This Garlic Braised Green Cabbage is a hearty and comforting vegetable side dish that is gluten-free and can easily be made vegan and dairy-free.
Cabbage is one seriously underrated vegetable. It's affordable, it lasts a long time in the fridge, and it can be extremely delicious if it's prepared in the right way. And this Garlic Braised Green Cabbage is just one example of those delicious cabbage dishes.
Fun fact: this cabbage is one of Mr. Dreamboat's favorite vegetable dishes. I had already purchased a cabbage with the plans of making and photographing this dish to share with you. He didn't know this and coincidentally reminded me that I hadn't made it in a very long time. He was pleasantly surprised when it showed up on the dinner table a couple of days later. We'll just let him think it was all his idea.
How to Make Garlic Braised Green Cabbage
Before you start making this hearty and delicious cabbage, be aware that it does take a lot of time. It cooks in the oven for 2 hours, but the good news is that the actual hands-on time to make this dish is pretty short - 30 minutes tops. While it's in the oven, you can completely focus on doing other things - no flipping/checking/rotating or anything else is required.
Note that you'll want to buy a small green cabbage for this recipe. Don't use napa cabbage or red cabbage, but the "flat" cabbages that I've been seeing around lately will work.
Start by prepping the cabbage. If your cabbage has any tough or damaged leaves on the outside, remove them. Then cut the cabbage into quarters (cut the cabbage in half lengthwise, then cut each half in half lengthwise again). Note that cabbage can be tough to cut, but if you're having a really hard time, it probably means your knife needs sharpening. Don't remove the cabbage core as it will hold the cabbage layers together.
Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over the skillet. A cast iron skillet works great for this recipe, but a regular stainless steel skillet will work too. Place the four cabbage quarters in the skillet so that one of their flat sides is facing down.
Cook the cabbage until it's well-browned, then flip the pieces to their other flat sides and sprinkle the garlic and shallots around the cabbage quarters. Cook until the second side is well-browned.
While you're waiting for the cabbage to brown, stir together the chicken broth, water, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and thyme. When the cabbage is done browning, pour this mixture into the skillet. It should start boiling immediately. If not, keep cooking over medium-high heat until it does.
Once the broth mixture is boiling, cover the skillet (if you don't have a lid, carefully cover it with aluminum foil) and transfer the skillet to the oven to braise for 2 hours.
Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and let the cabbage cool slightly. If desired, serve each cabbage quarter with a pat of butter or a drizzle of olive oil.
Garlic Braised Green Cabbage Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt or MSG-salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Small head green cabbage - just regular green cabbage is best here. Don't buy napa cabbage. Flat cabbage will work, but is not necessary.
- Garlic - you definitely want fresh garlic cloves here
- Small shallots - if you can only find large shallots, just use one and cut it into 8 pieces
- Chicken broth or vegetable broth (to make this recipe vegan, use vegetable broth or vegan "no chicken" broth)
- Water - use whatever water you normally drink. Tap water is fine here.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dried thyme
- Unsalted butter - this is optional. Skip the butter to make this recipe vegan and dairy-free. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil if desired instead.
Want more cabbage recipes?
Garlic Braised Green Cabbage Nutrition Notes
This recipe is gluten-free as written. To make this recipe dairy-free, skip the optional butter at the end of the recipe. To make this recipe vegan, skip the butter and use vegetable broth or vegan "no chicken" broth instead of the chicken broth.
The nutrition information in the recipe below does include the optional butter. If you use olive oil instead, the saturated fat content of the dish will be lower. If you skip it altogether, the fat and calorie content of the dish will also be lower.
Garlic Braised Green Cabbage
Equipment
- Large Oven-Safe Skillet Cast iron works very well for this dish, but stainless steel is fine too. Be careful with non-stick, as they're less likely to be oven-safe.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or MSG-salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small head green cabbage tough outer leaves removed, cut into quarters (don't remove the core)
- 6 cloves garlic lightly smashed and peeled
- 2 small shallots peeled and quartered
- ¼ cup chicken broth or vegetable broth (to make this recipe vegan, use vegetable broth or vegan "no chicken" broth)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 4 equal pieces (optional - skip the butter to make this recipe vegan and dairy free. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil instead)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325°F.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, oven-proof skillet. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of the salt and ⅛ teaspoon of the pepper evenly into the skillet. Arrange the cabbage quarters in the skillet, so that they are all lying flat. Let cook, without moving, for 5-6 minutes until well browned (reduce heat if they are browning too quickly or burning).
- Flip the cabbage quarters and arrage the garlic cloves and shallots around the skillet, tucking them in and around the cabbage. Cook for another 5-6 minutes until browned. Stir together ¼ cup chicken broth, ¼ cup water, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, and the remaining ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Turn off the heat and pour the broth mixture over the cabbage. It should immediately begin to boil. If it doesn't, turn the heat back on to medium-high, and cook until the liquid begins to boil. Cover with a tight-fitting lid (or carefully cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil) and transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook until the cabbage is very soft and well browned, about 2 hours.
- Uncover the skillet and allow to cool slightly. If desired, place one piece of the butter on top of each piece of cabbage and allow it to melt.
Nutrition
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