I can’t tell you how much I adore cabbage these days. It’s seriously one of my favourite things to eat.
And while it’s amazing raw in salads and coleslaw, it’s hard to go past a big bowl of soft spiced cabbage spiked with salty feta.
Beats pasta any day.
And it’s much quicker than good old spaghetti or penne too!
Plus cabbage lasts in the fridge for weeks and weeks. So this is practically a pantry recipe.
I always have a cabbage in the fridge so know I can pull together a comforting dinner whenever I need a backup plan 🙂
Spiced Cabbage & Feta
Ingredients
- 800 g cabbage 1/2 small or 1/4 large
- 3-4 teaspoon curry powder
- 1-2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 200 g feta crumbled
- 100 g roast almonds or other nuts
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley or coriander (cilantro), optional
Instructions
- Slice cabbage into ribbons about 1cm (1/2in) thick. Heat a large saucepan on a medium high heat. Add a generous glug of oil and pile the cabbage into the pot. Add a splash of water and cover with a lid.
- Cook with the lid on for 5-10 minutes stirring every now and then. If it starts to burn add another few tablespoons water and reduce the heat to medium.
- When the cabbage is no longer crunchy and like cooked pasta, add the curry powder and stir well. Cook for another minute or so until you can smell the curry aromas.
- Remove from the heat and stir in soy sauce. Add crumbled feta. Taste and season with more soy or some salt if needed.
- Divide warm cabbage between two bowls. Top with nuts and fresh herbs (if using). Enjoy the comforting goodness.
Nutrition
WINE MATCH: A crisp riesling or cold beer.
Variations & Substitutions
keto / ultra low carb – replace half the cabbage with baby spinach leaves (just stir in at the end) OR replace all the cabbage with chard / spinach / other leafy greens. And use macadamias as your nuts.
dairy-free – replace feta with bacon, olives, cooked chicken, cooked chickpeas or eggs. If using eggs just cook for an extra minute, stirring until the egg is just set and looks like little cheesy curds.
different cheese – golden pan fried cubes of halloumi are worth getting another pot dirty! Or use soft goats cheese, labneh or shaved parmesan.
more substantial (carb lovers) – cooked pasta, rice, quinoa, roast veg (sweet potato is fab) or serve with warm pita.
more substantial (low carb) – add some fried eggs, extra nuts, extra feta, chunks of avocado or serve with some mayo.
low FODMAP – use macadamias instead of the almonds. And replace 1/2 the cabbage with baby spinach.
family-friendly / different spice – use a mild curry powder or try a mix of ground cumin, coriander and smoked paprika.
different vegetables – kale, spinach, silverbeet, chard or collard greens are all great. Roast veg are lovely with the curry and feta. If you want to use cauliflower or broccoli best to boil them until tender and drain before sauteing in the oil and curry powder. If you have time soften an onion before you cook the cabbage for extra depth of flavour.
different protein – eggs cooked into the cabbage are amazing! Also see the different cheese ideas. Crumbled sausages or minced meat(chicken would work well) can also work (be prepared to add more soy and curry powder though).
Problem Solving Guide
bland – more salt or soy sauce. A splash of lemon juice or vinegar can also bring things to life. Or more curry powder.
too dry – a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil will help.
cabbage burning / sticking – quickly reduce the temp and add a few tablespoons water to cool things down and provide steam.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
cabbage – will keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for weeks, even months. Can be frozen but will have a wilted texture once defrosted.
curry powder / soy sauce / roast almonds or other nuts – keep them in the pantry.
feta – keeps for months unopened in its packet. Or can be frozen. Or you could make a marinated feta by putting it in a super clean jar from the dishwasher and covering with oil and then keeping it in the fridge. Sometimes I like to add flavourings like bay leaves, lemon zest and pepper corns or chilli.
parsley or coriander (cilantro) – best to use for another meal. Can be frozen but will wilt when defrosted.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the herbs and nuts separately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, warm in a pan with a little oil then finish with the herbs and nuts.
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
Added some edamame beans because I’d defrosted them and used chilli powder cos no curry powder. Well past its use by date but still hot! All worked really well. A great use of cabbage, thanks Jules.
oh yum Patricia!
I made this dish, using cumin & coriander. It was delicious. Cabbage is quickly becoming a staple in my kitchen. For someone on a tight budget, I’m grateful for this simple and satisfying meal. 🙂
Yes cabbage is perfect for tight budgets Ruby!
This one sounds so very good, I just put it on my menu for the first day when I start cooking next week. Really looking forward to it.
Enjoy Susan!
An interesting combination. This is one recipe where nightshade-free curry powder was not a good substitute (or I should have used less).
Sorry it didn’t work so well for you Deb. If you liked the combo of cabbage and feta you could try a more middle easter spicing with 1 teaspoon each cumin and coriander.
Last meal of the challenge for me! Feeling sad that all this fun is coming to a close.
A delicious way to end!
This was a great dinner and enough leftovers for the lunch the following day. I had a bag of coleslaw mix that was reaching expiration and some baby spinach that wasn’t enough by itself, so I combined them. I am not a fan of curry so I used my fav trio – cumin, coriander and Pimenton. I used a few splashes of veggie stock to cook the greens and skipped the soy for a drizzle of olive oil. I didn’t have feta, but some crumbled ricotta salata was a tasty topping. A few chopped macadamias and some cilantro leaves completed the garnishes.
That’s my favourite spice trio too Linda 🙂
I made this for lunch today, with some pre-blanched cabbage that I had in the freezer, which made it a fraction too watery. (Just need to drain it better next time.) The feta and the smoked almonds work beautifully with it.
Yum Keryl!
We were both really surprised by how delicious this was. I used baby spinach to replace half the cabbage and added macadamia nuts. Great recipe!
2 weeks in to using your meal plans and we are loving how delicious and simple to cook the meals are.
So glad you’re enjoying Naomi!
Another meal as part of the 10 day challenge. I wouldn’t have thought of adding soy sauce along with the curry powder – but it works well. I used eggs combined with some grated parmesan instead of feta.
I use soy sauce when I want to season and some more complex flavours Julie – it’s such a magic ingredient!
Love this recipe. It’s in my favourites, and I made it yesterday as part of the 10 day challenge. I’m not really one for preprepared foods from the supermarket, but I did try South Cape Crumbled Fetta this time around. Worked really well.
Great Jo!
Made this as part of the challenge. I liked it more than expected! Am loving your simple recipes that are surpringly so full of flavour 🙂
oh yay Lina!
I love when I get people eating more cabbage 🙂
I made this for meal 2 of the challenge, with eggs, halloumi & almonds…crazily delicious & satisfying! I’m enjoying trying something different to what I’d usually cook…I can see this being a regular meal for me, thanks Jules 🙂
Oh wonderful Britt!
That’s part of my aim for the challenge – to help you find some new go-to meals,
I bet the halloumi was lovely with this!
Jx
I made the spicy cabbage tonight, added onion and some green pepper. Served with a piece of salmon which I cooked in the same pan while I was softening the onion. One pan cooking!
Yay for cabbage and one pan Gillian!
I made Spiced Cabbage for meal 1 of the challenge, using ground turkey instead of feta. There was enough left for another meal so, instead of leftovers, Meal 2 was a Spicy Cabbage “Quiche”, served with a yummy lettuce salad.
ooh Sherrill! That spicy cabbage quiche sounds right up my alley.
I used walnuts instead of almonds but only because I had no almonds, devine.
I imagine the walnuts might be even better than almonds Glenda!
Nice work on the substitution.