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a small clay pot full of stewed cabbage.
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4.67 from 12 votes

Stewed Cabbage

This is the most delicious recipe for stewed cabbage, the simplest way of cooking cabbage. It is great on its own or as a side dish.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Stews
Cuisine: Romanian
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Calories: 168kcal
Author: Adina

Ingredients

  • 1 white cabbage about 3.5 lbs/ 1.5 kg, Note
  • 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 onion
  • 1 large red bell pepper
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 large tomato
  • 2 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dry savory
  • 1-2 teaspoons red wine vinegar to taste
  • 1 small bunch of parsley
  • fine sea salt and ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Prepare cabbage: Quarter the cabbage and remove the core. Chop the cabbage into small pieces; they don't have to be extremely fine. Set aside. Finely chop the onion.
    1 white cabbage + 1 onion
  • Chop the pepper, carrot, and tomato. Keep the vegetables separated; they have different cooking times.
    1 large red bell pepper + 1 large carrot + 1 large tomato
  • Saute: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven. Cook the onions until translucent. Add the pepper and the carrot and continue cooking for a couple of minutes. Add the tomato, tomato paste, sweet paprika, and sugar and stir for about 2 minutes.
    3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil + onions + peppers + carrots + tomato + 2 heaped tablespoon tomato paste + 1 teaspoon sweet paprika + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • Start adding the cabbage as much as it fits in the pot (2-3 batches, depending on the size of the pot). Add the dried savory as well. Stir well to coat with the rest of the ingredients, and let cook for a few minutes until the cabbage wilts down a bit.
    cabbage + 1 teaspoon dry savory
  • Add the rest of the cabbage, stir again, and add just a little water, about 50 ml/ scant ¼ cup.
  • Simmer: Stir again, cover very tightly and cook on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.
  • Stir a few times in between, but do it quickly and cover again immediately to prevent losing too much steam from the pot. The cabbage should stew in its liquid, and it will not be too bad if it catches slightly at the bottom of the pot (but only slightly). That makes the stewed cabbage even sweeter and tastier.
  • Adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar for a fruitier taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve.
    fine sea salt and ground black pepper + 1-2 teaspoons red wine vinegar + 1 small bunch of parsley
  • The dish can be easily reheated (Note 2).

Notes

  1. Cabbage type: You can use a round head of white cabbage or sweetheart cabbage. If using sweetheart cabbage, start checking if it's done 5-10 minutes earlier.
  2. Make in advance: It's a good idea to make the cabbage stew one day in advance; it tastes even better once reheated.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the dish | Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 228mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g