Learning how to cook cabbage opens your world to different recipes. From potstickers to fried cabbage, cooking cabbage gives you the benefit of cooking other unique foods. You can either cook cabbage by itself or complement it with different recipes.
Cabbages originate from the Middle East but are now grown throughout the world. They are a part of the Brassicaceae family, the same as cauliflower, kale, and garden cress. Cabbage is unique because it can be cooked in multiple ways, from steaming to grilling. It's a great complement to other foods, giving it a mild and crunchy taste.
This guide explores the different ways to cook cabbage. We look at how cabbage is grown, the health benefits it offers, and three popular ways to cook cabbage. You'll better know how to use cabbage for more meals.
What Is Cabbage?
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Cabbage is recognized as a vegetable ball. It comes off in layers. You can shred it or cut it up, depending on what you're making with it. There are only two kinds of cabbage that you can cook: red and green cabbage.
Cabbage is typically grown from seeds during the springtime. They usually get about six or more hours of sun in rich soil. To know if your cabbage is ready to harvest, look and squeeze the head of it. It should be firm all the way through.
Like any vegetable, green cabbage has a lot of health benefits to it. Its most common benefits are vitamin C, K, and fiber. Vitamin C helps boost your immunity, while vitamin K helps strengthen your bones. Fiber is essential to a healthy digestive system.
Red cabbage has the same health benefits but is considered more nutritionally dense. It also has more iron in it because of the color red in it.
What Does Cabbage Taste Like
The taste of cabbage is mild. There's a faint sweetness to it. Since it doesn't have a bold flavor like carrots, cabbage isn't usually eaten by itself. It's nearly always mixed with other ingredients.
There's also a difference in taste if you choose red or green cabbage. Green cabbage has a mild, sweeter flavor. Red cabbage has more of a peppery taste to it.
Three Different Ways to Cook Cabbage
There are hundreds of ways to cook cabbage. However, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all the choices. Keeping it simple to the most popular ways to cook cabbage can give you more confidence when you cook it.
These three ways of cooking cabbage are the most popular. They offer a unique way of trying cabbage.
1. Fried Cabbage
Here's a popular way to cook fried cabbage.
- 8 thick bacon strips cut into small pieces (already cooked)
- 1 cup onion that's finely chopped
- 1 head green cabbage shredded or roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 Pepper To taste
Mix all this and cook it with plenty of oil in a wok or a pan. Put the heat on medium-low and stir until blended and cooked together.
2. Cabbage Cooked in the Oven
Another method of cooking cabbage is in the oven. You can put it in a baking tray until it's ready to eat. One of the best ingredients is quite simple.
First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then, mix all of the ingredients below.
- 1 cabbage (about 2 lbs.)
- 2 tbsp of garlic powder
- 2 tbsp of paprika
- 2 tsp. salt
- 4 tbsp. regular butter
After it's mixed together, you cook it in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. Now you have a tasty cabbage dish.
3. Grilled Cabbage
Grilled cabbage is the final way to make something delicious from this green vegetable.
To make grilled cabbage, preheat your oven to medium-high heat, cut the root off of the cabbage, and cut the cabbage into layers or steaks. Now season the layers with olive oil and seasoning. Let it cook for 5-6 minutes on each side.
You'll know when it's ready when the cabbage is crispy and tender.
What Else Should You Know?
There are a lot of different ways to cook cabbage. It all depends on how you like to eat, especially if you want to make a recipe or dish out of it. Or you can chop it up and add it to potstickers or other recipes. Either way, learning how to cook cabbage gives you a better idea of how to use it.
Cabbage is one of the best vegetables to add to your diet. It has a ton of nutritional value that helps build up your immune system. It's also a great vegetable to grow in your backyard every year. Learning about it gives you the confidence to grow and make something out of it.
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Sausage, Potato, and Cabbage Stir-Fry
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- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk pork sausage
- 3 to 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)
- 4 carrots, sliced thin or diced (optional)
- 1/2 cup water
- Salt and pepper
- 6 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
Instructions
- Brown sausage in a large skillet. Drain off drippings.
- Add potatoes, carrots if you wish, and water to the meat in a skillet.
- Stir up the browned drippings from the bottom of the skillet and mix through the meat and vegetables.
- Cover and cook until vegetables are almost tender.
- Add cabbage and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook for 5-8 minutes or until cabbage and potatoes are tender, stirring several times to prevent sticking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stir-Frying
- Cuisine: Fusion
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock.com.