Roasted Cabbage (it’s actually good)

This is a repost from last year … and while I may not have technically grown up Irish (there’s a story there that I’ll get to later this week) cabbage is a food that we Americans tend to associate with Ireland so, with St. Patrick’s Day on the near horizon, I thought it was worth a repost. Note to self, be sure to tune in every day this week for more flexitarian takes on traditional “Irish” food including shephard’s pie, Scotch eggs, and Irish soda bread. And then if you want to @ me about the origins of Scotch eggs, go ahead … I read Google things too ; )

Cabbage. BLECK! Until very recently―and by very recently I mean like last week kind of recently―the thought of eating the cruciferous vegetable made me want to scream. Growing up, my family was big into cabbage and potatoes and bratwurst and sauerkraut and corned beef hash (what even is that?) and all kinds of traditional Scandinavian and German foods. What? You feel sorry for me just reading this? Eh, don’t. It’s OK. Because we also had vaniljekranse (rich, melt in your mouth, butter cookies), Æbleskiver (stuffed Danish pancakes) and strudels. So yea, like I said, don’t feel sorry for me. I survived just fine.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, cabbage is second most economical cooked vegetable in terms of price per edible cup. Only potatoes are slightly less expensive. 

Over the years, while I never partook in eating or cooking cabbage, my mother did. Truthfully, it is a fair enough statement to say she has cooked more cabbage this past decade than anyone ever thought possible. Typically, she roasts it alongside other vegetables, and typically, whenever I visit and see leftover in her fridge, I want to scream. Because again, BLECK!

One pound of cabbage has around 100 calories so eat at will and reap the benefits!

But. Then the whole “until very recently” part … the bit about last week. For whatever reason, an entire head of green cabbage ended up in our fridge. How? I haven’t the slightest idea but for one reason or another, I guess I must have bought it. And because we’re both very conscious about not wasting food, I had no choice but to cook it, after (of course) calling my mother and asking how. Now here’s the shocker―insert drumroll―I LOVED it. Like wanted to make it the next night kind of loved it. No longer does the hard-as-a-bowling-ball vegetable make me want to scream. Because as it turns out, it’s delicious. Who knew?!

NOTE: From the research, I’ve done, and from what my mother has told me, red cabbage is more nutritionally sound than green, but they both have a good amount of fiber, vitamin C, and properties thought to help ward off cancer. I have yet to cook red cabbage, so I can’t attest to its flavor profile but if you have, please, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Roasted Cabbage

PREP TIME 10 minutes | COOK TIME: 35 minutes

• 1 head of cabbage, green or red, quartered and inner stock removed
• 3-5 TBS olive oil
• 2-3 TBS garlic, chopped
• 1-2 TBS everything bagel seasoning

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place quartered cabbage on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and brush with garlic. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove and flip pieces over. Sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning (or just salt and pepper) cook for an additional 15 minutes. And that’s all she wrote ; ) Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: My recipes are just that, mine. Some are modified versions of dishes we’ve had elsewhere or old-favorites that contained animal proteins that we replaced with plant-based options, while others are a concentrated effort of trial and error. But all are intended to be altered by you and made to suit your tastes. So if you want more garlic or none at all, go for it. You do you ; ) Now for the serious part … periodically this site does offer health, nutrition and exercise information. The information provided is not intended as medical advice and is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice given by a licensed physician or other health-care professional. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, consult your physician and never delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have read on this site. The use of any information provided on this site is solely at your own risk.

Live consciously, love fiercely, and eat well.

-Shauna Gabriel