Think, Eat, Be Healthy

Braised Red Cabbage Recipe

Braised red cabbage

Braised red cabbage makes a great vegan entree.

About this braised red cabbage recipe

Braised red cabbage will get more cruciferous vegetables onto your plate. Red cabbage is a good anti-inflammatory food. This recipe has flavor to spare with lemon, fresh herbs, ripe tomato and red onion.

This recipe works just as well and tastes the same with green cabbage. The red cabbage has many more nutrients to offer. Red onion is used for the same reason.

Braised red cabbage is hearty enough to be a vegan entree. It is a good side vegetable, too. During the summer it is also great cold with greens.

braised red cabbage

The ingredients for braised red cabbage recipe.

Ingredients for braised red cabbage recipe

1 small head red cabbage                                                  1 small red onion

2 medium tomatoes                                                           1 medium-large lemon

7-8 whole garlic cloves, peeled                                        whole fresh herbs of choice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt                                                         1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon olive oil or oil of choice(optional)          1/2 cup water or vegetable stock

Preparing the braised cabbage

1. Cut the cabbage in half through the stalk. Then cut each half into 3-4 wedges. Cut out the solid center stalk from each wedge.

2. Lay out the red cabbage wedges in a deep baking dish. Spray lightly with a Misto sprayer and your oil of choice. Turn the oiled side of the cabbage down.

3. Place the fresh whole herbs along the faces of the cabbage wedges.

4. Slice the tomatoes 1/2″-3/4″ thick and lay over the herbs.

5. Cut the red onion into 3/4″ pieces and distribute evenly around the pan.

6. Distribute the whole garlic cloves around the pan.

7. Cut the lemon into 8-10 wedges and distribute them around the pan.

8. Spray everything lightly with oil.

9. Sprinkle with the sea salt and black pepper. Substitute red pepper flakes if you prefer. Ground turmeric can be added to make this an even more anti-inflammatory food.

10. Add the water or vegetable stock to the pan and place in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes.

11. Check the cabbage. Bake until the centers of the wedges are starting to get tender and the edges are browned.

12. Cover with foil and return to the oven for 30 more minutes or until tender throughout.

braised red cabbage

Braised red cabbage recipe ready to go into the oven.

Notes on braised red cabbage

I often add additional vegetables to the pan when making braised red cabbage. Carrot, beet, turnip, rutabaga and other vegetables add flavor and nutrition. It also becomes more of a one pan meal.

Braised red cabbage is a good center-plate dish. Add a little barley or millet pilaf, some beans and a green salad for a complete meal fit for any healthy whole food diet. And it offers all of the benefits of the cruciferous vegetables: anti-inflammatory compounds, boosts the immune system and helps fight some cancers.

I am most often cooking for two at home. Use half the head for braised red cabbage and save the other half for slaw, shaving onto green salads and adding to other vegetable dishes. This is how to get double and triple duty out of larger vegetables, reduce waste and maximize the food budget.

Remember: the brightly colored vegetables like red cabbage are some of the best for whole food health. They have higher concentrations of nutrients than their paler twins. You get more nutrition for the same price and the same amount of food.

braised red cabbage

Braised red cabbage, orzo pasta with baba ganoush sauce, edamame and avocado make a complete whole food meal.