Caramelized Red Cabbage
*serves 3-4

Cabbage gets a bad wrap for being gassy and it’s often relegated to use only for coleslaw and St. Patrick’s Day. But the red cabbage is a powerhouse of a vegetable, loaded with so many health benefits and nutrients. It packs loads of Vitamin C (great for immunity and collagen production) and Vitamin K (oh, hey, strong bones), aids in decreasing inflammation, is heart healthy and it’s also high in fiber — which is not only a benefit for our hearts but for digestion.

While at my aunt and uncle’s house we’ve been preparing and eating red cabbage at least once a week alongside braised kale and collard greens. My aunt and I have both undergone surgery and eating well has been a key factor in healing. We’ve been cooking lots of greens, different veggies and protein — all for health, muscle, tissue and tendon healing. We have paired red cabbage with anything from chicken burgers to meatloaf or fish and used it to top sweet potatoes too — and it makes a super tasty side especially when it’s caramelized. An alternative to onions (or add some red onions in) cabbage can be caramelized in the same way you would do so to an onion. Caramelizing the cabbage adds DEPTHS of flavor to this very nutritious vegetable and caramelizing it breaks down its tough fibers (look at those large, thick leaves?!), making it easier to digest and, bonus, tastier to eat.

When you cut open a red cabbage you can see its heart like chamber and get lost in its beauty — at least I do. Red cabbage looks like a brain teaser maze that can be sliced up and eaten.

So to start the cooking process, you’ll wanna cut your red cabbage in half and remove its big white core from the bottom. Then, thinly slice the cabbage as you would if you were making coleslaw.

Start by sauteing a sliced red onion in a little bit of butter and olive oil. Once the onion begins to brown just a little bit, you’ll add the sliced red cabbage and salt.

Above you can see the cabbage breaking down in phases. I am sharing this so you can note the cooking process, similarly to caramelizing onions except these take a bit longer because their leaves are more fibrous and dense, but I promise we can still get this veggie jammy and broken down by using the secret weapon of balsamic vinegar and a little bit of water or chicken stock.

Once the cabbage starts to soften and shrink, I add the balsamic vinegar little by little as I keep the pan on a medium low flame. The balsamic vinegar picks up all of the brown bits from the pan by deglazing and then all that flavor becomes one with the cabbage. Delicious, right? The whole process from start to finish takes at least 40 minutes but an hour would be great. The good part is that this is a great make ahead vegetable to use as a topper to burger night or an addition to a grain bowl. It reheats really well and over the the course of a day or two, the flavors really come out even more.

Caramelizing red cabbage may be a labor of love, but it’s a nutritious one worth investing in for your taste buds and your health. Get in the kitchen!

Caramelized Red Cabbage
*serves 3-4

Ingredients
1 large red onion
1 head of red cabbage, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of salted butter
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2-3 teaspoons of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 - 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
Water *if you need more liquid to deglaze at the end or round out any acid from the balsamic vinegar

Instructions for caramelizing red cabbage
—Heat a large skillet over a medium flame with 2 tablespoons of butter and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
—Add onions, allowing them to cook and sweat, about 5 minutes
—Add cabbage and 2 teaspoons of salt and continue to cook, stirring and moving the cabbage about for another 25 minutes
—As the cabbage breaks down and becomes brown, you’ll notice beautiful browning and bits on the bottom of the skillet, at this point, add half of the balsamic vinegar to deglaze and continue to stir and cook
—Deglazing the pan with balsamic vinegar helps speed the caramelization process and creates really yummy, jammy caramelized cabbage with loaded depth of flavor
—Continue to cook and deglaze for up to 1 hour, if you’re that patient, adding water as needed, but you can pull them from the flame as soon as your desired caramelization is reached
—Taste to adjust salt, add freshly ground black pepper
—Put aside to cool
—Good news: you’ll probably have leftovers from the quiche to use for a burger, or on eggs or in a grilled cheese sandwich! Toss into a grain bowl or serve as a side to fish!
—Save and store in the refrigerator, in a glass container for up to a week, but they won’t last that long!