Why do I love cabbage? The outstanding health benefits and versatile recipes associated with cabbage can’t be beat. I feel like I am gushing, but it is the truth.
Health Benefits:
Who knew this yummy food could be so good for you?
- Cabbage has a reputation of fighting cancer.
- It is a great source of vitamin C, fiber, and potassium along with other nutrients. In fact, eating a one cup a day provides 4 percent of the recommended daily intake of eight vitamins and minerals.
- Cabbage has the fewest calories and the least amount of fat of any vegetable. So eat up my friends.
- Savoy and bok choy cabbage provide beta-carotene, an antioxidant that fights cancer and heart disease.
- For those who shy away from dairy, Bok Choy is an important source of calcium.
- Cabbage contains iron, which helps our immune systems.
Difference between red and green cabbage:
I happen to like red cabbage better. It just tastes sweeter to me. Red cabbage has a higher level of vitamin A than green cabbage, which keeps your skin and immune system healthy and helps with your vision. One cup of chopped red cabbage contains 33% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A. In addition, red cabbage is a higher source of iron than green cabbage: 0.7 milligrams in 1 cup of red cabbage, compared to 0.4 milligrams in green cabbage.
On the other hand, green cabbage has more vitamin K than red cabbage, although they both are good sources. One cup of chopped green cabbage has a 57% of the daily recommended daily intake of vitamin K as compared to red cabbage’s 28%. We need Vitamin K since it helps the blood clot and regulates bone mineralization which impacts bone density.
Either way, cabbage is just plain good for us.
Favorite Recipe:
So, how do I cook my cabbage? My all time favorite cabbage recipe is stuffed cabbage. You can make the recipe vegan (using beans) and with hamburger meat.
A couple of notes:
- My recipe listed uses kale. Just substitute the cabbage for kale. I regularly use cabbage anyways. In order to make the leaves soft to work with, you either have to boil cabbage or put in the freezer.
- If you want to make a vegan version, you can either follow the vegan bean recipe or substitute the sauce instructions from my hamburger recipe. Sauce is a sweet and sour tomato sauce, which is so amazing.
Other recipes
I am not the only one who loves cabbage. Here are some other recipes to enjoy:
- Kimchi Recipe Demystified (ecokaren). Karen explained the recipe isn’t spicy since she uses red peppers instead of chili peppers.
- Simple Cabbage Soup with a secret food group added. (Kitchen Stewardship)
- Cabbage Ramen Salad (AllRecipes.)
- Raw sauerkraut (Balanced Bites)
- Sauteed Cabbage with golden raisins. (Crunchy Savings)
- Sweet and Tangy Herbed Cabbage Salad (Healthy Home Magazine)
- Vegan Spring Roll (Turning Back the Clock)
Join the Conversation:
What are your favorite cabbage recipes. Be sure to link them in the comments.
karen says
October 11, 2013 at 4:26 pmCabbage used in my Kimchi recipe is Napa cabbage but you can substitute green cabbage instead. You just have to leave it in salt a bit longer. I love cole slaw and cabbage in miso soup. Great selection of recipes~! Thanks for including my kimchi recipe.
Anna@Green Talk says
October 11, 2013 at 5:10 pmKaren, do you have a favorite miso and cabbage soup recipe? Anna
diane says
October 15, 2013 at 9:02 amthanks so much for featuring my vegan spring rolls! We have purple cabbage in the fridge right now and regularly add it to soups and stirfries!
Anna@Green Talk says
October 15, 2013 at 9:13 amDiane, I love purple cabbage. Anna
Shannon @ GrowingSlower says
October 16, 2013 at 10:10 amWe have a couple cabbages still lingering in the garden. Thanks for reminding me about stuffed cabbage. I will have to put that on my meal plan for next week!
Anna@Green Talk says
October 16, 2013 at 1:24 pmShannon, I do too. I did the round up because I need other ideas besides stuffed cabbage. Anna
James Paulson says
October 23, 2013 at 4:29 pmRed Cabbage- what a traditionally Polish/Eastern European dish!
Anna@Green Talk says
October 23, 2013 at 8:07 pmJames, I love it too. Anna
James Paulson says
November 8, 2013 at 4:45 pmI still have pretty fond memories of my South Side Polish grandmother stewing some up (she lived on the third floor of our apartment building) and the smell wafting down the stairs to use grandkids. Good memories.
Erika says
February 12, 2016 at 2:35 pmBierrocks! Or some spell them Beerrocks. That’s one of my all-time favorite eats. Making them this week. I tried them with red cabbage once, but it threw the traditional flavor off. So I guess in this instance, use green.
Anna@Green Talk says
February 12, 2016 at 10:52 pmErika, I have never heard of this food. How do you make it? Anna
Erika says
March 11, 2016 at 7:47 pmI’m sorry – I just now saw your reply! These are the most amazing little bundles of meat, onion, cabbage, salt and pepper-filled dough. They originated in Germany and Russia. I live in Central California, where many Germans live (many of whom, like my distant relatives, came from Russia) and there are a few Bierrock Shops. Many European countries call them by their own names. They were a way for women to send their husband’s off to work or into the fields with nutritious food. They’re kind of like calzones, but look just like a fat little bun, until you bite into it with the surprise inside! You should Google it. They are very easy to make- only 5 simple ingredients inside, and the dough is just my daily bread recipe. My kids devour them!