Cabbage is an incredibly versatile vegetable that can be cooked in a variety of different ways depending on the recipe. However, one of the most popular ways to cook cabbage is simply to boil it.
While boiled cabbage might have a reputation for being a little bland, our aim with this recipe guide is to prove that this doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, there are so many different ways of incorporating boiled cabbage into your cooking!
Today, we’ll be sharing our favorite boiled cabbage recipes with you, from basic boiled cabbage to more elaborate dishes that combine boiled cabbage with other delicious ingredients.
1. Boiled Cabbage
Boiled cabbage can be cooked by itself and served as a side for other dishes, such as roasted meats or other vegetables.
This recipe shows you how to make simple but delicious boiled cabbage using just 5 ingredients: a cabbage head, chicken stock, butter, black pepper, and salt.
You start by boiling the cabbage wedges in the chicken stock and seasoning before adding the butter and simmering for another 6 minutes. It really is that easy, and it tastes absolutely delicious!
2. Southern Cabbage
One of our favorite ways to elevate basic boiled cabbage is using this recipe for southern cabbage.
All you need for this recipe is a medium cabbage head, diced onion, chicken broth, black pepper, crushed red pepper, and some bacon.
Start by crisping the bacon and use the leftover bacon grease to fry your onions before boiling the cabbage in the chicken broth. Add the seasoning and combine all the ingredients before serving.
3. Creamed Cabbage
Creamed cabbage is another popular way to transform basic boiled cabbage into a delicious side dish. This specific recipe is for South African-style creamed cabbage, and it’s rich and tasty as well as nutritious.
You just need to boil the cabbage in salted water until it gets soft before draining and mixing with cornstarch, milk, and butter. Continue to boil, then bring down the temperature and season for the creamiest roast accompaniment you’ve ever tried!
4. Creamy Garlic Pork With Cabbage
If you love creamed cabbage but want to add more protein and a meatier flavor, we recommend this recipe for creamy garlic pork with cabbage.
You’ll fry the pork in cooking oil first before cooking the garlic in the same pan to absorb the flavor throughout the rest of the dish. Then, you’ll need to add the chicken stock gradually before stirring in the shredded cabbage and seasonings.
Leave the cabbage to boil in the stock for around 15 minutes, and add the cooked pork and cream cheese before garnishing with parsley and black pepper.
5. Sweet And Sour Cabbage
Sweet and sour cabbage is another great recipe idea to bring your boiled cabbage to the next level. You can make this with green cabbage, as the recipe recommends, or substitute it for red cabbage if you prefer.
Boil the cabbage for 5 minutes and drain before cooking the bacon and collecting the bacon fat. Mix the fat with your flour and brown sugar as well as water, vinegar, chopped onion, black pepper and salt. Toss the cabbage in your sauce, add the bacon, and combine.
6. Stuffed Whole Cabbage
This recipe is proof that boiled cabbage doesn’t have to look or taste boring!
This whole stuffed cabbage recipe starts with cooking onion and some chopped cabbage in oil. You’ll then mix beef, rice, egg, pepper, salt, onion, and your sauce to make the filling and spoon it into the cabbage shell.
Next, add your boiled cabbage (in a cheesecloth) to your Dutch oven with the rest of the chopped cabbage and sauce, and boil before reducing to a simmer. You can serve the stuffed cabbage in wedges with Parmesan.
7. Cabbage Rolls
Cabbage rolls are fun to make and eat, and you can serve them as the main component of a meal or as a side.
All you need to do to make these cabbage rolls is pre-cook the rice and combine your ground beef, egg, rice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, and seasonings. Boil the cabbage head and remove the leaves once cool.
You can then start assembling the cabbage rolls with the filling. Cover with the rest of your sauce and leftover cabbage water and bake for a couple of hours.
8. Sweet And Sour Cabbage Soup
If you have some cabbage that you don’t know what to do with, why not boil it into this sweet and sour cabbage soup?
It’s very easy to make the soup. Just sauté your onion, garlic, paprika, and tomato paste and add the cabbage along with the bay leaf, carrots, broth, vinegar, tomatoes, and brown sugar.
Boil the mixture and then lower the heat before cooking for a further 25 minutes.
Once the soup is ready, you can add salt, pepper, and lemon juice before garnishing with black pepper and parsley.
9. One-Pot Cabbage Casserole
This one-pot cabbage casserole is a quick and easy meal to put together, and it’s perfect when you want something hearty for cold evenings.
You’ll just need to cook some ground beef in a skillet with Creole seasoning and chopped onion before draining the grease and adding the rice, tomato paste, water, tomatoes, and cabbage.
After bringing the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and cook for 20 minutes before topping with shredded cheese and continuing to cook until it melts.
10. Smothered Cabbage With Ham
Smothered cabbage with ham is a tasty and low-effort boiled cabbage recipe that we like to make during the fall and winter months when we have leftovers to use up.
Cook your onion in oil and add the garlic and ham before pouring in the broth along with the cabbage, potatoes, salt, and pepper.
You’ll boil all these ingredients in the broth, and cook for 15 minutes with the lid on before taking off the lid and continuing to cook for about 10 minutes. The final touch is to add the vinegar for flavor.
11. Rumbledethumps (Scottish Potato And Cabbage Pie
If you’ve never heard of or tried Rumbledethumps, which is a Scottish potato and cabbage pie recipe, we strongly recommend that you follow this recipe.
The result is a warming and hearty dish that we think will become your new favorite comfort food.
The pie is made from starchy potatoes of your choice, and boiled cabbage that has been cooked in a separate pot. You can add some cheese before baking in the oven if you like. Cheddar is best, but if you’re vegan, you can also use a dairy-free cheese alternative.
12. Beef And Cabbage Stew
Beef and cabbage stew is the perfect winter recipe if you want to make something that doesn’t require your full attention for the whole cooking time, or multiple pots and pans.
The stew only takes 15 minutes to prepare, with the rest of the 3 hours being cooking time. The ingredients include boiled, shredded cabbage as well as tomato sauce, celery ribs, potatoes, beef broth, beef stew meat, onion, and beef bouillon.
This is a rich and meaty-tasting stew guaranteed to leave you feeling warm and satisfied.
13. Low Carb Cabbage Dumplings
These low-carb cabbage dumplings are healthy and easy to prepare within around an hour. They contain ground pork, onion, garlic, minced ginger, and cilantro, and you will be using cabbage leaves to hold the filling together.
The cabbage leaves need to be boiled in salted water and carefully cut to make the dumpling wraps, which is the most complex part of the recipe. The dumplings can be served with your choice of dipping sauce.
14. Colcannon Soup (Irish Potato And Cabbage Soup)
Another soup recipe that uses boiled cabbage is this Irish potato and cabbage soup, or as it’s known in Ireland, Colcannon soup.
This soup is very nutritious, creamy, and filling. It’s made with leeks, cabbage, onion, bacon, heavy cream, chicken broth, and potatoes.
You could also make it with vegetable stock and exclude the bacon to make it vegetarian, and if you want to make your meal even more satisfying, serve the soup with thick slices of buttered bread (see also “How To Make Cherry Beer Bread“).
15. Cabbage Pigs In Blankets
This recipe for cabbage pigs in blankets is very interesting and has become one of our new favorite ways to cook with boiled cabbage!
Admittedly, learning to roll the cabbage leaves can take some practice, but once you’ve mastered it, you’ll want to make this recipe again and again.
It’s important to pay attention to the moisture content of the filling to make sure your pigs in blankets stay juicy. Thankfully, this is easy to do as long as you keep stirring and don’t boil the cabbage for longer than necessary.
Final Thoughts
Boiled cabbage might not sound very exciting on paper, but as you can see, there are many ways to turn boiled cabbage into flavorful and fun recipes, from cabbage rolls to cabbage pie!
You can experiment with different cabbage varieties and flavor pairings to get all the nutritional benefits of this vegetable in a way that you enjoy!
