This is not your average braised cabbage side dish recipe. It's a movie star with French roots, with butter, onion, white wine, mustard and a little cream. My best advice is to double whatever you think you'll need. And it still might not be enough.
I typically make this with Savoy and Napa cabbages, but traditional green / white cabbage will work too. You may need to simmer it a little longer though.
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Braising is a perfect way to cook tougher vegetables. It allows them to soften and melt into a liquid party of flavor. This braised cabbage recipe is a great example.
Cabbage has crunch. Some types more than others. But when it's braised in a delicious soup of butter, wine, mustard and cream, it softens into a dish you can't get enough of.
This is a great dish, even with it's French-ified recipe, for a St. Patrick's Day dinner. Because cabbage. Right? And if you're looking for Irish vegetarian recipes for your table, I've got you covered!
Is cabbage good for you?
Yes. We often think of vibrantly colored vegetables as being the most healthy. But those tight balls of pale-colored cabbage are actually packed with lots of nutrients.
- It's loaded with Vitamin C (who knew??), with ½ cup cooked cabbage satisfying about ⅓ of the Vitamin C you need all day. And it provides some good fiber, helping you feel fuller longer.
- Unsurprisingly, red cabbage gives you the best nutritional boost per serving.
- It's loaded with antioxidants, and is good for both inflammation and digestion.
- With 2 grams of net carbs per 1 cup shredded cabbage, it's considered very keto friendly.
Ways to prepare cabbage
Cabbage works great in most any cooking method.
- Steam, boil, sauté, stir-fry, or roast it. These roasted cabbage steaks of mine have been pinned over 120,000 times, and are a hit anytime I make them.
- Ferment it and make your own kimchi or sauerkraut.
- Chop it raw for coleslaw and other salads, or use whole leaves as a heart-healthy substitute for tortillas or sandwich bread.
Ingredients for French Braised Cabbage
- Cabbage - look for Savoy cabbage. Otherwise use Napa cabbage or regular cabbage that's light green.
- Onions - yellow onions are what you want.
- Vegetable stock - I use Better Than Bouillon Paste, Roasted Vegetable
- White wine - any dry white wine will work great.
- Cream - you can use either heavy cream or half and half
- Mustard - use a Dijon mustard
- Unsalted butter
- Caraway seeds
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Recommended Equipment
Instructions
Step 1 (10 minutes)
Prep. Dice the onion and thinly slice the cabbage using a sharp chef's knife.
Step 2 (15-20 minutes)
Sauté. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat, and add the onion, caraway seeds, and salt. Sauté until the onion is completely softened and just starting to caramelize. Add some of the cabbage, and toss to coat. Continue to cook until the cabbage wilts.
Step 3 (15 minutes)
Simmer. Add the stock and wine. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, and then add the remaining cabbage. Continue to simmer until the second addition of cabbage is softened, and almost all of the liquid is cooked off, about 5 minutes.
Stir only occasionally!
Step 4 (2 minutes)
Whisk. Whisk together the cream and mustard with a fork, and stir into the cabbage. This is the step that makes this braised cabbage dish so special.
Correct for any seasoning.
Step 5
Serve: Serve warm.
French Braised Cabbage FAQ
Can I use red cabbage in this recipe?
I don't recommend it. Red cabbage is great for braising, but is a little sweeter than other cabbages. It goes better with apple cider vinegar than cream.
Top tip
I highly recommend adding the cabbage in separate batches. This way, the braised cabbage has different textures since some of it will be more wilted.
Best Ever French Braised Cabbage Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion about ½ of an onion
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 cups thinly sliced + coarsely chopped Savoy cabbage, divided
- ¼ cup vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons white wine any dry white wine is fine
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Prep. Dice the onion and thinly slice the cabbage using a sharp chef's knife.
- Sauté. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat, and add the diced onion, caraway seeds, and salt. Sauté until the onion is completely softened and just starting to caramelize. Add 4 cups of the cabbage, and toss to coat. Continue to cook until the cabbage wilts.
- Simmer. Add the stock and wine. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, and then add the remaining 2 cups of cabbage. Continue to simmer until the second addition of cabbage is softened, and almost all of the liquid is cooked off, about 5 minutes. Stir only occasionally!
- Whisk. Whisk together the cream and mustard with a fork, and stir into the cabbage. This is the step that makes this braised cabbage dish so special. Correct for any seasoning
- Serve. Serve warm.
Karen
Thank you for the geography lesson. Love Katie's blog, and am totally jealous of her world travels! And your photo is beautiful.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much!! This recipe was absolutely wonderful!!! And yes, I'd love to trade lives with Katie for a month 🙂
Karen
I LOVE the humble cabbage and feel it need to be promoted more, which is just what you have done here! A wonderful recipe and one that is perfect for Autumn!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie
I used to dislike cabbage in any form but I've been warming up to it the older I get. I'm tempted to try this!
Cheese with Noodles
You're totally right, poor cabbage has such a bad image. I think people instantly imagine stinkiness, limpness, and abject poverty. Didn't Charlie Bucket's family eat a lot of really sad cabbage soup? But cabbage is so good! This recipe looks like a great way to highlight such an underappreciated veggie.
Marla
You've done it! You made me drool over cabbage!! This will definitely make its way into my kitchen before too long. Thanks for posting.
Happy Reveal Day!!
Gin
Okay, I'm lost. The recipe calls for 6 cups of cabbage DIVIDED, but only 4 cups are accounted for in the directions. Help!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Ack!!! You're correct! Thanks for letting know. The other 2 cups are added 10 minutes after the first 4 cups. That way there are different levels of crunchiness in the dish. I will make that change as soon as I'm back on the computer!
Katie
So glad you like the recipe! We love the green Savoy cabbage and it will be showing up again in a few months. Little Andorra is often overlooked in geography lessons LOL
Anna
I used to think I didn't like cabbage, but any more I tend to use in in all kinds of things - soups, stir frys, salads, etc. I never thought of letting the cabbage itself be the star. Yours, however, looks absolutely lovely and demands to be a star. Except for the caraway seeds. I still don't like those.
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
It is the simple, unassuming recipes, like this one, that can really sing, eh? Great SRC recipe!
Sid @ Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
Just one word, YUM! I just saw a Savoy Cabbage last week in the store, guess I need to go back and get one now. Great choice.
Cheryl
This is the first recipe I have made from your blog. DELICIOUS!!! I look forward to trying more. 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so thrilled you liked it so much!!!
Mandy
Can you freeze this?
The Wimpy Vegetarian
You can freeze cooked cabbage very successfully up to around 3 months. But I wouldn't freeze after the cream and mustard are added. I'm concerned they might separate through the freezing and thawing process. I suggest braising it all the way through the "Simmer" stage in the recipe. Let it completely cool, and freeze in an air-tight container. When you're ready to serve it, thaw and reheat. At that point, perform the "Whisk" stage and add the cream and mustard. That should work very well.
Liz
This recipe was so easy and absolutely delicious! Its my new go to recipe for cabbage!
Heidi Skopowski
Just made this recipe for dinner. Both my husband and I loved it. I will plan on keeping this recipe.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thanks for letting me know!