RESET360 with Camille McLaughlin
Fall Pick: Sides

Braised Red Cabbage with Apples

Red cabbage braised slowly with tart apples, onion, butter, cider vinegar, bay, and warm spices until silky, glossy, and gently sweet and sour.

Why you'll love Braised Red Cabbage with Apples

Rotkohl, German braised red cabbage, is the side that shows up next to every holiday roast from Munich to Milwaukee, and it is one of the best things to happen to a head of cabbage. Simmered slowly with apples, onion, butter, and cider vinegar, the shreds turn silky and glossy, sweet and tart at once, and the cinnamon, clove, allspice, and bay make the kitchen smell like the holidays. In fall, when cabbages are heavy and apples are crisp, it costs very little and feeds a crowd.

The vinegar goes in early, and that keeps the color. Red cabbage gets its deep color from anthocyanins, the same pigments as berries, and they stay ruby red in acid but drift toward blue in a neutral pot. Long, gentle heat does the rest: it softens the tough fibers of the leaves while the apples melt into them, and a few minutes uncovered at the end cook the juices down into a glaze.

It is even better made a day ahead, so it is an easy one to cross off before Thanksgiving. Serve it with roast pork, chicken thighs, turkey, or duck, and the plate gets a bright, tangy vegetable that stands up to rich meat.

Quick overview: This Braised Red Cabbage with Apples takes 15 min of hands-on time and about 1 hr 25 min in all and makes 6 servings, each about 3/4 cup. You'll need a dutch oven.

Jump to recipe

Braised red cabbage with apples in a shallow bowl
Prep 15 minCook 1 hr 10 minTotal 1 hr 25 minServes 6Serving about 3/4 cupYou'll need Dutch oven

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium head red cabbage (about 2 lb), quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste
  • 2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, cored and diced, skin on
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 small cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  • a pinch of ground cloves

Instructions

  1. Soften the onion: Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring now and then, for 5 to 6 minutes, until soft and golden at the edges. Slow-softened onion gives the braise its savory base.
  2. Add the cabbage and vinegar: Add the cabbage a few handfuls at a time, tossing to coat it in the butter, then pour in the vinegar right away and toss again. The acid sets the cabbage's color, so it stays a deep ruby red through the long cook.
  3. Add the apples and spices: Stir in the apples, water, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, allspice, and cloves.
  4. Braise: Bring it to a simmer, cover, and lower the heat so it bubbles gently. Cook for 50 to 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until the cabbage is completely tender and silky, and add a splash of water if the bottom of the Dutch oven looks dry. Low, steady heat breaks down the tough fibers in the leaves and lets the apples melt into them, which is where the gentle sweetness comes from.
  5. Reduce and season: Uncover, raise the heat to medium, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the liquid cooks down to a glossy glaze that coats the shreds. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, then taste and add a pinch of salt or a few drops of vinegar until it tastes balanced between sweet and tart.
  6. Serve: Serve warm next to roast pork, chicken thighs, turkey, or duck.

Storage and leftovers

Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. The spices settle in overnight, so it tastes even better the second day.

Reheat gently in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat with a spoonful of water. It freezes well for up to 3 months; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Variations

  • Duck fat: Use rendered duck fat in place of the butter for a deeper, savory flavor.
  • Pears: Use firm pears with the skin on in place of the apples.
  • Cranberries: Stir in 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries for the last 15 minutes for tart bursts of color.
  • Orange: Add a wide strip of orange zest with the bay leaves and lift it out with them.

Notes and tips

  • Slice it thin: Thin, even shreds cook at the same rate and turn silky. A sharp knife or the slicing disk of a food processor does it fastest.
  • Choose an enameled Dutch oven: Enameled cast iron or stainless steel holds up to the vinegar. Bare cast iron and aluminum react with it and can dull both the color and the flavor.
  • Taste at the end: Apples vary in sweetness, so adjust the vinegar and salt only once the cabbage is tender.
  • Make it ahead: Braise it a day or two before a holiday dinner and reheat it while the roast rests.

Nutrition and mindful eating

  • Red cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable with fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin K, and its deep color comes from anthocyanins, the same pigments that color berries.
  • Apples with the skin on bring their own sweetness and fiber, and the butter in the Dutch oven pairs that fruit with a real fat.
  • Cider vinegar keeps the color bright and balances the sweetness of the apples, and the warm spices bring the flavor of the holidays.
  • As you eat, notice the sweet and the sour together, and pay attention to whether a warm, spiced vegetable on the plate quiets the pull toward something sweet that a holiday meal can bring.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this Braised Red Cabbage with Apples? Start here, with the questions people ask most.

Why did my cabbage turn blue?

Red cabbage changes color with acidity. Add the vinegar right after the cabbage goes in, and if it has already turned purple-blue, a little more vinegar brings the red back.

Can I use green cabbage?

Yes, though it turns pale gold and tastes milder. Start checking it after 40 minutes, since green cabbage softens a little faster.

Is it good cold?

Yes. Cold braised cabbage makes a tangy side for lunch, almost like a warm-spiced slaw.

How do I core and slice a cabbage?

Cut the head into quarters through the core, cut the hard core out of each wedge at an angle, then lay the wedges flat and slice them as thin as you can.

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Tags: Fall Pick, Sides, German