Cabbage can be used in a number of different ways. It is good steamed with butter or olive oil or simply chop it up and add a little mayonnaise.
Here in the South, grated cabbage and mayonnaise is considered coleslaw. Nevertheless, we can get fancy when we want to and my coleslaw recipe has been dubbed the best in our family- and we have a really big family!
Cabbage is a dieter’s best friend because it burns fat. It also helps to lower cholesterol. One of the best things about cabbage is that it can be used in a variety of ways but my family likes it steamed with lots of butter. There are no dieters here!
When I can get a roast on sale I put it in a big roasting pan with whatever I have on hand such as potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, peppers, or squash. Cabbage makes a tasty addition to it as well but I would eliminate the peppers if you’re going to use cabbage.
Stuffed cabbage is a real favorite around here. It’s basically the same as stuffed peppers but rather than stuff the meat into a pepper, it’s wrapped in a cabbage leaf.
The following recipes are quick, easy, and inexpensive.
Coleslaw
1 medium head of cabbage grated or shredded
1 cup of grated carrots
1 cup of grated bell peppers (any color but red is best)
1/4 cup of grated onions
1 tablespoon of lemon juice (optional)
2 cups of mayonnaise
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and blend well. You can serve it immediately or refrigerate it. The longer it sits, the better it gets. If it’s not creamy enough, add more mayonnaise. If you like the more traditional coleslaw just add ΒΌ cup of sugar and eliminate the peppers and onion.
Stewed Cabbage
Fill a large pot with water and add at least a tablespoon of salt. Dice up the cabbage and dump it into the pot. Cabbage cooks down so don’t be afraid to pile it up. Bring it to a boil and cook until desired tenderness is reached (about fifteen minutes). You’ll have to stir it once or twice to make sure all of the leaves get under the boiling water. Turn it off and add 1/2 cup of butter. Stir in the butter until it is melted and taste the cabbage to see if it needs more salt. You can also use olive oil instead of butter.
Don’t overcook the cabbage. If you let it sit in the water for any length of time it continues to cook. If it turns a little pinkish, you’ve overcooked it and it will be mushy. You can always cook it a little longer but you can’t reverse cook it so once it starts getting limp, turn off the heat and let it stand a few minutes.
Stuffed Cabbage
1 pound of ground beef or turkey
1/3 cup of cooked rice
6 to eight steamed cabbage leaves
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon of garlic salt
1 egg slightly beaten
1 can of gravy or tomatoes or spaghetti sauce
Lay the cooked cabbage leaves aside and combine all other ingredients. Divide the meat mixture between the cabbage leaves then wrapped and secure with a toothpick. There are so many ways to make stuffed cabbage. You can put them in a baking dish and bake them with no sauce or cover them with sauce or gravy and simmer them on the stove for about thirty to forty minutes. Tomato soup also makes a good sauce or even beef or chicken broth.
Spaghetti sauce makes a real Italian style cabbage roll or just a can of diced tomatoes. You can add to this a little mozzarella or parmesan cheese and a little oregano.
Cabbage usually comes in large heads and a lot of people don’t know what to do with it. When getting the cabbage home, you can peel off a few leaves and put them into a ziplock bag for stuffed cabbage later in the week. Then cut a wedge out for coleslaw and steam the rest.
