The Absolute Best Way to Cook Cabbage Makes It the Star of Any Meal

While cabbage has been cultivated for more than 4,000 years, the leafy green’s popularity has soared over the past couple years. Instead of reserving the humble vegetable for sides and salads, many chefs are giving it main character status. Whether served on a bed of egg yolk aioli, drizzled with tahini, or topped with chili crisp, beautifully charred slabs of roasted cabbage are particularly common sights on restaurant menus across the United States. The best part of this trend? Roasted cabbage is an incredibly easy and affordable dish to make at home with a few simple ingredients.

Why Everyone Is Roasting Cabbage (and You Should, Too)

Roasting cabbage in the oven brings out the vegetable’s natural sweetness and savory depth. Oven-cooked cabbage also has a variety of satisfying textures: The interior leaves are tender and juicy, while the edges are crispy and charred. 

The roasted wedges are delicious on their own and pair well with a wide array of accompaniments, such as miso butter or a squeeze of lemon juice. You can serve roasted cabbage as an entrée accompanied by pasta or fresh bread or as a complement to any protein. Roasting vegetables such as cabbage also retains more nutrients than cooking methods such as boiling or stir-frying (it’s an excellent source of dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamins C and K). 

How to Make Roasted Cabbage

What You’ll Need

• Extra-virgin olive oil: You can also use clarified butter or ghee (great for roasting) or neutral oils such as vegetable, grapeseed, or canola, which have milder flavors than olive oil.
• Head of cabbage: Dense and sturdy green and red cabbages are great for roasting. Savoy and napa cabbages also work, but the result will have a much softer texture. Instead of cutting the cabbage into wedges, you can also slice them into steaks or chunks.
• Spices: The wedges are seasoned with garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Also try spicing them up with your favorite all-purpose seasoning.
• Lemons: A squeeze of fresh lemon gives the charred cabbage a hint of acidity, a nice contrast to its smoky and savory flavors.

Directions

Cut your cabbage into wedges, leaving the core intact, and brush each one with olive oil (or rub it on with your hands). Sprinkle them with garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper on all sides. Arrange the wedges on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes at 450 degrees F, flipping them halfway through, until brown and charred in some areas. Remove them from the baking sheet and finish with fresh-squeezed lemon juice before serving.

Get the recipe: Roasted Cabbage

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