okada

Stir-fry four bowls of chicken and cabbage with shiitake, ginger, daikon, and scallions in less than a half hour. Pair with a minerally white Burgundy.

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Napa Cabbage Salad

Napa Cabbage Salad
© Reed Davis

This simple salad has a satisfying crunch thanks to both the cabbage and toasted almonds. Cilantro and sliced scallions provide pleasing pops of flavor.

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