Red Cabbage Recipe

This Braised Red Cabbage is tender, sweet, and tangy with a savory depth of flavor. It's an old-fashioned side dish that pairs beautifully with roasted meats and hearty family suppers.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, German-Inspired, Southern

Keyword german-red-cabbage, red-cabbage-recipes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 55

Total Time 50

Servings servings

Calories 137kcal

Ingredients

4 Tbsp salted butter
1 medium sweet onion diced
1 medium fennel bulb diced
6-8 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (about 3 lbs)
1 large Granny Smith apple grated
1/4-1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tsp salt
2 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves OR allspice
fennel fronds or dill for garnishing

Instructions

In a large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven sauté onion and fennel in butter over medium-high heat for 3 minutes or just until softened.
To the pot add the cabbage, grated apple, sugar, vinegar, water salt, granulated garlic, black pepper and ground cloves. Mix to combine. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 45-50 minutes or just until the cabbage is tender.
Uncover and increase the heat to medium-high to allow the liquid to reduce Cook uncovered for 5-10 minutes.
Serve immediately garnished with fennel fronds or fresh dill.

Notes

How to Cut Red Cabbage - The best way to cut red cabbage is to cut it first through the middle. Lay the flat side down on a chopping board and use a sharp knife to make thin cuts. Cut longer pieces in half (or into thirds) and remove the core.
Bacon - You can use bacon drippings in place of butter.
Fennel - Fennel fronds are the green portion of a bulb of fennel. They're delicious and make for a no-brainer garnish for this cabbage. If you aren't using fennel, dill will work as a garnish.
Cloves Substitution - The small amount of ground cloves in this recipe adds to the depth of flavor. If you don't have cloves on hand use allspice in its place.
What to Serve with Red Cabbage - This classic red cabbage is delicious alongside pork, roast chicken or roast beef. A side of mashed potatoes always works!

Nutrition