We simply couldn't imagine our Christmas dinner plate without any red cabbage on it! But there's certainly more than one way to cook it! We present to you our Roasted Red Cabbage Steaks With Balsamic, boasting a perfect sweet-savoury combination, crispy sides and elegant presentation that will make your Christmas plates look amazing!
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Why You Will Love These Red Cabbage Steaks
There are a lot of reasons to love this red cabbage recipe. Not surprisingly, it is one of our favourite ways to cook red cabbage (alongside slow cooker braised red cabbage). Here's why you're going to love this red/ purple cabbage recipe.
- It makes a great side dish for Sunday Roast or Christmas Dinner.
- The crispy edges on the roasted cabbage slice are totally irresistible - you wait and see!
- Simple ingredients - all the flavour!
- A relatively low carb recipe, just like our Cheesy Cauliflower Steaks!
- An easy recipe that beginners can make - plus no special equipment is required (only a rimmed baking sheet, a sharp knife and an optional pastry brush).
- Red cabbage with all the layers is so visually pleasing - it may be the most beautiful side dish we make!
- Can be turned into a main course by serving a couple of red cabbage steaks with a bunch of starchy veggies and leafy greens, or by adding the steaks to grain bowls!
- OR try our Roasted Cabbage Steaks with parmesan instead!
Ingredients and Substitutes
Here's what you will need (you can find quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post):
- a medium head of red cabbage: also known as purple cabbage.
- olive oil: can be substituted with rapeseed, avocado or even sunflower oil. We used extra-virgin olive oil.
- balsamic vinegar.
- garlic clove.
- honey: clear runny honey is used in this Red Cabbage Steak recipe, but you can substitute it for golden syrup, maple syrup or agave nectar.
- apple sauce: homemade or shop-bought.
- ground cinnamon.
- whole cloves.
Method
To start with, preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment paper and brush it with a bit of olive oil.
How To Cut Cabbage Steaks?
- Remove the damaged outer leaves of the head of cabbage and discard.
- Cut the core (the root) off of the red cabbage.
- Cut cabbage from top to bottom into 1.5cm thick slices.
Prepare The Glaze for Cabbage Steaks
Place the red cabbage steaks onto a prepared baking dish in a single layer, leaving some space in between. You want the steaks to roast, not stew in their own steam. Stud each steak with 3 cloves.
Then prepare your glaze. In a bowl, mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, apple sauce, crushed garlic, cinnamon and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Spoon the mixture over your red cabbage steaks.
Roasting Red Cabbage Steaks
Then place them in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
The tricky bit is to turn them over after 20 minutes of roasting. For this, I use the largest spatula I have and flip them over slowly and carefully, rather in one quick motion. Whatever you do, try and keep the thick pieces of cabbage intact. You may choose to remove the cloves before you flip them and place them on top. This makes it easier to get rid of them once cooked without having to turn the steaks over again. Return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes. The outer leaves of the cooked cabbage should be crispy and brown (our favourite part) and roasted red cabbage steaks quite soft but not mushy.
Recipe FAQs
YES! Raw cabbage will stain chopping boards and your hands with a lovely purple color. Since I am not a big fan of washing up, I like to cut my cabbage on a glass cutting board or line a wooden board with baking parchment. I also make sure to wear gloves.
Let the steaks cool down to room temperature, then place them into an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, place the steaks in the oven and roast for approx. 10 minutes at 200 C.
This simple side dish actually makes a great appetizer. Serve one crispy roasted cabbage steak per person. Add some goat cheese or feta cheese on top, and scatter some toasted sunflower seeds on top. You may also add some fresh herbs (spring onions, chives and parsley work particularly well).
What To Serve Roasted Red Cabbage With?
If you choose to make these for your Christmas dinner, let us know what you think. We certainly think Roasted Red Cabbage is amazing! In the words of Monty Don: 'Nothing shouts Christmas like red cabbage'!
Extremely simple to make, these Red Cabbage Steaks With Balsamic can be cooked in the same oven and temperature as our Rosemary-Scented Christmas Pommes Anna. Alternatively, serve these Roasted Cabbage Steaks with other roasted vegetables like sweet potatoes, honey-glazed carrots and parsnips or cauliflower cheese!
Cabbage Steaks with Balsamic make an easy side dish to any roast dinner meat: lamb, beef, pork or chicken. We particularly recommend serving these with:
- Your Christmas Turkey
- Grapefruit Glazed Gammon
- Vegetarian Nut Roast
- Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder
Other Recipes With Cabbage
If you love cabbage or simply have some leftovers from other cabbage recipes, we have some ideas for you below:
- Asian Cabbage Slaw with Sesame Mayo
- Roasted Cabbage Wedges With Chimichurri Sauce
- Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
- Homemade Red Cabbage Slaw (Perfect For Tacos and Burgers)
- Irish Colcannon with Bacon
- Bokkeumbap | Korean Fried Rice
Other Christmas Sides Recipes
Here are some other perfect side dish recipes that we absolutely love:
- Garlicky Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Reduction
- Rosemary-Scented Christmas Pommes Anna
- Baby Hasselback Potatoes | Alternative to Roast Potatoes
Red Cabbage Steaks
Ingredients
- ½ red cabbage cut into 4 slices
- 50 ml olive oil
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon runny honey
- 1 teaspoon apple sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 12 cloves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment and lightly brush it with olive oil. Arrange the slices of cabbage on a baking tray.
- Make a glaze by mixing together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, apple sauce, crushed garlic, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Stud each slice with 3 cloves and spoon the glaze all over.
- Place in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the cloves and flip the cabbages over with a large spatula, taking extra care to keep the steaks intact (which can be tricky). Place the cloves on top of the steaks and roast for another 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the cloves and serve as a delicious side dish.
Nutrition
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