Cabbage stew is one of our favorite comfort food dishes.
This dish has been around for centuries, with its origins in Northern Europe.
If you’re looking for ways to use up your leftover vegetables this holiday season, try out this classic cabbage stew recipe.
Cabbage is rich in vitamin K, which helps prevent blood clots.
The high fiber content also makes it an excellent source of nutrients like folate, iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
What Are The Ingredients For Cabbage Stew?
This cabbage stew recipe calls for two main ingredients – cooked red cabbage and potatoes.
You can easily substitute other root vegetables such as carrots or parsnips if you don’t have any red cabbage on hand.
- 1 medium head of red cabbage (about 1 pound)
- 4 large russet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- Parsley leaves (optional)
You will need all these basic ingredients plus some optional ones to complete this delicious cabbage stew recipe.
How Do You Make Cabbage Stew?
This recipe calls for two types of cabbage – green leaf or red cabbage.
A combination of both will give you the best flavor.
- Cut cabbage into bite-sized pieces (about 1/4 cup each) using a knife or mandoline slicer.
- Heat 3 Tbsp oil on medium heat in a sauté pan.
- Add onion and garlic, and cook until softened about 5 minutes.
- Stir in flour and stir well to create a roux.
- Slowly add 2 cups chicken stock while stirring constantly.
- Once all liquid has been added, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add remaining chicken stock and return mixture to a boil.
- In a separate bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, potatoes, celery, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Pour contents of pot back over cabbage mix and bring to a boil.
- Simmer covered for 30 minutes or until tender.
- Serve warm topped with sour cream.
Step by step guide to making cabbage stew
The first thing you need to know before starting this recipe is that cabbage contains oxalic acid.
Oxalic acid binds to minerals in the soil, preventing them from being absorbed through plant roots.
Before cooking any type of vegetable, always check the package instructions to see if they contain oxalic acid.
If so, rinse off the raw vegetable under cold water prior to preparing the recipe.
What Is The History Of Cabbage Stew?
The origin of cabbage stew goes back thousands of years.
There are many theories on how the original recipe evolved but most agree that it originated from Scandinavia or Germany.
In fact, some believe that the first written record of cabbage stew dates as far back as AD 989.
However, there are other recipes claiming to be older than that, so we may never know what the truth really is.
Regardless of where it came from, cabbage stew became popular throughout the Middle Ages.
In England, it was common for every household to have their own version of cabbage stew.
By the 17th century, people were eating cabbage stew at least once per week!
Today, cabbage stew is still quite popular across Europe, especially during cold winter months when fresh produce is scarce.
People often prepare cabbage stew using whatever ingredients they have available.
Some versions contain meat, while others include chicken, potatoes, or even beans.
Is Cabbage Stew Healthy?
While cabbage contains plenty of vitamins and minerals, there isn’t much scientific evidence that eating large amounts of raw cabbage will cause any harm or adverse health effects.
However, cooking cabbage can reduce some of its antioxidant power.
The reason for the decreased antioxidant levels comes down to the way we cook cabbage.
While heat breaks down many of the compounds responsible for providing antioxidants, studies show that when cooked at low temperatures (below 140 degrees Fahrenheit), cabbage retains more of these protective compounds than when cooked at higher temperatures.
In addition to reducing the amount of calories from cooked cabbage, another benefit of making your own vegetable soup is that you get to control what goes into it.
You can add fresh herbs, spices, and other ingredients to create something completely unique to your taste buds.
What Are The Benefits Of Cabbage Stew?
A bowl of cabbage stew is a great way to get more veggies into your diet.
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is important because they provide essential vitamins that help keep us healthy.
These include vitamins A, B-complex, C, E, D, and K.
Vitamin K is particularly beneficial when consumed as part of the daily diet.
Vitamin K works by helping the body form strong bones, preventing bleeding disorders, and promoting cardiovascular health.
The following chart shows how much cabbage contains per cup:
- 1/3 cup shredded – 3 cups chopped or 1 large head (about 6 ounces)
- ½ cup diced – 2 cups sliced
- ¼ cup chopped – 1 ½ cups cubed
- ⅛ cup sliced – about ¾ cup shredded
Some other cabbage facts include:
- It takes between 100 and 200 grams of cabbage to equal 1 ounce.
- Cabbage is low calorie but high in calories from protein.
- There are 30 calories per tablespoon in cabbage juice.
- One serving of cooked cabbage is just under half a cup.
This cabbage stew recipe calls for two medium heads of cabbage.
You have several options for cooking this tasty dish.
If you want something quick and simple, consider using frozen mixed vegetables instead of fresh ones.
Frozen produce will take less than 15 minutes to cook through.
However, if you prefer steaming, you may need to simmer the ingredients longer.
What Are Some Of The Best Cabbage Stew Recipes?
Here are some of the best cabbage stew recipes that I have tried over the years.
You may notice that most of them include bacon or smoked sausage as well!
- Bacon-Wrapped Pot Roast with Red Wine Gravy
- Pork Stew with Applesauce and Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce
- Potato Soup with Bacon, Leeks, and Carrots
- Slow Cooker Beef & Barley Soup with Smoked Sausage
- Beef and Black Bean Chili with Homemade Tortillas
- Spaghetti Squash Alfredo with Chicken Meatballs
- Easy Pork Chops Dinner with Balsamic Glaze
- Roasted Vegetable Soup with Crispy Parmesan Croutons
- Chicken Fajita Nachos
- Tofurky Sliders with Apple BBQ Relish
- Turkey Breast with Mushroom Gravy
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp Boil
How Do You Choose The Right Cabbage For Stew?
When you want to cook cabbage stew, you have many options.
You could simply steam or boil it whole, but that takes too long! If you don’t have much time on hand, you may opt to pickle your cabbage instead.
Pickled cabbage will keep well in the fridge for months (if not years).
The other option is to chop or shred your cabbage into bite-size pieces.
Once chopped, you can add it to any soup, stew, or even stir fry.
There are endless possibilities when choosing what type of cabbage you want to use for cabbage stew.
In addition to selecting the right kind of cabbage, there are also several factors to consider when cooking cabbage stew.
First off, you need to determine how thick or thin you would like your stew to be.
Thick stews call for more ingredients than thinner ones.
A thicker stew will definitely take longer to cook, so if you aren’t sure about the thickness of your stew, go for a medium thickness.
Another thing to note is whether or not you want to include meat in your cabbage stew.
In general, adding meat to a vegetable stew gives it additional flavor as well as protein.
However, if you’d rather just focus on the veggies, then by all means omit the meat altogether.
Finally, you should check the weather forecast before you start preparing your cabbage stew.
Some cabbages are better suited to certain temperatures.
For example, Brussels sprouts like cooler climates, while turnips require warmer conditions.
Knowing these things ahead of time will help ensure success in your recipe.
Here’s everything you need to know about the different types of cabbage available, plus plenty of delicious cabbage stew recipes to get started.
- 6 Ways To Cook Turnip Greens
- Crispy Tofu Stir Fry With Broccoli And Peanut Sauce
- Spicy Sausage Gravy Over Roasted Vegetables
- Easy Chicken Soup Recipe With Homemade Stock
- Roast Beef Pot Pie Filling Using Ground Turkey
- Sweet Potato Chowder With Smoked Salmon & Crispy Bacon
What Are Some Tips For Making The Perfect Cabbage Stew?
The key to a great cabbage stew is choosing the right type of cabbage.
You want something hearty that will stand up well to long cooking times.
If you have any varieties that aren’t listed below, they would work as well as their counterparts.
- Bok choi or bok choy – These Asian greens are more delicate than other cabbages but still hold up well to longer cooking periods. They have a mild flavor so won’t overpower the rest of the ingredients.
- Red cabbage – Red cabbage is similar to green cabbage but contains higher levels of anthocyanin antioxidants. These antioxidants help reduce inflammation and protect against cancer.
- Green cabbage – Green cabbage is slightly sweeter than red cabbage and less bitter. It’s good choice if you don’t like strong flavors. It can withstand longer cooking times better than red cabbage.
- Brussels sprouts – Brussels sprouts contain more vitamins A and C than most other types of cabbage and are lower in calories.
- Turnip/rutabaga – Turnips and rutabagas are members of the turnip family. Both have a mild taste that pairs well with many different foods. Rutabagas are especially popular during the holidays because they’re low-calorie and very versatile.
How Do You Know When Cabbage Stew Is Done?
The best way to tell if your cabbage stew is ready is by tasting it.
You want to taste the broth and see how much liquid remains after cooking.
If there isn’t any left at all, then that means your cabbage stew is done!
Cooking directions for cabbage stew
- Bring 1 gallon of water or stock to a boil over medium heat.
- Add two tablespoons of butter to the boiling water.
- After the butter melts, add the onion to the pot and cook until translucent.
- Once the onions have turned transparent, stir in the chopped carrots.
- Stir-fry the mixture on low heat for 5 minutes.
- Next, stir in the minced garlic and continue to simmer for another five minutes.
- Then, add the green beans and continue to cook for an additional three minutes.
- Finally, pour in the white wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and bay leaves to the pot. Stir well to combine.
- Cover the pot and let simmer for 20 minutes before removing the lid.
- Discard the bay leaves.
- Remove the pot from the stove and allow it to cool slightly. Then ladle into bowls and serve immediately.
What Are Some Common Mistakes People Make When Making Cabbage Stew?
There are two main things that most people don’t realize about cooking cabbage stew.
First, the longer the cabbage cooks, the more flavorful it becomes.
You don’t want to cook your cabbage too long because then it will get mushy instead of tender.
Soaking the shredded cabbage in water before adding it to the broth prevents this from happening.
Second, if your soup starts getting thick after you add all of the ingredients, stir in a little bit of stock or water.
If you leave it alone, the cabbage will continue to thicken until it reaches a heavy consistency.
Equipment
- The saucepan
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium cabbage
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 medium onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 stalks celery
- 2 medium potatoes
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 vegan bouillon cube
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high.
- Add the onion and simmer for about 2 minutes, or until tender.
- Stir in the celery and garlic, and simmer for about a minute, or until aromatic.
- Add water, bouillon cubes, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian spice, and cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.
- Put a lid on the pot and heat it until it boils. For roughly 15 to 20 minutes, lower the heat to a simmer.
- To assist the stew become thicker, some of the potatoes are mashed. Verify the seasoning and add salt as desired.
Video
Nutrition
My blog is all about creating delicious meals with ingredients that are easy to find in your local grocery store. I’m passionate about making yummy meals that I can share with my friends and family.