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If you’re looking for a flavorful, simple red cabbage recipe, roasted is the best way to go! Roasting caramelizes it, which mellows the cruciferous flavor with a subtle nutty sweetness, and beautifully chars the outside.
This easy red cabbage recipe is proof that sometimes simple is best. With just cabbage, oil, salt, and pepper, you’d never guess that it would be as delicious as it is. The trick is in the method, and it’s easy and mostly hands-off: roasting!
Roasting cabbage caramelizes its natural sugars, developing a sweet, almost nutty flavor. The center gets deliciously tender but not mushy, while the edges char and turn crispy. If you’re used to boiled or even pan-seared cabbage, try roasting and I think you’ll find your new favorite way to cook it.
Why This Recipe Works
- Budget-friendly. Cabbage is one of the most economical vegetables. Not only is purple cabbage the star of this recipe, but in addition to cabbage, we use just a couple pantry staple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now.
- Nutritious. Cabbage is a low-calorie source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
- Easy. If you can chop cabbage, you can make this! How’s that for an easy side dish?!
- Customizable. There are two ways you can easily customize this recipe: 1) experiment with the spices you use to season the cabbage before roasting, or 2) change up the sauce you serve it with (spicy garlic mayonnaise is a favorite of mine!).
- Special diet-friendly. As written, this recipe is naturally gluten free, low carb, keto friendly, paleo, and vegan.
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Red cabbage – We use 1 medium head of red (aka purple) cabbage, or about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds. Cut the cabbage in half, cut out the core, and then chop it into 1 to 2-inch pieces.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – Use the good stuff here. It lends rich flavor and helps the cabbage chips get crispy.
- Salt and black pepper – To season our crispy cabbage chips.
How to Cook Red Cabbage in the Oven (Simple Method & Deliciously Crispy!)
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 425F. Get out a large baking tray. Cut the cabbage in half, cut out the core, chop it into 1 to 2-inch pieces, and then pull apart the leaves. (TIP: The more you separate the leaves, the crispier your cabbage chips will be. Make it how you like it!)
- Season. Put the chopped cabbage on a large baking tray, drizzle on the olive oil, sprinkle on the salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Spread it out in an even layer.
- Roast. Roast until the cabbage is tender, and charred and crispy along the outside, about 35 to 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes or so.
Storage and Reheating
Cool to room temperature, and then store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat in a 375F oven for 5 to 8 minutes, in a 350F air fryer for 3 to 5 minutes, or in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. I don’t recommend reheating it in the microwave because it’ll be soggy.
Tips For the Best Simple Red Cabbage Recipe
- Don’t go light on the oil here. Cabbage contains fat-soluble vitamins, so the olive oil helps your body maximize the cabbage’s nutrition. Additionally, olive oil lends deliciously rich flavor and helps the cabbage crisp beautifully.
- You can make the cabbage as crispy as you like. I find that 35 to 45 minutes at 425F for bite-sized pieces of cabbage is a good range. I usually veer towards the upper limit of that range because I like it more on the charred side. However, it completely depends on personal preference.
Frequently Asked Questions
This isn’t a recipe for whole-roasted cabbage, so you can’t leave it whole. However, you don’t have to chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces.
For this recipe, you could cut the cabbage head into wedges (8 wedges for a 2 to 2 1/2-pound head of cabbage is perfect; that way, each wedge is a serving). Another option is to cut the cabbage into about 1-inch thick “steaks” by trimming off the stem and slicing the cabbage head straight down (try to get 8 “steaks” so each is a serving).
Both! The names are used interchangeably. The scientific name is Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. rubra.
More Recipes Featuring Cabbage
- Cabbage Vegetable Beef Soup
- Extra Crunchy Air Fryer Egg Rolls
- Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes With Cabbage)
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Simple Roasted Red Cabbage Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 medium head red cabbage cored, chopped into 1 to 2-inch pieces, and leaves pulled apart (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (use less if using fine salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 425F. Get out a large baking tray. Cut the cabbage in half, cut out the core, chop it into 1 to 2-inch pieces, and then pull apart the leaves. (TIP: The more you separate the leaves, the crispier your cabbage chips will be. Make it how you like it!)
- Season. Put the chopped cabbage on a large baking tray, drizzle on the olive oil, sprinkle on the salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Spread it out in an even layer.
- Roast. Roast until the cabbage is tender, and charred and crispy along the outside, about 35 to 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes or so.
Video
Notes
- Storage: Cool to room temperature, and then store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat in a 375F oven for 5 to 8 minutes, in a 350F air fryer for 3 to 5 minutes, or in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. I don’t recommend reheating it in the microwave because it’ll be soggy.
- Serving Suggestion: Try roasted cabbage with spicy garlic mayonnaise drizzled on top!
- Net Carbs:Â 6 grams per serving
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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