Easy Garlic Roasted Cabbage Steaks (Crispy Tips!)

Name: Easy Garlic Roasted Cabbage Steaks (Crispy Tips!)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1 head green 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 ground black pepper (to taste); fresh parsley (for optional garnish)

November 30, 2022 39 Comments

Roasting vegetables brings out their best flavors. And when you add a little garlic, you have the perfect side dish. These crispy roasted cabbage steaks are a perfect example and one of my favorite vegan recipes.

Serve this as a side dish to a main entree, or have it topped with a soft poached egg for lunch. You can also slice up leftover cabbage and add it to many soups. And it's ideal for a side dish to your St. Patrick's Day dinner. For more Irish ideas, go check out this Irish vegetarian recipes post.

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Thick crispy cabbage slabs arranged like steaks on a plate.

Want to make this cabbage steak recipe perfectly the first time? I want to help with that. So, check out this Table of Contents to see which sections of this post will help you the most.

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🥬 Is Cabbage Nutritious?
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
🔪 Recommended Equipment
🎯 Top Tip for Slicing Cabbage Steaks
🔥 How to Make Cabbage Steaks Crispy
💡 Ideas for Variations
🧊 What's the Best Way to Store Roasted Cabbage Steaks?
👩‍🍳 Uses for Leftover Roasted Cabbage Steaks
🌱 Other Veggie Steaks!
❤️ More Cabbage Recipes I Love
Easy Garlic Roasted Cabbage Steaks (Crispy Tips!)

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.

But I'm simplifying my life and my cooking. Simply roasting vegetable side dishes like these cabbage steaks, citrus roasted carrots, roasted Brussels sprouts, and roasted peppers is a great way to do it without losing flavor. I can also transform them from a side dish to a vegetable main dish by adding legumes (beans), grains, or a fried egg.

🥬 Is Cabbage Nutritious?

Most of us associate the healthiest vegetables with the depth of their color. For example, dark green leafy vegetables like kale have more nutrients than iceberg lettuce. So, I assumed cabbage wasn't all that powerful.

But I was wrong. Turns out cabbage is a great way to get nutrition! And it's low carb.

First, it's a cruciferous vegetable belonging to the same family as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and kale. These vegetables are among the healthiest with their potent mix of nutrients. So, like its cousins, cabbage is rich in Vitamins K and B6 and folate, is high in fiber, and boasts powerful antioxidants. Additionally, it's packed with Vitamin C.

Because of all these nutrients, the mighty cabbage may help keep inflammation in check, improve digestion, lower blood pressure, and may help lower cholesterol levels.

🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes

The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minute meal or less.

Go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post for all the ingredients, measurements, and directions for this roasted cabbage recipe.

Cabbage - The best cabbage for this cabbage steaks recipe is green cabbage. Napa cabbage is too frilly to hold together into steaks. Savoy cabbage doesn't roast up as well with crisp edges.
Herbs - I often use fennel seed, but many other dried herbs also work. For example, thyme, caraway seed, and dill seed. After roasting, feather some coarsely chopped parsley on top for serving.
Garlic - I recommend using a garlic paste. Its smooth texture makes it much easier to apply to the cabbage steaks. You can make your own or do what I do. I always keep Gourmet Garden Garlic Paste on hand. I've tried several brands, but many brands soak the garlic paste in water, which mutes their flavor.
Extra virgin olive oil - or use a garlic-infused olive oil. Here's a recipe if you want to know how to make garlic oil.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. Clicking on these links means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.

🔪 Recommended Equipment

Having the right equipment for recipes makes prepping so much easier. If you want more fuss-free prepping and cooking, check out my updated list of favorite kitchen tools and equipment.

Rimmed baking sheet
Sharp chef's knife
Cutting board

Thick slices of cabbage topped with olive oil, salt and pepper, arranged on a baking sheet.

🎯 Top Tip for Slicing Cabbage Steaks

Make sure the cabbage steak slices are thick enough to flip. They should be 1 inch thick and no more than 1 ½ inches thick. If they're too thin, they fall apart more easily.

🔥 How to Make Cabbage Steaks Crispy

First, I should be clear that only the cabbage steak surface directly in contact with the baking sheet will crisp up. The remaining cabbage "meat" will be tender.

Try not to move the cabbage steaks while they roast in the oven's high-heat environment, except to flip them once.
Arrange the steaks in a single layer on the baking sheet.
Getting the surfaces of the cabbage slices to crisp if you live in a humid area will be more difficult. Pre-salting the cabbage slices may help. To do this, arrange the cabbage steaks 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.
Preheating the baking sheet also crisps the cabbage steaks faster.

💡 Ideas for Variations

Use red cabbage in place of green cabbage and make red cabbage steaks.
Swap out the fennel seed for dried thyme, onion powder, chili powder, or red pepper flakes.
Add a little ginger paste to the garlic for a slightly Asian twist.

🧊 What's the Best Way to Store Roasted Cabbage Steaks?

Storing leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 - 7 days. The crispy texture of the outer leaves will soften by the next day. Rewarm any leftovers in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.

Freezing leftovers: I have yet to freeze leftovers since there are many ways to use them. But you can freeze leftover roasted cabbage in freezer-safe containers or freezer plastic bags that seal. The crispy texture will soften. Thaw in the refrigerator.

👩‍🍳 Uses for Leftover Roasted Cabbage Steaks

Add to casseroles, soups or stews, such as this vegetarian Irish stew.

Make colcannon (Irish mashed potatoes).

Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the tops of the steaks and reheat in the oven.

Chop and add to scrambled eggs.

🌱 Other Veggie Steaks!

Cauliflower is the obvious steak choice. And I have a few recipes on the blog you might try. This cauliflower steak recipe explains how to create steaks from a cauliflower head, using a few different methods.

Or make these pesto cauliflower steaks topped with pesto and buttery, crispy breadcrumbs.

❤️ More Cabbage Recipes I Love

I'm a cabbage lover. Here are some ways I love to use it:

Shredded green or red cabbage on a tostada like this Black Bean and Avocado Tostada topped with Cabbage Salad. It's an easy-to-make lunch or dinner that comes together quickly.
Braised cabbage is one of my family's favorite recipes, as in this French Braised Cabbage. Shredded cabbage is simmered in vegetable stock with white wine, cream, mustard, and caraway seeds.
I also make homemade sauerkraut, which can improve gut health.

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