Roasted Red Cabbage adds a splash of colour to any meal! The warm and comforting flavours of red cabbage and sweet apple in this easy vegan side dish are perfect served with all kinds of dinners. With minimal prep and lots of delicious flavours, it's simple enough to make on weeknights and impressive enough for holiday feasting. I've even included instructions for transforming it from a side to a main by adding some vegan sausage while roasting!
1 kg / 35 oz or 1small headred cabbagethinly sliced
1largeonionthinly sliced
2mediumapples, cut into chunky slices, cored but no need to peel (red or green)
3sprigsfresh thyme
1small handfulfresh sage
2tablespoonsred wine vinegar
2tablespoonsmaple syrup or brown sugar (omit for sugar-free)
2tablespoonsolive oil
1½tspsalt, plus more to taste
½tspfreshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
Optional to make it a meal
4Vegan Sausages (Field Roast apple sage sausages or Very Good Butchers British Bangers are incredible with this)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 ° F (200 °C).
To a large oven-proof dish add the red cabbage, onions, apples, thyme and sage.
Pour over the red wine vinegar, maple syrup/sugar and olive oil and sprinkle over the salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
Cover with a lid or very tightly with foil, and bake in the oven for about 50 to 55 minutes, after which time the cabbage should be really tender and smell fragrant and delicious. If it's not, give it a few minutes longer. If you get caught up with something it's fine left in the oven longer. If it will be much over 30 minutes extra though turn the oven down a bit to 325°F (160 °C) after the initial 50 to 55 mins.
Check the seasoning before serving and add a little more salt and pepper if required. Be sure to stir it in well.
To turn from a side to an entree
If you want to turn it from a side to more of a meal, add some vegan sausages. If using Field Roast or Very Good Butcher's sausages (or similar that are already cooked and just need to be heated through), slice them up and add them to the cabbage ten minutes before the end. If using raw vegan sausages like Beyond style, cook them in a saute pan first while the cabbage is roasting, either whole or in slices until browned nicely and cooked through, then add them to the cabbage for the last 10 minutes of cooking time.
Notes
Success Tips
The fresh herbs really elevate this recipe and add so much flavour. I really recommend not subbing dried herbs. You can usually find them year-round in the produce section at grocery stores.
The cooking time depends on the cabbageʼs freshness, how finely itʼs shredded, and the size of the pan.
Wear gloves while prepping the cabbage if you want to avoid red hands!
If the cabbage isn’t fork-tender or very fragrant, leave it in the oven for a few minutes longer to finish cooking.
Covering the baking sheet with a lid of foil will prevent the cabbage or onions from drying out or burning and make everything tender and juicy.
Ways to adapt the recipe
The oil could be omitted to make the recipe oil-free but be sure to use a good non-stick oven-proof dish.
You can try using pears if you don’t have apples on hand (as long as you don't mind the pears disintegrating a little).
Use green cabbage and white wine vinegar instead of red cabbage and red wine vinegar.
Omit the sugar to make it sugar-free.
Need a substitute for red wine vinegar? Balsamic vinegar is an easy replacement or you can use sherry vinegar for something more subtle.
To make ahead and storeCook the cabbage as per the recipe instructions. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat the cooked cabbage, place it in an ovenproof dish, cover and bake in the oven at 350ºF (175 °C) for about 20 to 25 minutes.To freezeLet the cooked red cabbage cool completely. Keep it in a sealed container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let the frozen cabbage defrost completely in the fridge overnight, then reheat it in the oven in a covered dish at 350ºF (175 °C) for about 20 to 25 minutes.Nutritional information is calculated without the optional sausages.