Braised Red Cabbage with Apple and Spices

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Braised red cabbage with apple and spices is one of my favourite side dishes in the cooler months.

The sweetness of the apple combined with the warmth of cinnamon and cloves, make it perfect with pork, lamb, beef, venison and game. Even better, it's absolutely wicked with sausages and a creamy, cheesy mash!

And the best bit? This is so easy. Just throw it all in a casserole and let it slowly braise. That's it!

Bon appétit!

Jump to:

• About this recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔪Instructions
• ⏲️ Cooking time
• FAQs
• 💭 Tips
• More vegetable side dishes
• 📋 Recipe
• Food safety
• 💬 Comments

About this recipe

This vegetable is so underused and normally just ends up as a sprinkling in salads and coleslaw. Crunchy and slightly sour when it's eaten raw, it becomes sweet and tender once braised, and to me it tastes nothing like a green cabbage.

Red cabbage is also rich in antioxidants and is full of vitamins and minerals, so it's a great one to add to your five a day.

The apples and onions add to the sweetness and the spices bring a warmth to the dish, which is deliciously comforting.

This recipe is so easy too. There is just a bit of chopping, then it all goes in the oven to cook. No skills required.

🥘 Ingredients

I use a whole red cabbage, also known as purple cabbage. They normally weigh around 1kg, but it doesn't matter if it's slightly lighter or heavier.

You also need 2 large white or yellow onions and 2 large or 3 medium apples. For best results use a tart apple, like a Granny Smith or a cooking apple.

To add extra flavour I've also used, garlic, butter, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg and ground cloves.

🔪Instructions

Start by removing any tough outer leaves from the cabbage and then cut it in half through the root core. Cut out most of the white core and discard.

Now cut the halves again, then slice the cabbage. It's really tightly packed, a bit like an onion, so you will need to use your hands to separate the pieces. I find that it's easy to do this and place into a bowl as you go, because you quickly run out of space on the chopping board with even just one quarter of the cabbage.

Peel and chop the onions finely, then peel the apples and cut into chunks. You don't need to worry about the apple going brown as it will completely cook down in the oven.

Now it's just a question of layering in the ingredients. I've used a cast iron, 4 litre, lidded casserole dish.

Start with a layer of about a third of the cabbage and follow with a third of the apples, onions and garlic.

Mix the sugar together with the spices, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over a third of the mix onto the vegetables.

Repeat the layering process twice more. Now, pour the vinegar over the top and dot the butter over the surface.

⏲️ Cooking time

Put the lid on top and cook in the oven at 150C/300F/Gas2 for about 2 hours.

I like to give it a stir half way through cooking.

When it's ready there will be hardly any liquid left, just tender, tangy cabbage with a hint of spice.

FAQs

💭 Tips

• Red cabbage is like beetroot and the juice will stain everything. If you are slicing the cabbage by hand you might like to use gloves and a plastic chopping board that you can clean with bleach.
• Slice the cabbage in a food processor, if you prefer, by using the wide slicing attachment.
• If you don't have ground cloves just pinch the tops off whole cloves and discard the stalk. The tops just disintegrate to a powder that you can use for ground cloves.

So try this easy side dish, that is bursting with robust flavours and super healthy too!

More vegetable side dishes

• Asian Coleslaw with a Garlic Ginger Dressing
• Cauliflower and Broccoli Cheese
• Coriander and Cumin Roasted Root Vegetables
• Spicy French Beans
• Parmesan Cauliflower Steaks

📋 Recipe

Food safety

We sometimes take for a granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience, that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove