What can I make with cabbage?
Cabbage wilts down to almost nothing, so it works in far more dishes than people expect. Recipes using cabbage are below, along with storage tricks that buy you several extra days.
12 recipes with cabbage
Fish Tacos
Crispy or grilled fish in warm tortillas with cabbage slaw and crema.
Mexican-American20m4
Tonkatsu
Crisp panko-crusted pork cutlets with tangy tonkatsu sauce.
Japanese22m4
Buddha Bowl
Grain bowl loaded with roasted veg, protein, and tahini drizzle.
American35m4Potstickers
Pan-fried pork and cabbage dumplings.
Chinese60m6
Pozole Rojo
Hominy and pork soup in a red guajillo broth.
Mexican140m8
Napa Cabbage with Dried Shrimp
Dried shrimp gives this Chinese dish a punch of salty umami flavor.
Chinese4
Sauerkraut pierogii
step 1 First, make the crispy shallots.
Ukrainian4
Yaki Udon
Boil some water in a large saucepan.
Japanese4
Lao Som Pak Pickled Cabbage
Cut the cabbage and chop it into 1 inch pieces Put the cabbage in a large bowl and add cold water to rinse.
4
Kelem dolmasi
First boil the rice for eight minutes.
4
Air Fryer Egg Rolls
Alternative Pan Fry Method: If you don’t have access to an air fryer, you can make these egg rolls using a traditional pan fry method.
Chinese4
15-minute chicken & halloumi burgers
STEP 1 Put the chicken breasts between two pieces of baking parchment and use a rolling pin to gently bash them until they are approximately 1cm thick.
United States4
How to get the most flavour out of cabbage
- 1Cut into even pieces so everything finishes at the same moment.
- 2Roast at 425F on a preheated sheet pan for caramelised edges, or sear hard in a skillet if you want it fast.
- 3Do not crowd the pan; steam is the enemy of browning. Use two trays if you have to.
- 4Season in layers: salt before cooking, then acid and fat after, so the cabbage tastes finished rather than plain.
What goes well with cabbage
Cabbage is at its best with garlic, olive oil, lemon, feta, toasted seeds and chili. Any two or three of those, plus cabbage, is already a dinner rather than an ingredient list.
Storing cabbage
Store cabbage unwashed - moisture is what causes rot. Leafy types last longest wrapped loosely in a towel inside a bag; roots prefer somewhere cool and dark, not the fridge door. Anything starting to soften is ideal for soups, stocks, and roasting.
Substituting cabbage
If you are out of cabbage, look for something that behaves the same way in the pan rather than something that tastes the same. Match the moisture level, the cooking time, and the richness, and adjust the liquid slightly if your substitute releases more water. When in doubt, describe what you actually have in the chat and Mr. Chef will rewrite the recipe around it.
Cabbage recipes: common questions
- What can I make with cabbage and not much else?
- Plenty. With cabbage plus an onion, garlic, oil, and salt you already have the base of a skillet dinner, a soup, or a simple sauce. Add a starch - rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes - and it becomes a full meal. The recipes above are ordered so the ones needing the fewest extra items come first.
- What is the quickest cabbage recipe?
- Look for the entries above marked 20 minutes or less. As a rule, anything cut small and cooked in a hot pan beats anything roasted whole, and one-pan recipes save more time in cleanup than in cooking.
- Can I substitute cabbage?
- In most recipes yes, as long as the replacement plays a similar role - similar moisture, similar cooking time, similar richness. Swapping across roles (a watery vegetable for a starchy one, for instance) usually needs a change in liquid or cooking time too.
- How do I use up leftover cabbage?
- Fried rice, a frittata, a grain bowl, a soup, or a quesadilla will absorb almost any leftover cabbage without a recipe. If you want something specific, tell Mr. Chef exactly what is in the fridge and it will build a recipe around it.
- Are these cabbage recipes vegetarian-friendly?
- Many are, and the vegetarian and vegan collections filter the whole library down to recipes with no meat or no animal products at all. In the chat you can also say "vegan" or "no dairy" and every suggestion will respect it.