This isn’t the type of recipe that will break the internet and have everyone drooling over their screens, but it is the type of recipe that will enhance your Monday pot of red beans and have you drooling for more. The vinegar-infused sauteed cabbage not only offsets the heat of the red beans, but it complements the texture and flavor in a way that will make you want to break the internet – if only you knew how to…
It’s no lie that cooking red beans and rice has been a labor of love for me. I love everything about the little red beans and what they represent. They are not just a comforting meal on a Monday night, but they also tell the story of culture – and I love that I’m a part of that New Orleans tradition, but only 1000 miles away.
I’m sure that you feel the same way.
No matter where you are, just knowing that an entire community of people is eating the same meal as you, is comforting in and of itself. It’s an experience. And after what this past year has been like, it shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Over the years I’ve really experimented with my recipe for red beans. I’ve scaled back the ingredients quite a bit – especially from the first recipe that I’ve shared here. That one, (The Best Red Beans and Rice Recipe Ever!) is big and hearty. There’s a lot of meat to it and all kinds of ingredients. When I publish my Monday Night Red Beans and Rice recipe you’ll see the difference when I say that less is more. You can have minimal ingredients and still have an amazing final product. Too many ingredients seem to offset and cancel out and cover flavors, and not in a good way.
Another trick I learned for a great pot of red beans is to add pickled pork to the pot. Let me tell you, pickled pork in the red beans is out of this world good. There’s something about that vinegar flavor that seems to enhances the beans. If you have never tried Pickled Pork in your red beans, you have to try this recipe for it: How to Make Pickled Pork for Your Red Beans.
And that’s where we meet back up with this Sauteed Cabbage recipe. I don’t always have pickled pork on hand, and this is a simple alternative to add that vinegar depth of flavor.
As I trimmed down my ingredients for the red beans, I increased the heat. Maybe to a MEDIUM. Then I offer more Crystal’s Hot Sauce at the table if you want to take it up a notch more. You can really taste the red beans, the creamy gravy, and the heat after the bite. I love it. It reminds me of eating red beans in New Orleans. The Chartres House in the French Quarter. (What I wouldn’t give to be back there.)
While I was perfecting this red bean recipe, I started to add Pickled Pork to the pot and loved it. But I don’t always have pork available. It’s cheaper, in the long run, to make a homemade batch using that recipe than it is to order it online (if your local grocery store does not sell it).
I found another way to get that vinegary flavor in the beans without just dropping a tablespoon or two of it directly in the pot. How many of you do that? (Let me know in the comments below). That other way was to sautee shredded cabbage in apple cider vinegar. Once the sauteed cabbage was added to the plate of red beans and rice, and it was mixed together, it was pretty close to the flavor of pickled pork.
How Do You Make Sauteed Cabbage?
It’s quite easy. It only takes about 20 minutes so this recipe can be started about the time you start to prepare your rice.
STEP 1: In a large pan, melt the butter/olive oil and add the diced onions and saute. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Add the shredded cabbage, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper and saute for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage and onions have browned and caramelized on the edges.
STEP 2: Remove the pan from the heat source and stir in the apple cider vinegar. Add more salt and pepper, if needed.
Serve while warm and that is it.
How do you store leftover Sauteed Cabbage?
Any unused cabbage can be store in an airtight container and saved in the fridge for 5 days.
I remember when my wife and I got our first apartment in 1999 and we went grocery shopping – like one of those first trips when you go and get real groceries with coupons and a sort of meal plan that’s more than just a bunch of TV dinners. We had a coupon for one of those pre-chopped lettuce packs. We had never bought lettuce before and decided it was time to purchase two packs – probably for a taco night.
After a few days, and I kept looking at those packages of shredded lettuce and became worried that they would both go to waste. So, I decided that we better freeze one of the packages for later use. Good thinking, ah? And that was a rhetorical question.
A week or so later, I placed that frozen bag of shredded lettuce out to thaw, and, well, you can probably imagine my horror when I realized that you can’t just freeze lettuce – at least in the store packaging. It was a soggy, slimy, browned mess.
Can you freeze shredded cabbage?
Sure. I don’t recommend it because all I can see is that slimy mound of lettuce. But if you insist, make sure that the shredded cabbage has cooled down. Place it in a zip-lock freezer bag, and press down on it as much as you can to get rid of any air in the bag. Seal it tight. Label it and freeze it. It’ll last about 3 months.
What else can you serve Sauteed Cabbage with?
The Sauteed Cabbage goes great with pork chops.
You’ll also find that it pairs nicely with a variety of chicken recipes. Here are a couple of my chicken recipes:
- Mardi Gras Chicken Strips
- Easy Cajun Seasoned Chicken and Rice
- Garlic Chicken Drumsticks with Da Pope
Then, of course, this cabbage recipe would go hand-and-hand with corned beef for a St. Patrick’s Day dinner.
I used this recipe when I made Red Beans and Rice Egg Rolls. I spooned some leftover red beans and rice into an egg roll wrapper, then topped it off with some of this leftover Sauteed Cabbage. They were the perfect Mardi Gras appetizer.
Do you need more side dish recipes?
- Collard Greens
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Mayonnaise
- Creole Macaroni and Cheese
- Creole Style Green Beans
- Lemon Roasted Asparagus with Zest and Zing
I hope that you enjoy this Sauteed Cabbage recipe as much as I do. It is outstanding as an additional side to a pot of Monday night red beans and rice. If you make it, please let me know what you think of it in the comment section below. I think if we can gather a few shredded cabbage slappy’s together, we can break the internet… or something.
Be sure to TAG me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest @RedBeansAndEric and on Facebook @RedBeansAndEricBlog. You can also join my Facebook Community Page and share your thoughts and photos there. Thank you and enjoy this cabbage recipe as much as you can enjoy a cabbage recipe.
Sautéed Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ head cabbage shredded
- ½ cup white onions diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
-
In a large pan over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, add the extra virgin olive oil and unsalted butter. Once the butter melts and the bottom of the pan has been coated, add the diced onions and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and saute for another 1 minute. Add the shredded cabbage, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper and continue to saute for 10-15 minutes, or until the cabbage and onions have browned and caramelized.
-
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Apple Cider Vinegar. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
I have also used angel hair cabbage for this recipe, as well. It's typically a 10-oz bag of pre-shredded cabbage that is supposed to be used for making coleslaw. This is a great tip to use if you don't want or have time to shred the cabbage yourself. If you're using this option, you'd use the entire bag of shredded cabbage.
THANK YOU FOR READING!
If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe to the Red Beans & Eric Newsletter so you don’t miss a recipe, interview, or review. By signing up, I’ll send you a free e-cookbook that includes some of the most popular recipes from the website.
You can always stay in touch with me by leaving a comment in the section below, by clicking here or messaging me on any of the social media sites that I am on.
Thank you for stopping by!
KEEP THE RED BEANS COOKIN’!
ERIC
Eric Olsson is the food blogger of RedBeansAndEric.com. He publishes new recipes and interviews weekly. He has developed recipes and written articles for the famous Camellia brand in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been mentioned in Louisiana Cookin‘ magazine and has had recipes featured in Taste of Home magazine – with his Creole Turkey recipe being runner up in their annual Thanksgiving recipe contest. He lives outside of Detroit, Michigan, with his wife and four children.
Inga
I love sautéed cabbage, it’s delicious and makes the perfect side dish.
Red Beans and Eric
Yes, you can’t go wrong with Sauteed Cabbage!