If there’s one vegetable I’ll defend with my whole heart, it’s cabbage. It’s inexpensive, it’s available year round, and it soaks up smoky, savory flavors better than just about anything else in my kitchen. Whether I’m slow cooking it in chicken broth with bacon until it’s melt-in-your-mouth tender, baking it into a creamy, cracker-topped casserole, or tossing it into a tangy slaw for a summer cookout, cabbage is endlessly versatile and I never get tired of it.
I’ve been cooking with it for years and I still find new ways to love it. This collection is a mix of some of my all-time favorites — down-home Southern sides, hearty weeknight dinners, and a couple of slaws that are anything but boring. Some of these recipes are pure comfort food, and some are a little unexpected, but every single one of them is worth making. If you think you don’t love cabbage, one of these amazing cabbage recipes is going to change your mind.
Southern Cabbage
This is one of my very favorite foods ever, and I'll happily eat it as a main dish rather than a side. Cabbage is slow cooked in chicken broth with bacon and onion until it's wonderfully tender and full of smoky, savory flavor. Have a piece of cornbread nearby — you're going to want it to soak up every drop of that broth.
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Old-Fashioned Cabbage Casserole
This is the kind of recipe you'll find in just about every Southern church or community cookbook, and it deserves every bit of that reputation. A creamy, cheesy cabbage filling gets topped with buttery cracker crumbs and baked until golden. Comfort food at its absolute best.
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Cabbage Soup with Smoked Sausage
This is the kind of soup I crave when the weather turns cold and I need something hearty and warming. Smoked sausage, tender cabbage, and vegetables simmer together in a rich, savory broth that gets better with every bite. It's an easy, satisfying meal that comes together without much fuss.
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Smothered Cabbage and Potatoes
This is a down home Southern favorite that's simple, filling, and full of flavor. Chopped green cabbage and Yukon Gold potatoes simmer together in butter and chicken broth until the potatoes are soft and the liquid reduces into the most delicious silky sauce. Serve it as a side or with cornbread as a main — either way, it's so good.
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Cabbage and Noodles
Cabbage Noodles are pure cool-weather comfort in a single pan — sautéed cabbage and onion cooked in bacon fat, then tossed with buttery noodles and crispy bacon. It's simple, inexpensive, and the kind of meal that just hits differently when the temperature drops. If you've never thought to combine cabbage and noodles before, this recipe is about to become a regular in your rotation.
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Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Bacon
Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Bacon is one of those side dishes that hits every note at once — sweet from a generous amount of sugar, tangy from cider vinegar, salty from both the bacon and a splash of soy sauce, and smoky throughout. It's a German-style dish with deep roots in Southern cooking, and the combination is so good that the author admits to picking the last pieces straight out of the pan with her fingers. If you need a side dish that can hold its own against just about any main, this is the one.
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Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are one of those recipes that feel like a real project but deliver the kind of comfort food payoff that makes every step worth it — tender cabbage leaves wrapped around a savory ground beef and rice filling, then baked low and slow in a sweet and tangy tomato sauce until everything melds together into something truly special. This is the kind of dish that's been showing up on dinner tables for generations, and once you taste it, it's easy to understand why. If you've never made them from scratch before, this recipe walks you through it and the result is absolutely worth the effort.
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Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
I love stuffed cabbage rolls, but all that rolling and layering is a lot of work. This unstuffed version gives you every bit of that comforting flavor — ground beef, cabbage, diced tomatoes, and rice — in a fraction of the time. It's a hearty, economical weeknight dinner the whole family will love.
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Crockpot Cabbage Roll Casserole
Crock Pot Cabbage Roll Casserole takes everything you love about classic stuffed cabbage rolls — the seasoned ground beef, rice, and rich tomato sauce — and layers it all into a slow cooker so you get that same cozy, stick-to-your-ribs flavor without all the fuss of rolling individual cabbage leaves. A blanket of melted mozzarella on top puts it completely over the edge. It's the kind of winter comfort food that practically makes itself, and honestly, that's my favorite kind of recipe.
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Cabbage and Kielbasa Skillet
Cabbage and Kielbasa Skillet is one of those weeknight dinners that comes together fast and leaves you with almost nothing to clean up — just one pan, and you're done. Browned kielbasa and soft onions get tossed with chopped green cabbage, chicken broth, and a splash of apple cider vinegar that adds just the right amount of tang, and the whole thing cooks down into something smoky, savory, and seriously satisfying. You get to decide how long to let the cabbage go depending on whether you like a little bite left or want it completely tender, which I love — it's the kind of recipe that meets you where you are.
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Spicy Cabbage
If you like a little heat, this skillet cabbage is going to be a new favorite. It's flavored with bacon, onion, green pepper, and Rotel tomatoes and comes together quickly in one pan. It pairs wonderfully with pork chops or baked chicken and makes a fantastic Southern side any night of the week.
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Braised Red Cabbage
This gorgeous jewel-toned side dish has a wonderful sweet and sour flavor that pairs beautifully with pork, chicken, or German sausage. A grated Granny Smith apple, a little brown sugar, and a splash of apple cider vinegar give it that perfect balance. Cabbage side dishes are some of my very favorite, and this one is especially beautiful on the table.
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Slow Cooker Spicy Cabbage Beef Soup
Slow Cooker Spicy Cabbage Beef Soup is one of those set-it-and-forget-it meals that punches way above its weight — ground beef, cabbage, tomatoes, and a couple of beef bouillon cubes come together into something deeply savory and satisfying with barely any effort on your part. It's hearty enough to be a full meal on its own, and the fact that it's low carb is a nice bonus if that's something you're keeping an eye on. This one is going to earn a permanent spot in your cold-weather soup rotation.
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Tex-Mex Cabbage Soup
Tex Mex Cabbage Soup is what happens when taco night meets a big pot of cozy, and the result is seriously good — ground beef, tomatoes, and taco seasoning all simmered together until the cabbage is completely tender and the flavors have had time to really come together. That 45-minute simmer is where the magic happens, and it's mostly hands-off once the beef is browned and everything is in the pot. It's hearty enough to be a full meal and the kind of thing you'll want to make on repeat all winter long.
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Country Cabbage Soup
Country Cabbage Soup is a wonderfully healthy way to enjoy cabbage. Lean ground beef is combined with cabbage, stewed tomatoes, onion and celery plus seasonings to make a filling low carb meal that is low in fat and calories.
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Slow Cooker Cabbage and Stewed Tomatoes
When you're stuck in a side dish rut, this slow cooker recipe will breathe some new life into your routine. The cabbage turns fabulously tender in the crock pot and soaks up so much flavor from the Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and sweet stewed tomatoes. It's easy, hands-off, and so much more interesting than your usual sides.
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Crockpot Cabbage and Kielbasa
Crockpot Cabbage and Kielbasa is the kind of slow cooker meal that does all the heavy lifting for you — just brown the sausage, slice everything up, and let the crockpot work its magic while the cabbage soaks up all that smoky, savory flavor from the kielbasa and chicken broth. With potatoes and onion in the mix, it's a complete, hearty meal on its own, and a side of cornbread is really all you need to round it out. If you want to kick things up a notch, a little Cajun seasoning or crushed red pepper takes it somewhere really good.
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Cabbage Ground Beef Casserole
Cabbage Ground Beef Casserole takes everything I love about a classic cabbage casserole and makes it a full meal — browned ground beef gets folded into a creamy, cheesy filling and topped with a buttery Ritz cracker and cheddar crust that bakes up golden and irresistible. It's the kind of dish that feels like pure comfort food from the very first bite, and it's hearty enough to stand completely on its own. If you've ever made a cabbage casserole as a side and thought “this needs to be dinner,” this recipe is exactly what you've been looking for.
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Pork Chops with Creamy Cabbage and Apples
This is fall comfort food at its very best — thick-cut pork chops pan-seared and roasted, then served over an insanely creamy cabbage and apple mixture with crispy bacon. The cabbage is rich, a little sweet from the apple, and a little tangy from Dijon mustard. It's a whole lot of good all in one pan.
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Low Carb Fried Cabbage and Bacon
Low Carb Fried Cabbage and Bacon makes a quick and easy side dish that’s packed with flavor. Only a handful of ingredients are needed. There’s something magical about the combination of bacon and cabbage.
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Marinated Cabbage and Sweet Pepper Slaw
This tangy, sweet, crunchy slaw is my go-to when I want something lighter than a mayo-based coleslaw. Crunchy cabbage and vibrant mini sweet peppers get tossed in a simple vinegar dressing that just gets better the longer it sits. Make it ahead of time and it's absolutely wonderful with BBQ pulled pork or grilled chicken.
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Sweet Vinegar Coleslaw
Sweet Vinegar Coleslaw is a sweet and tangy non-mayo based coleslaw that makes a great addition to any bbq or picnic. I think it is my very favorite coleslaw recipe. It has a pickled taste to it which I love.
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