Cabbage has to be one of the most underrated vegetables. It’s just so versatile going from fresh and crunchy in salads to soft and melting when cooked. Not to mention that it keeps for weeks, if not months in the fridge. I always have a cabbage on hand. Literally always.
So when I enjoyed cabbage wedges for lunch at one of my favourite restaurants I couldn’t wait to get home and try my own version.
The secret is to roast the cabbage wedges in foil parcels with a little water so they soften and steam and brown a little around the edges. Then serve one wedge per person for everyone to tear into as they see fit.
My restaurant served theirs with Middle Eastern flavours of a tahini sauce, coriander (cilantro) and pickled cucumber.
But my first port of call was as a substitute for soft wide pappardelle pasta served with an uber-simple bolognese sauce and lashings of shaved parmesan. So so good. I just love how the cabbage separates into soft ribbons just like pasta.
Feel free to use these wedges as I have here or as a substitute for pasta with any of your favourite Italian sauces. Or take it to the Middle East or even serve them instead of rice with a curry. Endless possibilities!
Wonderful Cabbage Wedges
Ingredients
- 1/4 large cabbage
- 1 onion
- 450 g ground (minced) beef
- 1/2 cup tomato passata / puree
- 2 tablespoons butter
- flat leaf parsley or shaved parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Crank your oven to the highest setting. Mine is 300C (570F).
- Cut cabbage in half to give 2 wedges. Tear 2 sheets of foil and place a wedge on each. Turn the foil up at the edges to keep the water from running out. Then add 1 tablespoon water and a little drizzle of olive oil to each parcel. Season generously with a big pinch of salt. Then gather the foil together to seal each parcel. Place on an oven tray and pop in the oven. Set your timer for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile peel and dice onion. Heat a medium frying pan on a medium heat add a little oil and cook onion, stirring every few minutes until no longer crunchy. Will take about 7 minutes.
- When the onion is soft but not browned, increase the heat to high. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up with a spoon until the beef is no longer pink. If you want to brown it more for extra flavour you can but I generally don't bother.
- Add the passata, butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt and simmer for a few minutes. Taste and season with more salt as needed. Remove from the heat.
- When the timer goes for the cabbage, pierce each parcel with a skewer to test that the cabbage is soft. If it feels hard pop back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. If it's soft carefully open the parcel and inspect more closely. When the cabbage is tender like cooked pasta, place a wedge on each plate.
- Top with beef mixture and finish with the Parmesan or parsley (or both if you want to live dangerously).
Nutrition
Variations & Substitutions
short on time – slice cabbage into strips about 1cm (1.2inch) thick and cook the cabbage in a pot on the stove with a little water at the same time as you cook the beef.
vegetarian – beef = crumbled tofu, cooked lentils or other legumes.
dairy-free – serve with the parsley.
nightshade-free – skip the tomato and flavour the beef with spices like cumin or coriander seed instead.
more substantial (carb lovers) – cooked pasta.
more substantial (low carb) – this is pretty substantial! More cheese, more meat, serve with avocado or roast walnuts.
Low FODMAP – use savoy cabbage but only serve a small amount. Skip the onion. Serve with steamed rice to bulk it out.
different protein – any ground meat will work. Or see the vegetarian options. Leftover cooked meat can be substituted as well.
more fancy / for entertaining – this is pretty fancy! Definitely go with the parsley AND parmesan. And consider serving with a simple green salad.
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.
onion – will keep in the pantry for months. Best if in a dark corner in a brown paper bag.
ground (minced) beef – freeze it.
passata – unopened jars keep in the pantry. Once open will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
butter – will keep in the fridge for weeks.
flat leaf parsley – tends to be the most long lasting of the leafy herbs. Should keep for a few weeks in the fridge if wrapped in a plastic bag. For longer periods pop it in the freezer – it will wilt but will still be useable in this dish.
parmesan – wrap in baking paper and store in the fridge in a sealed paper bag or airtight container. Will keep for months. Can be frozen if you’re going away.
Problem Solving Guide
bland – more salt will fix everything.
too dry – It’s important to seal the foil parcels securely so the steam stays in. Next time be more diligent.
no oven – cut the cabbage into strips about 1cm (1.2inch) thick. Cook covered in a saucepan with a drizzle of oil and a few tablespoons water on a medium high heat. Stir every few minutes until cabbage is soft. If it starts to burn add more water.
crunchy cabbage – needs longer – add a splash more water, reseal the parcels and cook in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.
Prepare Ahead
Absolutely! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the parsley / parmesan separately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, either warm in the oven or in a frying pan – I’ve also been known to eat it cold from the fridge 😉
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
I took these in a different direction. I tossed a few nuts on top the savoy wedges towards the end. Then I made a basic polenta and stirred in an egg and a big hunk of blue cheese. Soo yum, the cabbage chewy, the nuts crunchy, and the cheesy creamy polenta.
OMG Murphy! you had me with blue cheese – so so good! Can’t wait to try it.
So, so good!! ? And great to know there are other cabbage lovers out there! Mine looked just like yours in the video,Jules, with one bigger than the other and some slight charring.
I served with what I had on hand: leftover curry ground beef/lentil mixture (from your curry stuffed eggplant with yogurt recipe) with added leftover, prepared Arribbiata sauce (from your Cumulus spiced eggs), but can’t wait to try with both your Bolognese sauce and Susan’s Alfredo version.
Yay for cabbage lovers Melanie 🙂
Cooked cabbage wedges last evening. Served with left over ie (Meal Ready to Eat), breadfruit coconut curry. Served it in a beautiful dish and a small glass of wine. I continue to learn about feeding myself and others, consciously. Thank you for all you share. I felt like I was taking care of myself! Kasey
Fantastic Kasey – that sounds like an incredible meal! Isn’t taking care of yourself the best 🙂
I really like this idea, but since I have a strong dislike for tomato sauce of any sort, I’m thinking that a simple Alfredo-type sauce of heavy cream & parmesan, with a pinch or two of nutmeg would be nice. That would go well with the cabbage. I may change my already set meal plan for next time to include this…
OMG Susan YES! And I have some cream to use up and I always have cabbage – Thank you! And maybe with some chives as well.
Love the idea of chives. Thank you! And BTW, I did change my menu plan so I could try this.
ooh let me know how it goes – I’m adding for next week 🙂
It went very well. I actually found a keto Alfredo sauce recipe, which I used. Even though the finished dish was a little lacking in flavor, the first bite told me it’s a keeper. I need to use the full 3 cloves of garlic and be generous with the black pepper for the sauce. I have no idea what the highest temp on my oven is, but with my luck, if I figured it out, the foil would probably set off the smoke alarm… just kidding, but I cooked it for 30 minutes at 450º F, and it came out well. This is definitely a keeper recipe. Cabbage is so wonderful. You’ve gotten me into it so that I like it even more now than I always have.
So glad you’re loving cabbage Susan! (And that you didn’t set off the smoke alarm!)
I forgot to tell you – I made the alfredo version on Saturday night – we had it as a side to steak. The sauce was just cream with parmesan melted into it and I finished it with chives on top. It was soo good – even my Irishman said it was better than the steak (and he takes his steak very seriously!).
You’d probably also enjoy the cabbage with middle eastern flavours.
Yes, I would definitely enjoy this with middle eastern flavors. I was trying to think about how to do that, and the flavors I know are middle eastern are coriander and sumac. Can’t remember what else I put in the middle eastern rice pilaf recipe I made years ago, except that it had almonds. I’m thinking that doing that and changing the cheese out to either cream cheese or shredded mozzarella would possibly work. Any ideas you have would be very welcome.
Ground coriander, paprika and cumin (equal parts) are my go-to middle eastern spice mix – or a little all spice. I’m playing around with softening and onion and browning the meat with the spice. And serving it on the cabbage with a tahini sauce (just water tahini and garlic) drizzled over. Or on a bed of hummus. And yes almonds or pine nuts to finish = or you could go with the cheese. Fun!
Forgot to mention that this is 4 servings for us.
I thought that I had ruined the cabbage because it was somewhat burnt on the bottom, but that turned out to be the nicest part. I again fried a carrot with the onion, and put lentils in the sauce instead of mince, with sliced cheddar again on top. Very good.
OMG Mark – 5 stars? I think that’s a first for you. So glad you appreciated the burnt bits 🙂
I made a middle eastern version recently with spiced beef and a tahini sauce. And planning an Asian take soon
Cooked this for tea tonight Jules- very good. Did not know my oven could go that hot without “exploding”!!?? It worked beautifully for yummy cabbage. Did not add the butter as as it was quite oily from the mince & passata
Very tasty but will try it with the Midddle East suggestion next time as a change.Thank you.
Fantastic Carlyn!