Cabbage Recipes to Complete Your Meal

Cabbage is a nutritious vegetable that has many applications and goes well with everything from pork and beef to lamb, chicken, and other poultry. Cabbage is readily available year-round in the supermarket. It is inexpensive and keeps well, so it's a good choice when on a budget. You don't have to buy a colossal head of cabbage if you don't think you can use it. Some supermarkets offer wedges or half-heads, and you'll find packaged shredded cabbage or slaw mix in most markets.

Here are some excellent ways to use cabbage as a side dish, including braised cabbage, red cabbage, slow-cooker cabbage, cabbage salads, and more easy-to-prepare dishes.

01 of 20

Easy Skillet Cabbage

The Spruce

Vinegar and a few basic seasonings flavor this easy skillet cabbage dish. Serve the cabbage with a ham dinner, pork chops, or a beef roast. The dish is a quick preparation, too; you'll have it on the table within 30 minutes.
02 of 20

Crunchy Cabbage Salad With Bacon

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

This crunchy chopped cabbage salad features bacon, green onions, and a full-flavored mayonnaise and apple cider dressing. If you're looking for an alternative to the typical coleslaw, this salad is a superb choice.
03 of 20

Cabbage With Leeks

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

This tantalizing cabbage and leek dish goes with just about any main dish. Serve the cabbage and leeks with a pork roast or chops, beef, corned beef, or poultry. The cabbage and leeks are sautéed and then simmered with a small amount of chicken stock, butter, and seasonings.
04 of 20

Roasted Cabbage With Parsley and Parmesan Pesto

Roasted Cabbage with Pesto.
Jennifer Meier

A parsley, garlic, cheese, and walnut pesto adds color and flavor to this sliced roasted cabbage. This is an excellent choice that will nicely complement grilled steaks or chops.

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05 of 20

Traditional Bubble and Squeak

The Spruce

Bubble and squeak is a British dish traditionally made with cooked vegetables from Sunday dinner. Leftover mashed potatoes and cabbage are classic ingredients, along with carrots, rutabagas, or Brussels sprouts.
06 of 20

Cabbage With Leeks and Bacon

Diana Rattray

Leeks and bacon add flavor and texture to this cabbage side dish. Go beyond plain boiled cabbage with this excellent combination. Serve this easy cabbage and bacon dish with just about any main dish. It goes especially well with ham, roast beef, and corned beef. Add it to your St. Patrick's Day menu!
07 of 20

Boiled Cabbage With Bacon

The Spruce

This simple combination of cabbage and bacon is a snap to prepare and cook. Some chicken broth or water, cabbage, onion, and bacon come together in this easy dish.
08 of 20

Pickled Red Cabbage

Diana Rattray

Pickled cabbage? Why not. This pickled cabbage recipe is great when paired with deep-fried or grilled fish tacos, and makes a lovely complement to a heavy, braised pork sandwich. Although cabbage might not be the first thing you think to pickle, you'll soon find yourself sprinkling it on tacos, pitas, flatbread, sandwiches, and more. It's an ideal way to brighten up any bowl or snack with a little tang, sweetness, and crunch.

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Baked Cabbage Steaks

The Spruce / Anita Schecter

By cutting heads of cabbage into slices or steaks as in this baked cabbage steaks recipe, more surface area is open to the pan giving them a caramelized quality with soft interiors and crispy edges. It's a technique that is often used with cauliflower.
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How to Cook Boiled Cabbage

The Spruce

This boiled cabbage couldn't be easier, and there are so many possible variations for flavor. Drizzle the boiled cabbage with pepper vinegar sauce or simply add butter.
11 of 20

Scottish Rumbledethumps

JackF / Getty Images

You might want to prepare this one so that you can tell people about the whimsical name. Scottish rumbledethumps is a combination of leftover mashed potatoes, rutabagas, and cabbage. Some grated cheese makes it hearty enough to serve as a main dish.
12 of 20

Colcannon Potato Skins

Colcannon Potato Skins. Photo by Jennifer Meier

Mashed potatoes, cabbage, and cheddar cheese get together to make up the filling for these crispy colcannon baked potato skins. Serve the potato skins as a side dish or snack.

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13 of 20

Cheddar Cabbage Gratin

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

A little mustard adds zing to this delicious cheddar cabbage casserole. Serve this flavorful cabbage casserole as part of a family meal or add it to your holiday dinner menu. Add Parmesan cheese to the buttered breadcrumb topping for more taste and texture. This casserole is an excellent way to enjoy cabbage.
14 of 20

Two-Cabbage Coleslaw (Classic Dutch Koolsla)

The Spruce / Karin Engelbrecht

This exciting Dutch coleslaw includes a tasty mayonnaise and mustard dressing. The salad contains leeks, red and green cabbage, carrots, and sprouts.
15 of 20

Kale and Cabbage Slaw With Mustard Vinaigrette

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Kale and cabbage team up in this colorful salad. The Dijon mustard dressing is lighter than the typical cabbage salad with mayonnaise dressing, and the salad is quite versatile. Add some chopped toasted pecans or almonds, or add bacon to the cabbage and kale mixture.
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Butter-Braised Cabbage

The Spruce / Molly Watson

All you need for this braised cabbage is some butter and a head of cabbage. Season it with some sea salt, and you have a fabulous side dish that is nearly effortless.

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Easy Beer Braised Cabbage

Easy Beer Braised Cabbage. Katie Workman / themom100 / Evi Abeler

This beer braised cabbage will be an instant hit! It's made with only four main ingredients: cabbage, beer, onions, and bacon. Add this dish to your St. Patrick's Day bash.
18 of 20

Red Cabbage With Apples and Bacon

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Nutritious and attractive red cabbage is delicious with a little bacon, tart Granny Smith apples, optional caraway seeds, and seasonings. You can use turkey bacon to keep the dish low in fat. If you are cooking for children or people who cannot tolerate alcohol, you can replace the red wine with apple juice or stock.
19 of 20

Slow Cooker Cabbage and Tomatoes

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

This easy recipe teams cabbage with stewed tomatoes and onions for a delicious and fuss-free slow cooker side dish. It couldn't get any easier than this. The dish adds color to your plate as well as essential nutrients when you serve it with meat or chicken.
20 of 20

Kimchi

The Spruce

This spicy pickled cabbage is a kimchi-like blend of cabbage, scallions, garlic, ginger, and chili pepper. Add cabbage relish to stir-fries, rice or noodle dishes, and egg dishes. Or serve it as a condiment.