Lettuce vs Cabbage: Differences and How to Cook With Them
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Learn the differences between lettuce and cabbage with this post including how to tell the difference and when to use each type in different dishes!

A question we get asked often at market is if the big head of green cabbage is lettuce. Although they look similar, they actually vary in a few different ways. Lettuce is often thought of as one of the most popular leafy vegetables, but don’t count cabbage out! They can both be used in the kitchen in a variety of different healthy and tasty dishes. We grow a few different types of lettuce and cabbage at Pleasant Grove Homestead, so don’t forget to pick some up next time you see us! You can learn more about purchasing farm-fresh foods from us with the link below!

Lettuce compared to cabbage
Although they look similar there are some key differences between lettuce and cabbage. Lettuce tends to have loose leaves, where cabbage is more compact with dense layers of leaves. Lettuce has a higher water content, which makes it nice and crisp. Cabbage has a lower water content which makes it crunchy and hold up well in cooked dishes. In terms of taste, lettuce is light and sweeter than cabbage, where cabbage has more of a earthy and peppery flavor.

Lettuce
Lettuce is apart of the asteraceae family, also known as the daisy family and actually contains a variety of flowers such as sunflowers. There are many different types of lettuce that vary in texture and flavor.
The texture of lettuce is crunchy, and yet they have tender leaves. For this reason, lettuce is served raw in salads or as an addition to food ideas such as burgers and sandwiches for a fresh crunch. You can easily find many of the most common varieties of lettuce at the grocery store. Below are just a few, but there are many more that you can find!

Lettuce varieties
Iceberg lettuce – Iceberg lettuce is the type that most closely resembles cabbage. It is light green and round in shape. It is very crunchy and has a very light and sweet flavor. It holds up well used in sandwiches or burgers.
Romaine lettuce – Romaine has more of an oblong shape and is crisp and crunchy. The leaves are long and slender and hold up well with dressing in a salad. It is most well known for being the key ingredient in a Caesar salad!
Spring mix- This is a really common salad mix you will find at the grocery store and is a mix leafy greens. It contains young, sweet leaves from a variety of different types of lettuce and other greens such as baby spinach, kale, and chard.
Butter lettuce- This type of lettuce has tender leaves that smooth like, you guessed it, butter! This type of lettuce is great to use for lettuce wraps.
Green leaf lettuce – this type of lettuce looks really similar to romaine but has looser leaves that are green and frilly. There is also a red leaf lettuce variety that has a shade of red on the tips of the lettuce.
How to store lettuce
A whole head of lettuce will last longer than when it is cut. So if possible, leave it intact until you are ready to use. You will also want to ensure that there is no excess moisture, so be sure to fully dry it and wait to wash until you are ready to eat it. Store the lettuce in the crisper drawer in your fridge. Lettuce will last for about 7 to 10 days in the fridge if it is stored properly.

Cabbage
Cabbage is part of the brassicaceae family, which also contains vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower. Cabbage leaves have a crunchier texture than lettuce and can also withstand cooking, where lettuce will not. Cabbage is popular choice for dishes such as salads or coleslaw, or cooked in soups, a stir fry or sautéed.

Varieties of cabbage
Green cabbage – This is the most common type of cabbage and probably what comes to mind when you think of cabbage. It is often confused with a head of iceberg lettuce, but with closer inspection, you will see that it has much thicker leaves. When it is raw the flavor of green cabbage can have a light peppery flavor but when cooked it will have a sweet flavor.
Red Cabbage – Red cabbage is great eaten raw, especially because it gives a beautiful pop of color in dishes such as salads and coleslaw. Red, or also known as purple cabbage, takes longer to mature than green cabbage so it is usually less tender. This cabbage can also be cooked, but the color will leach out into the dish.
Savoy cabbage – This variety of cabbage is the most sweet on the list. Savory cabbage is darker green with tender crinkly leaves. It is great to use raw or cooked.
Napa Cabbage – This type of cabbage is popular for its use in kimchi. This type of cabbage, also called Chinese Cabbage, is oblong and has frilly leaves. It has a mild flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked.

How to store cabbage
Unlike lettuce, cabbage will actually store much longer! If kept in the fridge, or even a cool basement or cellar, it can last many months. You can store it whole, or even chopped and stored in a glass container. When selecting a cabbage from the store, choose one with a lot of outer leaves because they will help keep it from spoiling. When we harvest cabbage from our farm in the fall, we can store it and make it last until early December without any issues at all! This is one of the reasons we love to grow cabbage and keep it stocked in our kitchen!

Nutritional differences in lettuce and cabbage
Leafy greens are always part of a healthy diet! Lettuce and cabbage are both a rich source of vitamins, but they do have a few differences in their nutritional content. Cabbage has more minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium and lettuce is higher in vitamins such as vitamin A. They are both great lower glycemic and fiber-rich vegetables, although cabbage is slighter higher in fiber than lettuce. Cabbage is also higher in calories and carbs, but it is still a very low calorie and carb vegetable.
Purple cabbage is a great source of antioxidants, thanks to the bright purple hue! Purple cabbage has about 4.5 times more antioxidants than green, which is super important to help protect against cellular damage. To take cabbage a step further and boost the health benefits even more, you can make sauerkraut which is fermented cabbage. The fermentation process creates beneficial live bacteria that is great for your gut health because of the probiotics it contains.
Of the types of lettuce, iceberg is the type with the least amount of nutrients in it because the water content is so high. This is why it is so important to eat a variety of types of lettuce and other types of greens!
Overall, both cabbage and lettuce should be included into your diet for a healthy variety of vitamins and minerals. Don’t be afraid to try something new!

How cabbage and lettuce are grown
Both lettuce and cabbage do better with cool temperatures and well drained soil. Since they both do not do well with warm weather, in Iowa, they can either be a spring or fall crop for harvest. Both plants require a high water content, but both when grown in the spring or fall will do well with cooler temperatures. Cabbage heads are grown in beds with lots of spacing to ensure the outer leaves have time to grow, and cabbage plants take up quite a bit more space than heads of lettuce. Many types of lettuce can be grown as a cut and come again crop for a long season, or heads of lettuce are grown quickly and in tight spacing, about 6-10 inches.

How to use cabbage vs lettuce in meals
Despite their similar appearance, lettuce, and cabbage do have some different culinary uses. Lettuce is not just good in salads, you can use it as an added texture and crunch in items such as sandwiches, wraps, and burgers. Lettuce can also be a great option to make a lettuce wrapped burger or lettuce cups for tacos. Cabbage can also be eaten raw in meals similar as you would with lettuce. Raw cabbage can be used to make coleslaws or as a crunchy addition to salads, tacos or wraps. The tougher texture of cabbage makes it suitable for cooking and it can be used in soups, stir-fries, roasted, or sautéed. We love to cut cabbage into wedges and then roast them as a cabbage steak with simple seasoning. You can find more Cabbage Dinner Ideas here!
More green leafy vegetables to try
Lettuce and cabbage are not the only leafy greens that are healthy and delicious! Try other types such as kale and chard. You can learn all you need to know about what they are and how to cook with them here!
