Roasting vegetables brings out their best flavors, and when you add a little garlic, you have the perfect side dish. This crispy roasted cabbage dish is a perfect example. With millions of recipes literally at our fingertips, it's tempting to think you need to complicate things with at least 15 ingredients to get a great tasting dish. And I've done it. If you search through this site, you'll find oodles of recipes with lots of ingredients. But seriously, it's not really necessary. And roasted cabbage is a perfect example. Even garlic roasted cabbage.
Favorite Cabbage Recipes
I'm a cabbage fan, I should acknowledge right up front. I like it shredded on a tostada, like this Black Bean and Avocado Tostada topped with Cabbage Salad. It's an easy lunch or dinner that comes together quickly. This Best Ever Braised Cabbage is also a big favorite. Shredded cabbage is sautéed in vegetable stock with a little white wine, cream, mustard and caraway seeds. And I make my own sauerkraut. But this recipe for garlic roasted cabbage is by far my favorite.
It's also the easiest of the bunch.
Is Cabbage Healthy?
I always associate the healthiest vegetable by the depth of their color. For example, dark green leafy vegetables like kale has more nutrients than iceberg lettuce. Carrots and winter squash are full of valuable nutrients. So I assumed cabbage wasn't all that powerful. But I was wrong. First of all, it belongs to the same family as broccoli, cauliflower and kale. These vegetables are among the healthiest with their strong mix of nutrients. Like its cousins, cabbage is rich in B6 and folate, is high in fiber, and boasts some powerful antioxidants. Additionally it's packed with Vitamin C. This brew of fabulousness leads to the health benefits listed below. Second, it may help keep inflammation in check. Third, it may improve digestion. Fourth, it may lower blood pressure. Fifth, it could help lower cholesterol levels.
Tips for Making Roasted Cabbage
Make sure the cabbage slices are thick enough to flip. They should be between 1 inch and 1 1/2 inches. If they're too thin, they fall apart more easily. I purchase Gourmet Garden Garlic Paste to make this dish easier to make. It's available in many grocery stores in the section where you find fresh herbs. It comes in a tube, and lasts a long time in the refrigerator. If you don't find it, you can purchase it by using this link: Gourmet Garden Garlic. It's the only garlic paste I've used that I can recommend, and I've tried quite a few through the years. Fennel seeds add a great additional taste punch to the cabbage, but if you don't care for it, no worries. Cabbage is compatible with many different flavors. I recommend trying caraway seeds, thyme, or tarragon for something more traditional. Ginger powder, curry powder or a little mustard are other good choices that I like with cabbage. For something very creative, although I confess I haven't tried it, I've read that juniper berries go very well with cabbage.
How to Get Them Crispy
First of all, I should be clear that only the edges of the cabbage crisp up – the part that's in contact with the baking sheet. The remaining cabbage “meat” will be tender. The secret to getting a crisp outer surface is to not move them at all while they roast, except to flip them. If your cabbage has a high water content, and you live in a humid area, it will be more difficult. (I live at a very dry 7100 ft in the mountains.) Pre-salting the cabbage slices may help. Arrange them on the parchment paper, lightly salt, and let sit for 30 minutes. Use a paper towel to dab up any moisture on the cabbage, and then make the recipe as directed.
What To Do With Any Leftovers
These garlic roasted cabbage steaks are best fresh from the oven, toasty warm. The flavors are fine the next day, but the crispy texture is completely wilted. If you have leftovers, and the texture is important to you, I recommend sprinkling some grated Parmesan cheese on the top and reheat in the oven. Alternatively, you can save them to add to casseroles.
Kitchen Equipment For Roasting Cabbage
Having the right equipment makes a big difference to any recipe. For this one, I used a Nordic Ware Aluminum 1/2 sheet baking sheet. Click on the below link to check it out. BestReviews rated this baking sheet as the Best Bang for the Buck of all the baking sheets they tested.
If you want to move to a more vegetarian diet, but not sure the best steps to take, join the Monthly Vegetarian Meals Challenge. Each month I'll post some tips – great plant protein sources, must-haves for the vegetarian pantry, ways to build flavor, and more. Additionally, we tackle 1 – 3 seasonal recipes tied to the theme that month. Subscribe to Monthly Vegetarian Meals Challenge.
Garlicky Roasted Cabbage Steaks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head cabbage
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, or caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black ground pepper, to taste
- Parsley, for optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the cabbage head into 1" slices and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with half of the oil, garlic paste, fennel, salt, and pepper. Carefully flip and apply the remaining oil, garlic, and spices.
- Roast for 20 minutes, and flip back over. Roast for another 20 minutes, or until crispy around the edges.
- Serve warm, and garnished with coarsely chopped parsley.
- As a note, these 'steaks' aren't quite as good warmed up, as they lose their crispiness, but leftovers are great sliced and added to casseroles.
Notes
Nutrition
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Want more roasted veggies? Check these out…
Cauliflower Steaks over a Citrus Salad Citrus Roasted Carrots with Ginger Sweet Potato Fries with Maple-Mustard Dip Or go check out my post on Parade's online magazine for a roundup of over 20 Best Roasted Veggies for an Easy Dinner!
Liz says
Sounds good and a little different. Thank you.
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
The roasting really brought out the flavors! Thanks for stopping by!
Florian @ContentednessCooking says
This looks fantastic, thanks for sharing!
Martha @ A Family Feast says
You sound very much like my husband at our dinner parties and holiday gatherings – he’s always afraid we’ll either run out of food or some guests won’t be happy with fewer choices. So we always have too many leftovers! I love this recipe – roasted cabbage is so simple to make and tastes fantastic!
Alisa @ Go Dairy Free says
I love cabbage, but haven’t tried it roasted yet – on the must make list now!
Kathy Hester says
When can I come over for dinner? I hope you have these when I do 😉
Susan | LunaCafe says
I love cabbage and this is such a novel treatment. Will definitely try it.
Amy Basso @ amysapron.net says
What a fantastic idea! A nice change from shredded cabbage…
mjskitchen says
This is a cabbage recipe that my husband would love. Cabbage isn’t his favorite vegetable, but with lots of garlic, he’ll eat this up. I know I certainly will. Clever recipe!
Norma Chang says
Cabbage is one of my favorite veggies and I just love this recipe, definitely making when cabbages are ready for harvesting.
Lindsay Cotter says
Such a delicious side! And so easy to make!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks so much! It really is! I make this all. the. time!!!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
I seriously need to give this a try! Looks SO good!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I think you’d love this, Toni!!! It’s the most popular recipe on my blog by far!!
Suzy says
This is the best way to prepare cabbage! It’s so good and the flavor is amazing!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks so much!!! It’s absolutely my favorite way of making cabbage 🙂
Andrea Metlika says
I too am a cabbage fan. These steaks sound awesome and I have all the ingredients in my kitchen so I believe this will be tomorrow nights dinner.
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
That’s what I love about these – I almost always have all the ingredients on hand that I need to make them!
Jess says
This is the yummiest looking cabbage I’ve ver seen! It looks and sounds delicious! Sign me up!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks so much!!! I hope you give them a try!
C says
What a delicious and easy recipe to make. Quickly becoming a family favorite:)
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
They’re a family favorite here too!! Thanks so much!
Christy Atiles says
F**cking delicious! I didn’t have plain garlic only a garlic and ginger paste and it was amazing! I’m surprised how sweet the cabbage got when cooked. Great vegan side!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I’m sooooo happy you liked this!!!! I love that you added a little ginger paste to it! Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
G. says
Can you put them in an air fryer?
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I don’t (yet) own an air fryer, so I haven’t tried it. But I would think it would work great. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it works!
Kristine says
What can I use in place of Fennel or Caraway seeds? I don’t have either in my pantry and I’m trying to use up other spices instead. Thanks!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I think a good option is dried thyme. Do you have any in your pantry?
Kristine says
That i have! Thanks!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Great! Yay team!!