Food

Our 28 Best Cabbage Recipes from Around the World

Slaws, stews, and stuffed—cabbage can do it all

By SAVEUR Editors

Updated: August 13, 2019

It's high time we stop overlooking cabbage. An endlessly versatile vegetable, our best cabbage recipes are anything but basic. Whether you're using the the thicker outer greens or the tender inner leaves, there's so much you can do with a head of cabbage. Some of our favorite dishes, from salads to pastas, spotlight the crucifer for its texture and flavor. Ready to start? From dolmas to tacos to slaw, here are more than two dozen cabbage recipes from around the globe to get you excited about the underrated vegetable.

Grilled-Cabbage Caesar Salad — Flame-kissed savoy cabbage makes an excellent canvas for a Caesar-inspired anchovy vinaigrette and plenty of garlicky bread crumbs. Get the recipe for Grilled-Cabbage Caesar Salad »Jenny Huang

Corned Beef and Cabbage — Juicy, succulent corned beef meets delicately poached winter vegetables in this new classic. Get the recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage »Jenny Huang

kimchi — Kimchi is both a ubiquitous Korean side dish and the star ingredient in a host of classic recipes. Get the recipe for Traditional Kimchi »Hannah Whitaker

Korean Kimchi Stew with Pork Belly and Tofu (Kimchi-jjigae) — Kimchi-jjigae, a comforting stew, can be made with any protein. This version has tofu and silky, fatty pork belly. Get the recipe for Korean Kimchi Stew with Pork Belly and Tofu (Kimchi-jjigae) »Hannah Whitaker

Lamb-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Green Tahini — At Mokonuts in Paris, cabbage leaves are stuffed with lamb and herbs and and drizzled with lemony tahini sauce. Get the recipe for Lamb-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Green Tahini »Joann Pai

Homemade Pasta with Spicy Cabbage and Bacon (Krpice) — Cabbage is a staple vegetable in Slovenia; here it is wilted in bacon fat and spiced with cayenne before being tossed with homemade noodle dough for in traditional pasta cabbage recipes. Get the recipe for Homemade Pasta with Spicy Cabbage and Bacon »Chris Court

Green Cabbage Salad with Charred Cabbage Vinaigrette and Hazelnuts — This crunchy salad combines the juice from grilled cabbage with vinegar and browned butter and tosses the resulting vinaigrette with raw cabbage and hazelnuts for an all-season slaw. Get the recipe for Green Cabbage Salad with Hazelnuts »Justin Walker

cabbage dolmas — In Armenian and nearby Middle Eastern cuisines, dolma refers to a family of stuffed vegetable dishes, most often wrapped in grape or cabbage leaves. You can use this same meat-and-rice filling—and a similar steaming technique—to hollow out and stuff zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, or peppers. Dolmas taste best warm, and leftovers can be resteamed one or more times as desired. Get the recipe for Armenian Stuffed Cabbage Dolmas »William Hereford

Cabbage Fritters (Cabbage Vepadu) — Cookbook author Madhur Jaffery describes these spidery-looking cabbage-and-peanut fritters as looking like little Medusa heads, "with the strands of shredded cabbage providing a crunchy, unruly halo." A popular item in the mess halls of the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, they can be served as part of a meal or as a crunchy snack. Get the recipe for Cabbage Fritters (Cabbage Vepadu) »Ingalls Photography

Spicy Cabbage and Chorizo Soup — This riff on the traditional Portuguese soup, Caldo verde, replaces the more common kale with savoy cabbage and spices things up with chile flakes. Get the recipe for Spicy Cabbage and Chorizo Soup »Joseph De Leo

Duck Borscht with Fermented Tomato Sauce — This soup combines a whole duck, beet greens, and cabbage in a fizzy fermented tomato sauce—a wonderful alternative when fresh tomatoes aren't in season. Get the recipe for Duck Borscht with Fermented Tomato Sauce »Justin Walker

Van Valkenberg Hot Slaw — Coleslaw gets a makeover as a filling and hearty cabbage casserole that test kitchen assistant Sarah Ruth Maier grew up eating at family functions. Get the recipe for Van Valkenberg Hot Slaw »Vanessa Rees

Tennessee-Style Mustard Coleslaw — The classic mayonnaise-based coleslaw cabbage recipe is bolstered here by the addition of mustard. Get the recipe for Tennessee-Style Mustard Coleslaw »Todd Coleman

Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Carrot Achaar (Malaysian-Style Pickle) — Cabbage goes great in this Malaysian-style mixed vegetable pickle is made with a rempah, or spice paste, stirred into the brine for an extra boost of flavor and texture. Get the recipe for Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Carrot Achaar (Malaysian-Style Pickle) »Khushbu Shah

Jose Garces' Fish Tacos — Chef Jose Garces uses a batter of rice flour and vodka to produce shatteringly crisp fish bites that he then stuffs into warm tortillas and tops with cool, crunchy slaw from easy, quick-pickled cabbage recipes. Get the recipe for Jose Garces' Fish Tacos »Matt Taylor-Gross

Houston, Chris Shepherd, Grilling, Cabbage Slaw — In this offbeat slaw, raw red cabbage adds a textural contrast to the grilled green cabbage, and a zippy, spicy-sweet-salty dressing goes well with the charred bits. Get the recipe for Charred Cabbage Slaw »Drew Anthony Smith

Pikliz sauce — The key to great pikliz, a spicy slaw made with cabbage and other vegetables, is time. The longer the sturdy, crunchy vegetables soak up the vinegar and citrus, the better. Serve it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on everything from eggs to steak. Get the recipe for Spicy Haitian Cabbage Slaw »Matt Taylor-Gross

Bacon Fried Rice — Cabbage is thick enough to bolster fried rice without becoming mushy like other greens. Get the recipe for Bacon Fried Rice »Matt Taylor-Gross

Quick Basic Kimchi — Getting tired of plain cabbage recipes? Learn to kimchi it and any other vegetable to spice up a standard dish. Get the recipe for Quick Basic Kimchi »Matt Taylor-Gross

Pork and Cabbage Kimchi Potstickers — Use your newly-made cabbage kimchi to make these potstickers. Homemade dumplings take some work, but they're worth the effort for a rich pork filling livened up with funky kimchi. Get the recipe for Pork and Kimchi Potstickers »Farideh Sadeghin

Braised Red Cabbage — Adding a grated russet potato to this braise helps to temper the sour sweetness of the cabbage. Get the recipe for Braised Red Cabbage »Ingalls Photography

Hawaiian Cabbage Salad — Cabbage salads featuring dried noodles are a staple of Hawaiian home cooking, adding crunch, texture, and sweetness to this terrifically versatile slaw. Get the recipe for Hawaiian-Style Sesame Cabbage Salad »Matt Taylor-Gross

Spiced Red Cabbage — Red cabbage and apples are stewed with wine, sugar, and dried cranberries in this spiced side dish. Use tart apples, such as Granny Smith, if you want a more sour-sweet flavor from cabbage recipes. Get the recipe for Spiced Red Cabbage With Apples and Cranberries »Chris Court

Korean Mung Bean Pancakes with Dipping Sauce (Bindaeduk Cho Kanjang) — These savory Korean pancakes are made from a batter of ground mung beans flecked with pork, scallions, and pungent kimchi. Get the recipe for Korean Mung Bean Pancakes with Dipping Sauce (Bindaeduk Cho Kanjang) »Ingalls Photography

lou fassum — Lou fassum is most dramatic when presented whole, then sliced into thick wedges. Serving the pieces with a stock-based glaze is optional. The dish can also be drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh herbs, or ladled with chicken stock and topped with a dusting of grated cheese. Serve with mashed or roasted potatoes if desired. Get the recipe for Stuffed Cabbage (Lou Fassum) »Matt Taylor-Gross

Cider-Braised Red Cabbage — Braised cabbage, a common side dish in Germany, classically has both sweet and sour flavors. In chef Thomas Ferlesch's version from Werkstatt restaurant in Brooklyn, a generous amount of fat—he prefers to use lard or duck fat for their rich texture—and juicy red wine round out the tart flavors of cranberry, vinegar, and apple cider. Get the recipe for Cider-Braised Red Cabbage »Matt Taylor-Gross

Paprika kraut — This hearty, chicken stock—braised kraut is smoky, spicy, and well balanced, with sweet onions, garlic, and bacon fat nicely contrasting the brightness and brininess of jarred sauerkraut. If you prefer the end result even more sour, feel free to add a splash more brine from the jar. Get the recipe for Braised Paprika Kraut »Matt Taylor-Gross

Pan-Seared white Fish with Mussels, Cabbage Shoots, and Cream — This preparation incorporates the best of old and new, with a lightly briny and delicately foamy cream sauce, crispy seared fish, and robust cabbage shoots (another local favorite) infused with the fresh juice of the mussels. Get the recipe for Pan-Seared White Fish with Mussels, Cabbage Shoots, and Cream »Chris Tonnesen

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