A whole head of cabbage is a bit of a dare. It is heavy, it is round, and after one night of coleslaw, half of it sits in the fridge for two weeks. Many of us have thrown the rest away.
But a cabbage is one of the best buys in the store, and one of the longest-keeping. Cooked five different ways, it turns into five different meals, and none of them feels like leftovers.
This guide treats one cabbage as a week of cooking. You do not need to do all five; pick the ones that suit your week.
Start by cutting it up
Pull off any limp outer leaves. Cut the head in half through the core, then each half into wedges or quarters. Cut the core out of the wedges you plan to shred or slice.
Now divide it in your head. A quarter for slaw, a quarter for roasting in wedges, a quarter for sautéing in strips, and the last quarter for a braise or soup. Wrap the unused pieces tightly and keep them cold.
The five ways
Step by step
Cook your way through one cabbage
0 of 5 done
What each one is good for
The slaw is bright and crunchy, and good beside something fried or rich. The roasted wedges are sweet and a little smoky, and they feel like a main dish with a fried egg or beans on top.
The sauté is quick enough for a weeknight and folds into noodles, rice or eggs. The braise is the comfort one, good beside sausage or lentils. The pickle is a condiment that lives in the fridge and perks up toast, tacos and bowls.
Notice how little the work repeats. One head, one knife, five moods.
Why cabbage is worth the trouble
It is cheap, it lasts, and it is in season through much of the colder part of the year. It is a classic of old farm kitchens for exactly those reasons, and it still earns its place today.
Cabbage is also a vegetable that rewards the principles in more vegetables without a diet: make it taste good, keep it handy, and cook it simply. Eaten raw and cooked across the week, as discussed in raw vs cooked vegetables, it never gets old.
Pitfalls
The smell. Cabbage turns sulfurous when overcooked. Keep braises under 45 minutes and sautés short, and a lid-off pot helps.
Watery slaw. Salt draws water out. Dress it shortly before serving, or drain it for a minute.
Bitter wedges. Too-dark roasting or a very old head can taste bitter. Pull the wedges when they are brown, not black.
Tough core. Always cut the hard core out of anything you plan to eat quickly.
What to expect
You will have a head of cabbage that is gone in about a week, and you will have eaten it in ways that felt different each time. You do not have to make all five. Even two or three keep it interesting.
If your cabbage is huge, freeze shredded raw cabbage for soups later. If you have a small one, use it all for the sauté and the slaw.
One dish to make today
Start with the weeknight favorite. It takes one pan and about fifteen minutes.
Make this today
Golden skillet cabbage with caraway
20 min
You need
- 1 small head cabbage (about 1 1/2 pounds), cored and sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Black pepper
Method
- Step 1: Melt the butter in a large wide pan over medium-high heat.
- Step 2: Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes.
- Step 3: Add the cabbage, salt and caraway. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until golden at the edges and tender.
- Step 4: Stir in the vinegar, scraping up any browned bits.
- Step 5: Taste, add pepper and more salt if needed, and serve warm.
Keep going
One cabbage can teach you a lot about cooking. You learn how heat changes a vegetable, how salt and acid fix a dull dish, and how to make one purchase last.
Next, try how to roast a tray of vegetables every time and add your cabbage wedges to the pan. Or make a pot of soup for the week with the last quarter.
Asked over the fence