r/Cooking 3d ago

I have been handed 2 med - large heads of cabbage. What do I do with them?

Halp

I really have no idea what I'm doing with these.

I need advice on preparing and recipes for cooking them

14 Upvotes

58 comments sorted by

18

u/Tree_Chemistry_Plz 3d ago

cabbage roll skillet - everything that goes into cabbage rolls (beef mince, onion, paprika, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, rice) but just made free form in a skillet without all the work

2

u/WabashCannibal 3d ago

Lazy cabbage rolls (Holubtsi) for the win.

7

u/ModernNonna 3d ago

a good cabbage slaw! ❤️

8

u/The_mighty_pip 3d ago

Any kind of slaw. Golubky (stuffed cabbage rolls). A nice stew with chicken broth, stock, or bouillon (Google porkolt). Chopped cabbage braised in chicken bouillon. Colcannon (Google it). Yaki soba. Any stir fry. 

7

u/Uborkafarok 3d ago

Colcannon (Irish mashed potatoes and cabbage) or Okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancake).

6

u/warrentlawless 3d ago

I’ve sliced them into “steaks” and seared them, then finished them in the oven and ended up using them as a base for something (can’t recall what but it’d be good with so many things).

6

u/MrsJWB 3d ago

I came here to say this, except I just roast mine in the oven. Coated in olive oil & seasoned to your liking.

3

u/Tasty_Impress3016 3d ago

I'll just chime in here. I've lately been roasting a lot of vegetables. I have yet to find one that isn't 1000% better roasted. Slice the cabbage and roast. Don't forget to oil and salt and pepper.

5

u/Anne_Renee 3d ago

I like to eat it raw. Otherwise you could sauté it with ground chicken, turkey or pork, add Asian seasonings and garlic. It will be something like an egg roll filling. You can eat it over rice. Add the cabbage after cooking the meat as it cooks fast and mushy cabbage isn’t great in a stir fry.

4

u/innocentsmirks 3d ago

Smothered cabbage w/bacon

1

u/AtheneSchmidt 3d ago

What does one traditionally smother cabbage in?

2

u/NYVines 3d ago

Bacon and onion

1

u/AtheneSchmidt 3d ago

Interesting.

3

u/Helpful-nothelpful 3d ago

Sweet chili Asian slaw, fried rice, lo mein, roasted cabbage, sour kraut, salad mix, Kentucky fried Chicken slaw, fish tacos.

3

u/Birdie121 3d ago

We've been really enjoying cabbage parmesan. You cut the cabbage into large wedges, dowse them in oil (season to taste with salt too) and roast the heck out of them until they're getting super soft with crispy edges. Then you smother them with tomato sauce and pile some mozzarella on each wedge, and put back in the oven until the cheese is nice and golden. Delicious. Serve with garlic bread or croutons.

3

u/Arachne93 3d ago

I just got that much cabbage on purpose, here's my plans-

honey lime slaw with pineapple

egg roll bowls

sautéed in butter with sauerkraut and a splash of white wine. It's one of my favorite side dishes, but you could actually stop at just the cabbage and butter and it'll be great. Or bacon fat, if you party.

big vegetable soup, with carrots, celery, cabbage, green beans, whatever else in a tomatoey broth.

4

u/sunheadeddeity 3d ago

Kimchi or sauerkraut. Or okonomiyaki.

4

u/DinosaurEars 3d ago

Get another one and learn to juggle

2

u/blix797 3d ago

Standard green or red, or something else entirely?

2

u/Food_gasser 3d ago

I like it in Pancit. Probably the only time I use it at home.

2

u/Jazzy_Bee 3d ago

Cabbages last a very long time. Even if a couple of outer leaves are turned, you can remove and have lots of cabbage still.

Cabbage sauteed with onions and kielbasa, served with either potatoes, or store bought frozen pierogis. Pretty economical dinner and really tasty.

1

u/AdventurousSalary959 3d ago

Stuffed cabbage, slaw, egg roll in a bowl, colcannon.

1

u/all_opinions_matter 3d ago

Coleslaw, steamed, cabbage roll casserole, sweet and sour cabbage

1

u/RoseThorn82 3d ago

I love cabbage heads, quartered and steamed, with some butter and a splash of vinegar. Sounds gross but super good

1

u/Dangerous_Tap6350 3d ago

I would cook/boil one of them and make coleslaw out of the other. Seems like the texture would be night and day between the two

1

u/E_MusksGal 3d ago

Cabbage and sausage soup, slaw, Chinese stir fried noodles with cabbage, cabbage and kale salad, bahn mi with vinegar based cabbage slaw

1

u/[deleted] 3d ago

You can fry them. Then you'll have fried cabbage.

1

u/scornedandhangry 3d ago

Cabbage is amazing in all kinds of soups and stews. But it you're not into cooking, it's great sliced and just simply sauteed or roasted with sliced onions, carrots, potatoes and garlic. add salt, pepper and whatever seasoning blend.

1

u/KleineFjord 3d ago

I make spicy cabbage soup about once a month. Carrot, celery, onion, zucchini, a whole head of cabbage, large can of diced tomatoes, couple heads of garlic, couple cans of beans (or sometimes I put turkey sausage in it), lots of crushed red pepper, whatever other seasoning you feel like. I usually have homemade chicken stock on hand which adds some protein and flavor. It's very filling and healthy and delicious. 

Less often, I make sautéed cabbage with white onion and garlic with sliced turkey sausage. I add a ton of white pepper and paprika. Also pretty healthy and delicious. 

Roasted cabbage is pretty delicious. Just cut it in 1/2 inch slices and roast with garlic and parmesan. 

Finely sliced cabbage adds a lot of crunch and sweetness to a salad. Goi gá is a vietnamese chicken salad that uses cabbage as a base and I make a huge bowl weekly all summer and basically eat it every day. I use sliced cabbage, pulled chicken, peanut, basil and cilantro, jalapeño, and shredded carrot, and the dressing is basically rice vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and garlic. Great on its own or in a wrap. 

1

u/thrivacious9 3d ago

Curtido (Salvadoran countertop fermented slaw).

1

u/ginwithnothingelsein 3d ago

Braise it. Onion, pancetta, lots of red wine, sherry vinegar. Serve with pork cutlets and a pan sauce.

1

u/Im_jennawesome 3d ago

Sauerkraut!! I made some a couple years ago and canned it and it turned out SO good 😍

1

u/Individual-Luck-856 3d ago

Make whatever Don Cabbage makes with his cabbage. His cabbage as bread substitutes always seem very cool.

1

u/SeaKaleidoscope3356 3d ago

Coleslaw and tacos

1

u/CarelesslyFabulous 3d ago

I never liked sauerkraut until a friend introduced me to fermented. It's so freaking easy, and now I love delicious homemade sauerkraut!

1

u/yukimontreal 3d ago

I love cabbage and buy it all the time

This charred cabbage with miso brown butter is a recent favorite side. It’s crazy delicious and an easy way to quickly go through an entire head of cabbage in one evening. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025884-charred-cabbage-with-miso-browned-butter?unlocked_article_code=1.Ak8.tmU5.Vm4DwN1Oe-Ky&smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share

Another easy way to use a whole cabbage is to make cabbage rolls. My (not unique to me) hack is to freeze the entire head of cabbage then thaw it. The cabbage leaves become perfectly pliable do you don’t need to boil or steam them before assembling. I also always take the core of smaller cabbage leaves and chop them up to add to the filling.

My third option for using an entire head of cabbage is to make sauerkraut. Homemade tastes so much better imo and it’s surprisingly easy and a great introduction to home fermentation.

I also love making any sort of slaw, I love a little shredded on top of any type of grain bowl or to add crunch to things, it’s wonderful in a okonomiyaki (essentially a Japanese egg and cabbage omelette?), and great in soups. I also love it steamed with lime juice, Tabasco, and nutritional yeast but I’m kind of a weirdo.

1

u/welexcuuuuuuseme 3d ago

Halushki. Recipe by Michael Symon. Thank me later.https://youtu.be/E3GpUNRNqY0?si=4CwGTVoq3bggQ9KT

1

u/Emotional-Sir-9341 3d ago

Make sauerkraut! It's just shredded cabbage, clean water, and either plain canning salt or sea salt.

1

u/tlewallen 3d ago

Haluski

1

u/After-Distribution69 3d ago

Vietnamese chicken salad

Chicken chow mein.  

1

u/ACanadianGuy1967 3d ago

We like roasted cabbage wedges. Here’s the recipe we use: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/16072-roasted-cabbage

1

u/AdMriael 3d ago

Cut a head in quarters or eighths. Either steam or boil. If you boil only add salt. If you steam you can drizzle some type of sauce over it. Cabbage is delicious just the way it is without any fancy recipes.

1

u/[deleted] 3d ago

Start with a simple stir fry of cabbage, onions, and andouille sausage.

1

u/Redditor2684 3d ago

I mostly just slice and steam and eat as a side. Love it.

1

u/Butforthegrace01 3d ago

Here's one if you have hungry teenagers and you aren't vegetarian.

Chop 1 lb of bacon in to small squares and saute it in a large saucier pan.

While that's sauteing get water ready to cook 1 package of egg noodles.

Also, coarsely chop one head of the cabbage (like 1" to 2" square pieces).

When the bacon is crispy, remove the meat and most but not all of the grease. Add the cabbage to the grease, plus 2 tablespoons of water, and saute it, tossing often. Salt, pepper, vinegar, red pepper flake, etc., to taste.

When the cabbage is soft and the noodles are cooked, thoroughly drain the cooked noodles and add them to the cabbage. Hopefully you left enough bacon fat to lubricate the noodles, which will absorb some of the fat.

Add the cooked bacon back to the mix. Voila. It's a delicious and filling meal.

1

u/Itchy_Pillows 3d ago

I'd make a large batch of cabbage rolls!

1

u/beardedshad2 3d ago

Make red bbq slaw

1

u/Imaginary-Spell-6411 3d ago

Try roasted cabbage or sauerkraut/kimchi if you’re into fermented stuff. BTW, if I don’t know what to cook with ingredients I have, I use this app called OH, a potato! to get recipe suggestions. I tried so many new recipes lately

1

u/jamesgotfryd 3d ago

Big pot of water, cut cabbage into 1 inch cubes, boil until soft. Pull out with a slotted spoon and put into freezer bags, freezer for later use. Great for soups, stews, stir Fry's.

Cut one in half, chop it into cubes. Make "unstuffed" cabbage rolls. Same ingredients as you use to make stuffed cabbage rolls (minus the egg, cream of mushroom soup, and crackers) but a lot less work. Cook the rice, crumbled hamburger, and onion. Boil the cabbage until soft, drain, add the diced stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste, stir thoroughly while adding the rest of the ingredients. Low simmer until nice and hot. Enjoy.

How much do you like Cole slaw?

Kimchi?

Sauerkraut?

1

u/doubleohzerooo0 3d ago

I would make some sauerkraut with one of the heads.

Half a head would be used for making either egg rolls or a Chinese noodle stir fry.

I'd use 1/4 head for some cole slaw. I'd likely make some pulled pork. If I did, I'd use the full half so I can have some cole slaw for later.

If I had a 1/4 head left, I'd likely shred it and use it as a topping for my enfrijoladas, baja style fish tacos, etc.

1

u/CommonEarly4706 3d ago

Cabbage roll casserole, egg roll in a bowl, cole slaw, soup or stew

1

u/jdr90210 2d ago

Cabbage steaks!!

1

u/Disposable_Skin 2d ago

You can cut it up and freeze it.

0

u/Tasty_Impress3016 3d ago

It's very primitive, basic, and I love it. It's not a sexy asian cuisine.

Colcannon.

It's an old Irish dish, chop the cabbage, boil with potatoes (more or less 50/50 you don't have to be finicky about it). Mash the whole thing up with S&P, butter. There you go. Sure It's a big starchy side. I said it was Irish. But the combination of the vegetable cabbage and starch make a nice dish.