Got a piece of cabbage you need to eat? Apply it to delicious cabbage recipes! These include simple sides, slaw, sandwiches, and more.
Choosing to make a cabbage recipe can feel like a commitment. You will buy whole cabbage to add a small part of it others tacos? What will you do with others?!
My hope is that the cabbage recipes below offer an answer to that question. There are MANY ways to cook cabbage—this humble vegetable is nothing if not versatile. It will complete a sandwich with a pop of color and crunch. It can transform into a crisp, refreshing slaw or a silky, sweet sauté. You can add it to broth or a bowl of beansa sushi rollyes slider. So please, don’t be afraid to cook cabbage recipes! I promise, you can always find a way to use up a full head, including the hunk you can’t help but forget for a week in the back of your fridge (just me?). These recipes are a great place to start!
Essential Cabbage Recipes
If you’re a cabbage lover—or even if you’re not!—you need two cabbage recipes in your rotation. One, my cabbage soupis the perfect comfort food on a cold day, while one, simple sauteed cabbageis a vegetable side that is almost as easy.
Cabbage soup
Want to smooth out one head of green cabbage at once? This recipe is the way to do it! Silky cabbage leaves melt in a delicious tomato broth with beans, greens, and potatoes.
Sautéed cabbage (recipe below)
This stir fried cabbage recipe is another easy way to use up large amounts of cabbage. It’s seasoned with just apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper, but it still tastes amazing. The whole pan will be gone before you know it!
4 Must Try Slaws
Any good collection of cabbage recipes needs to include coleslaw! Here, I offer four fun variations, all crunchy, colorful, and full of flavor.
Creamy coleslaw
Perfect for anything BBQ o picnic! A creamy, tangy homemade sauce topped with a refreshing mix of red cabbage, green cabbage, carrot ribbons, and scallions.
Coleslaw Vinegar
This slaw features the same mix of greens—cabbage, carrots, and scallions—as mine classic coleslaw does, but I replace the creamy dressing with sweet and spicy apple cider vinegar one. I also added sunflower seeds for a nutty crunch!
Broccoli Slaw
Dried cranberries add sweet pops of flavor to this creamy slaw.
Easy Vegan Coleslaw
Like classic coleslaw, but 100% plant-based. Great next to anything vegan hot dogs o veggie burgers!
Cabbage Taco Recipes
If you ask me, no taco bar is complete without shredded cabbage. Colorful and crunchy, any taco top needs it!
Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
Turn your favorite game day snack to dinner! These epic veggie tacos are packed with crunch buffalo caulifloweravocado, cilantro, cabbage, and big drizzles of creamy vegan ranch. Tip: cook the cauliflower in a air fryer If you have one. It comes out with an extra-crispy texture.
Spicy Mango, Black Bean, and Avocado Tacos
These no-cook tacos are easy to throw together on a busy weeknight. I love how the crisp cabbage softens black beanssweet, juicy mangoes, and spicy mayo in filling. Serve with a big squeeze of lime juice!
Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
These tacos feature roasted cabbage instead of raw, giving them a caramel depth of flavor. Afraid of missing out on the raw crunch? Don’t worry about it. Fresh fixings like radishes and sliced serrano peppers are up for grabs!
Healthy Taco Salad
All the flavors of a taco, but in salad form! Shredded red cabbage and chopped romaine create a fresh, crunchy base, while the vegan taco “meat,” black beans, and tortilla strips perfect the taco vibe. A zingy cilantro lime dressing tie it all together.
Cabbage-y Noodles and Rice Bowls
No matter what kind of cabbage you have—napa cabbage, savoy cabbage, red, or green—you can find a home for it in a bowl of noodles or rice.
Mango Ginger Rice Bowl
I love this recipe because it’s a) super delicious and b) super flexible. Use any type of cabbage you like, and feel free to change the other ingredients as well. Sub in baked tofu for black beansuse brown rice rather than white, or toss with whatever vegetables you have on hand. Just don’t skip the pickled ginger. It adds a fresh kick to this recipe!
Adzuki Bean Bowls
These hearty bowls are filled with a simple sesame slaw, brown rice, and nutty adzuki beans. Can’t find adzukis? Black beans work too!
Sesame Noodle Bowl
These colorful bowls are a delicious easy dinner or make-ahead lunch. Firm cabbage, meaty mushrooms, and crisp snap peas linger beneath a tangy miso dressing.
Cabbage Sandwich Recipes
Is there something missing from that sandwich? As in a taco, a little cabbage will add color and crunch.
BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich
A quick cabbage slaw adds the perfect crunch to these saucy vegan sliders. They are great game day o summer cooking!
Butternut Apple Cranberry Sandwich
Loaded with roasted pumpkin, apples, dried cranberries, and cheddar cheese, this hearty sandwich is basically sandwiched between bread! The lightly pickled cabbage gives it a pop of tangy flavor.
Japanese-Inspired Cabbage Recipes
These cabbage recipes are my homemade twists on two of our favorite Japanese foods: okonomiyaki and sushi. If you are tired of making the same old cabbage recipes, like coleslaw and cabbage soupthese foods are a great way to change things up!
Okonomiyaki
Delicious cabbage pancakes are a popular Japanese street food. I can’t say that my recipe is completely authentic, but it is quick, satisfying, and delicious, and you can make it with a handful of pantry ingredients. Tip: Don’t skimp on the toppings! They are half the fun here.
Homemade Maki Sushi
This veggie sushi is anything but traditional, but it’s delicious to make (and eat!) at home. Grilled shiitake mushrooms add rich flavor to the filling, while red cabbage and cucumber provide a refreshing crunch. Serve the rolls with my carrot ginger sauce for dipping.
Want more cabbage recipes?
Check out my new cookbook, Love & Lemons Simple Feel Good Food!
It includes a 3-day meal plan specifically designed to help you consume an entire head of cabbage. The plan recipes are some of my favorites in the book:
- Sauteed Cabbage Wedges with Green Harissa,
- Loaded with Pita Nachosand
- Chickpea Tacos with Pickled Cabbage.
Best Cabbage Recipe: Sautéed Cabbage
Serving 4 until 6
This simple sautéed cabbage is one of our favorite cabbage recipes! This is a delicious, quick, and easy vegetable side dish.
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Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, or until fragrant but not browned.
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Add the cabbage, salt, and a few grinds of pepper, stir, and cook for 2 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender.
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Add the vinegar, toss, and cook, tossing, until most of the liquid has cooked off and the cabbage is tender and brown, about 6 minutes. Season to taste and serve.
