Not Just Slaw: Our 27 Best Cabbage Recipes, Because Cabbage Is the Best

We bury a whole head of plain ol’ green cabbage and cook it in blistering coals until the outer leaves are caramelized and give way to a soft, steamed interior.

Over the years, this recipe has been perfected with extra spices and Guinness, as well as long simmering until the meat is ultra tender.

We love the meaty soups of Eastern Europe, but they take a while to cook. Here’s a quick, fresh version that works well for a weeknight.

Think mac ‘n’ cheese—but with vegetables instead of noodles.

Bite-size meatballs and tender vegetables make this soup satisfying; the touch of cream and nutmeg stirred in at the end rounds out the flavors.

Wilting the cabbage briefly brings out its color and flavor, and softens it.

Pork, cabbage, and caraway—a classic German combination—pair well with crisp, dry Riesling.

Cabbage, potatoes, sausage, and beer? We’re in.

This simple, crunchy, fresh slaw is great with rich taco fillings like fried shrimp or fish.

If you’re not topping your brisket sandwiches with sesame slaw, there’s a pretty decent chance you’re missing out.

Nothing complements fried chicken cutlets like a crisp, fresh slaw.

Savoy cabbage is mild and tender even when raw, making it ideal for this light accompaniment to rich sablefish.

We think everything is better than bacon, and this bacony coleslaw will be perfect with BBQ ribs or chicken.

This may look like your grandma’s coleslaw, but it sure doesn’t taste like it.

Add more zesty, fresh flavor to creamy slaw with lime juice, lime zest, and cilantro.

If it’s in your fridge, it can probably go into this slaw!

Serve this crunchy cabbage slaw as a side item or on a sandwich.

This salad is as healthy as it is tasty: Cabbage, oranges, and almonds contribute potassium and calcium; almonds add monounsaturated fat and phytosterols; and walnut oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Fresh chiles give this Vietnamese-influenced slaw a clean flavor and make it a nice, light element in a hearty spread.

Traditional Napa-cabbage kimchi only takes a day or two of fermentation before it’s ready to eat, but it will continue to ripen and become more sour as it ages.

This fiery kimchi closely resembles the award-winning product that Chong Choi and her son Matt Choi sell at the Portland State University Farmer’s Market stand and at grocery stores throughout the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re not already making kimchi fried rice it’s high time you start cooking this simple, full-flavored way to use up leftover ingredients and get your daily dose of probiotics. 

This dish is best with kimchi that’s frankly a bit old—i.e., well-fermented and quite tangy.

Traditional sauerkraut takes several days to ferment, but this one’s Reuben-ready in just half an hour.

Be careful: This sauerkraut is a gateway recipe. You may soon be a fermentation addict!

This recipe works with just about any kind of sausage (except super-spicy ones, which would be overpowering alongside the tangy sauerkraut).

For centuries, Alsatians have been happily pairing choucroute with their own wines: dry Riesling and Gewürztraminer.