16 Delicious Recipes with Cabbage That Prove It's Not Just for Slaw (2024)

FAQs

What are 3 ways you can eat cabbage? ›

Stir-fry: Thinly slice cabbage and stir-fry it with your choice of vegetables and protein. Soup: Add cabbage to soups, stews, and broths for added flavor and nutrition. Salad: Cabbage can be thinly sliced and added to salads as a crisp and refreshing ingredient.

Simply shred the cabbage and add some shredded carrots, mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar to make a creamy coleslaw. Stir-fry: Cabbage is a great addition to stir-fries. Cut the cabbage into thin strips and stir-fry with other vegetables and protein. We like it with butter (or Savour Butta Plant-based!)

Although you get different nutrients if you cook or ferment it, raw red cabbage in particular might give you the best nutritional boost per serving. Slice it very thinly and leave it for about 10 minutes to help bring out the fullest, most complex flavors. Then add it to salads or sandwiches or turn it into coleslaw.

Cabbage is highly nutritious and rich in vitamin C, fiber, and vitamin K. Some research suggests that it may have health benefits that include supporting digestion and heart health, among others. Despite its impressive nutrient content, cabbage is often overlooked.

Which should you choose? If you're looking for the healthier option of the two, choose cabbage. Lettuce varieties such as red leaf lettuce and romaine are also good options. Cabbage, including green and red cabbage, is typically higher in vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant compounds than iceberg lettuce.

“Freezing raw cabbage helps retain its nutritional value, but it may affect its texture, making it more suitable for use in cooked dishes like soups and stir-fries,” says Best. For taste. If you want to maintain that flavor and texture, cooked cabbage may be the better way to go.

For the most efficient freezing, don't over-pack bags, but keep cabbage pieces in a single layer. For best quality, use frozen cabbage within nine to 14 months. Use frozen cabbage as a stand-alone side dish, such as skillet cabbage and onions or stewed cabbage.

Once it's washed and cut up, cabbage can be frozen, but for longer-term storage, it's best to blanch it first. Blanched cabbage can be frozen for up to nine months, while unblanched cabbage will only keep for one to two months.

Some varieties can stay in the gardens for weeks after they are firm and solid, others must be harvested right away. Cabbages prefer cooler growing temperatures, between 55°-75°F/13°-24°C.

Can you freeze fresh cabbage out of the garden? ›

Frozen raw cabbage will have a better, more crisp texture when it's thawed. Just make sure to use it within 6-8 weeks of freezing. You can freeze cabbage heads whole, in halves, or in quarters. You could also go ahead and shred the cabbage first, then freeze it.

Wrapped tightly in plastic, a head of cabbage will keep for about two weeks in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Once cut, use cabbage within 2-3 days. Cover and refrigerate cooked cabbage within two hours of cooking and use within 3-5 days.

To get the most benefit, try to consume ½ to ¾ cup cooked or 1 ½ cup raw cabbage per day at least 5 days per week. This is pretty easy to do since there are so many ways to prepare cabbage.

The antioxidants in cabbage help reduce inflammation, which is linked to heart disease. Cabbage also contains something called anthocyanins. Several studies have found these compounds can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

May Help with Better Gut Health

As a natural source of dietary fiber, cabbage aids digestion and promotes regular bowel movements, reducing the risk of constipation. Furthermore, cabbage is a natural source of prebiotics, an indigestible fiber that acts as “fuel” for live and beneficial probiotics.

Cut up any type of cabbage, drizzle it with lemon and add a little salt for a mid-day snack.

According to Scientific American, cooking cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage helps them release indole, an organic compound that can fight off precancerous cells. Raw cruciferous vegetables have also been known to cause digestive problems for some people.

Cook cabbage in soups or stews. Use the leaves (cooked or raw) like bread or tortillas to hold sandwich fillings, meat, beans or rice dishes, or bake up delicious stuffed cabbage rolls. Cabbage can be used to make raw slaw salads with vinegar or dressing, or just tossed it into raw green salads.