- Melting cabbage turns humble cabbage into a velvety, flavorful dish that’s nothing like mushy boiled versions.
- The recipe uses a simple two-step method—searing wedges, then roasting them in a savory broth-based sauce.
- Once you master the technique, you can easily swap spices, sauces or cabbage types for endless variations.
Whether it’s late spring, mid fall or early winter, it seems like green cabbage is always in season. We grow a variety of cabbages in our garden, and even in the cold months, I almost always have a head in my refrigerator. But to be honest, it’s not one of my favorite vegetables. I’m still traumatized by the mushy overcooked cabbage served to me as a kid. Despite my mom being an excellent cook and a big part of the reason I love food, her cooked cabbage left a lot to be desired.
For most of my adult life, in fact, I’ve favored the brassica in its crunchy raw form, or occasionally briefly grilled or seared. I just couldn’t get behind the lackluster texture and pungent sulfur smell of boiled or steamed cabbage no matter how many times I tried, and I didn’t think I would ever be a fan of well-cooked cabbage. That is, however, until I first tried a simple EatingWell cabbage recipe that was inspired by Melting Potatoes, a classic recipe that calls for roasting potatoes and then cooking them in broth until tender. That recipe is Melting Cabbage, and it has some seriously delicious flavor that is nothing like the overcooked, watery boiled cabbage of my youth.
Why You Should Make Melting Cabbage
It is one of the easiest cabbage recipes I’ve made and uses simple ingredients and a single pan. The method is straightforward, calling for just a handful of simple steps, and once you learn the technique, you can play around with the flavor profile by swapping seasonings and the ingredients in the sauce. What really sets it apart from other cooked cabbage recipes is the velvety, tender texture that literally melts in your mouth (hence the name) and the toasty flavor that is rich yet delicate, and savory and a tad sweet. Plus, you can swap in either green or purple cabbage, depending on what you have in your refrigerator.
The dish comes together in about an hour, but most of that time is hands-off, meaning on a busy weeknight I’ll get it started and pop it into the oven while I prepare the rest of dinner. Because of its incredibly tender texture, I like to serve it something that adds contrast like crispy buttermilk fried tofu, Air-Fryer “Fried” Chicken Thighs, or some Lemony-Garlic Pan-Seared Salmon. Melting Cabbage is delicious as a side, but sometimes I’ll serve it as a main dish with some Herb Marinated Beans or even Classic Hummus and whole-wheat pita or naan.
How to Make Melting Cabbage
What sets this recipe apart from other cooked cabbage is the two-step cooking process. But before you apply any heat to the cabbage, you first have to prep it. The goal is to cut it into wedges, leaving the root intact to hold the leaves together, creating lots of folds to soak up the flavorful sauce. Be sure to work on a sturdy cutting board (place a wet paper towel under the cutting board to hold it in place) and use a sharp chef’s knife to avoid any accidents when cutting through the dense cabbage.
Once you have even wedges, it’s time to sear them in a heavy oven-safe skillet such as a cast-iron skillet. Aim for medium heat to avoid burning the cabbage and in just a few minutes per side you’ll have well-browned wedges. Remove them from the skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. The recipe tells you to cook the cabbage wedges in two batches, which is required to not overcrowd the pan, but I’ve actually used a very small cabbage from the farmers’ market and I could sear it in a single batch.
Next comes the sauce, which starts with onion and garlic, along with warm spices like caraway and cumin seeds. This is where the whole house will start to smell divine. A bit of tomato paste is added after the onion and garlic are softened, and you’ll cook the paste to release its natural flavor and reduce some of its metallic taste. Don’t skip this step, as lightly cooking tomato paste in a relatively dry skillet makes for a much more complex and rich sauce. Finish with broth (chicken or vegetable) and some dry mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil, then nestle in the cabbage wedges. Transfer the skillet to a 350°F oven and gently cook until the cabbage is super-tender and the sauce is thickened (a fork inserted into the center should meet virtually no resistance).
After you’ve made this recipe once and understand the basic technique, you can start to experiment with other variations. One of my absolute favorites is Marry Me Melting Cabbage, which swaps the traditional chicken with cabbage wedges slowly cooked in a flavorful sun-dried tomato cream sauce. Serve it over some whole-wheat pasta, and you have a rich, creamy, melt-in-your mouth vegetarian dinner that will make your guests want to eat at your place every night.
The Bottom Line
Cabbage can play so many roles. From shredded and raw in coleslaw, to steamed and rolled around ground beef and rice for stuffed cabbage, it’s at home in so many classic dishes. But if you happen to dislike cabbage, it may be because you’ve only ever had it steamed or boiled into a flavorless mush. Luckily, there’s a simple technique to extract tons of the natural nutty, sweet flavor of cabbage while also slowly cooking it until velvety soft and tender.
The trick to perfectly cooked cabbage is to first sear wedges in an oven-safe skillet until golden brown, which enhances the flavor, then use the same skillet to build the sauce. Return the wedges to the skillet and slowly bake until the cabbage soaks up that aromatic liquid.
Next time you have a fresh green cabbage sitting in your produce drawer and you aren’t sure what to do with it, try this technique for a unique, delicious side dish. It may just turn you into someone who absolutely loves cooked cabbage.
