8 Easy Cabbage Dinner Ideas (round up of the best recipes!)

Have you ever gotten a huge head of cabbage from the farmer’s market but had no idea how to use it all up? This blog post is for you! Cabbage is a great addition to healthy recipes, and can be used in a variety of different ways. Here is a round-up of 8 easy cabbage dinner ideas!

In the summer when there are plenty of fresh things in the garden our meals look like protein, veggies, and a carb, generally potatoes. In the winter we transition to canned or preserved foods used in soups and stews as there’s not much fresh harvests happening in Iowa during the winter. Since our meals are a pretty basic formula, we don’t use recipes per se, but here are some ideas for when you have fresh cabbage from the garden. We like to rotate through these meals because a cabbage head can make multiple meals, and this variety of cabbage dishes doesn’t make it feel like we are eating the same dish on repeat. While this may give you some ideas, if you are a recipe follower, I’ve linked some other blogs with more specific recipes.

Different types of cabbage

There are many varieties of cabbage out there!  They are all slightly different but can also be used pretty interchangeably, although some applications are slightly better than others.  

Green cabbage – This is the most common type of cabbage and looks similar to lettuce but has much thicker leaves. When it is raw the flavor can be a little peppery but when cooked it becomes sweeter. 

Red Cabbage – Red, or purple cabbage, takes longer to mature than green cabbage so it is often not as tender. It can be eaten raw and gives a beautiful pop of color to any dish! It can also be cooked, but be aware that the color will leach out into the dish.  

Savoy cabbage – This cabbage has darker green and crinkly leaves compared to regular green cabbage. It is the most tender and sweet and is great either cooked or raw. 

Napa Cabbage – Also called Chinese Cabbage, this type of cabbage is oblong rather than round. It has frilly leaves and a mild flavor. It can be eaten raw or cooked. This kind of cabbage is often used to make Kimchi. 

How to store cabbage

Cabbages store very well when left as a whole head or meal prepped and stored in glass. We also sometimes use half a head and wrap the other half in plastic. If you had the fridge space or a cool basement, a cabbage will keep for many months in cool conditions. Harvest or select a head of cabbage with a lot of outer leaves as this will keep it from spoiling. A cabbage harvested in the fall in Iowa is often still in our cellar in early December– if we haven’t eaten them all first!

Favorite Cabbage Recipes

Many people shy away from cabbage because it is so big, but that is what is so great about it! You can get so many different uses out of just one head of cabbage. If the farmer’s market leaves you with a big head of cabbage and you don’t want to waste it, try these easy cabbage recipes to help you use the whole thing! 

Sautéed cabbage

This is one of our favorite ways to eat cabbage! Many of our meals during the summer consist of a carb, simple veggie side, and protein. Our family loves to have sautéed cabbage with ground beef, a ham steak, or pork chops. 

To sauté cabbage heat a large skillet over medium heat, add in some olive oil or favorite cooking oil and then add your sliced cabbage. You can season it however you like Keep it simple with just salt and pepper, throw in some red pepper flakes for some heat, or add some minced garlic. Cook until the cabbage has softened.  

If you want a recipe to follow, here is a simple Sautéed Cabbage recipe! 

Baked cabbage steaks

This is the perfect side dish because it uses up big chunks of cabbage and feels hearty. It is made with simple ingredients and then roasted in the oven for an easy veggie in your meal! When we have cabbage steaks, we like to keep it simple and pair it with pork or chicken and some roasted potatoes on the side. 

Here is an Easy Baked Cabbage Steaks recipe from Pleasant Grove Homestead! 

Unstuffed cabbage rolls

Who has time to roll up meat mixture in a cabbage leaf! We love “unstuffed” casseroles for both cabbages and peppers. 

To make this a really fast and easy meal, you can start with leftover sautéed cabbage! It is a great way to use up leftovers, or plan ahead and double the sautéed cabbage and save half for this meal. This is basically everything you love about cabbage rolls but without all the work! Everything is cooked together in one pot and has ground beef, tomato sauce, cabbage, rice, and some seasoning. If you want a quick meal you can also use up leftover rice or use a precooked rice packet!

Here is a 30-minute Unstuffed Cabbage Roll recipe!

Egg Roll in a Bowl

This is another way to use up leftover sautéed cabbage! It also can come together very quickly. It is a great recipe for a busy weeknight because it comes together quickly. Ground pork is great in this dish but you could use any type of ground meat that you prefer, such as ground chicken. It is flavored with soy sauce, ginger, and sesame oil.

This Egg roll in a Bowl recipe, calls for a bag of coleslaw mix, but you can easily substitute some shredded cabbage! 

Cabbage stir fry

You can easily add cabbage to any stir fry recipe for an extra veggie and added crunch! Just simply toss it in with the other veggies and let it cook down. You could easily add cabbage to our Quick Asian Sugar Snap Peas with Chicken recipe, or you could even just substitute the cabbage for the peas.  

Coleslaw 

A classic coleslaw recipe is a summer staple! Use it as a side dish or it can be used with a variety of dishes. Coleslaw can be a delicious addition to a BBQ pork sandwich or tacos. Cabbage goes especially great on fish tacos! If you are doing any BBQing this summer, make sure to check out our Rhubarb BBQ Sauce recipe! 

Here is an easy Creamy Coleslaw recipe.

Salads

Raw cabbage is a great addition to salads for an extra crunch! An easy way to use up extra cabbage from a different recipe is to simply add it to your salad, or you can substitute cabbage for the lettuce completely. Cabbage holds up well and doesn’t get soggy like lettuce so it makes a good salad meal prep because you can toss in the dressing and then store it. 

Sauerkraut 

Homemade sauerkraut is a great way to use up a head of green cabbage! It is simple to make and is so nutritious. If you make sauerkraut, it should be frozen or kept in the fridge or cellar as canning kills the probiotics that naturally occur from the fermentation. If your only option for storage is canning, it is still delicious, just less nutritious.  

Here is a homemade Sauerkraut recipe.

Purchase cabbage from Pleasant Grove Homestead

We hope that this post helps serve as some inspiration to use cabbage in a variety of ways. And don’t forget that you can purchase fresh cabbage from us here at Pleasant Grove Homestead!