As part of my gourmet football dinner (see the Osso Bucco post), I decided that a long cooking vegetable was needed. Braised red cabbage to the rescue.
When I served it my mother, the woman who told me to eat vegetables for so many years, said she only wanted a little bit as she was not a fan of cooked cabbage. After her first bite, though, she said it was the best cooked cabbage she ever had. I agree. This stuff is great!
There is a lot of cabbage in this recipe. You can easily cut it in half for four.
Frying up the onions.
Sweating the cabbage.
Ready to serve.
Leave out the bacon for Kosher and vegetarian versions.
Braised Red Cabbage
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min | Makes: 6 servings | Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
- 4 slices bacon, thinly sliced
- 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 large or 2 small heads red cabbage (about 3 pounds), cored and thinly sliced
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into bite size pieces
- 2 to 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Cook the bacon until crisp, over medium heat in a large Dutch, that has a lid, about 4 minutes. Add the onions, cinnamon, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, about 8 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium-high, add the cabbage and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 8 minutes. Add the apple, broth, vinegar, sugar, the remaining salt, and pepper, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender, about 1 hour.
Uncover; bring to a boil, and cook, stirring, until the liquid has reduced to a sauce-like consistency, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve.
Copyright (c) 2004 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
I am so glad you posted this recipe! I have been looking for a good red cabbage recipe for YEARS! I think this just might do it! I have never cooked with a cinnamon stick before. What was that like?
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Added good flavor without being overpowering at all like the same quantity of ground cinnamon would be.
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I want to give this recipe a try for the holidays!
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I make a very similar recipe (no Cinnamon) to this and add turkey sausage to it – it is the BEST cabbage dish I have ever tasted as well! In fact I also got a friend of mine addicted to it too! I have also made it with green cabbage and its just as good!
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Being part German, I’ve made this dish a lot and it’s always a hit. I’m glad you posted this. I’ll have to try your version as you added a cinnamon stick where I normally don’t.
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I love red cabbage and forgot about it. Thank you for posting the recipe.
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I love braised red cabbage. I like to use apple cider vinegar instead of the red wine version. I haven’t used cinnamon in it before. I’ll have to try that next.
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YUM! I personally love cooked cabbage in just about any form, and this one sounds extra yummy! Love the apple and cinnamon stick, perfect for the fall. Thanks for sharing!
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Love red cabbage & now I have a great recipe for it! Thanks!
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This pretty much identical with the one I make. It is GREAT with Thanksgiving turkey and mashed potatoes, too.
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I’m a fan
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I’ll try this recipe. Looks great, and cabbage is a super food.
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Yum. I just love braised red cabbage. This looks like an excellent mix of flavors.
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