What to Make with Red Cabbage?

Red, or red cabbage, is similar in taste to white cabbage. However, it has much more vitamins and useful trace elements, it stores better and looks more interesting in ready meals.

Its color varies from greenish-blue to deep burgundy or purple, depending on the chemical composition of the soil. When cooked, it can turn blue. To prevent color changes, you can add a couple of drops of vinegar when cooking.

Purple cabbage contains a lot of vitamins C (44% of the daily norm in 100 grams) and K (72% of the norm), it has 5 times more carotene than white cabbage, and much more potassium. Purple cabbage contains a lot of anthocyanins, which make blood vessels less fragile, and antioxidants that stimulate cell regeneration processes. Due to its high fiber content, it improves intestinal function. Purple cabbage speeds up the metabolism. Plus it contains few calories, so it’s great for weight loss diets.

With purple cabbage you can cook all the dishes in which in the classic recipes goes white cabbage. Most often it is used to make appetizers and salads, soups, side dishes and hot dishes.

Red Cabbage Appetizers and Salads

Fergus Hendrickson Red Salad

#1 Fergus Hendrickson's Red Salad - Food52's recipe - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: food52

Thinly sliced red cabbage and finely grated beets give this winter salad a bright color, spicy-sweet flavor and homemade warmth.

A variation on Jamie Oliver’s Cole Slaw

You can modify the recipe slightly by using purple cabbage instead of white cabbage. The flavor will change slightly, with a distinctive bitterness that is fresh and tangy.

Pickled purple cabbage

# 3 Pickled purple cabbage - Taketwotapas' recipe + - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Taketwotapas

The delicious taste and crispy texture of red cabbage is spectacularly emphasized by the properly selected spices of the marinade. The perfect light snack.

Winter salad with red cabbage, kale and pomegranate

# 4 Winter salad with red cabbage, kale and pomegranate Vikalinka's recipe - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Vikalinka

I really like the combination of red cabbage and kale, and pomegranate gives the dish a bright refreshing note. Unusual and very easy to prepare.

Pickled red cabbage with plums

# 5 Pickled red cabbage with plums - Smak's recipe - - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Smak

Easy to prepare, refreshingly tasty and spicy. You can roll it up in glass jars, it will keep for a long time.

Red cabbage salad with grapefruit

#6 Red cabbage salad with grapefruit - Klopotenko's recipe - - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Klopotenko

Author’s recipe by Eugene Klopotenok. The original combination of fruit and vegetable flavors is emphasized by the freshness of mint and the elegance of Parmesan.

Red Cabbage Soups

Red cabbage soup with sausage

# 7 Red cabbage and sausage soup - Food52's recipe - - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Food52

Stewed meat with hearty vegetables (red cabbage, potatoes, peas) and thick slices of pork sausages make for a very rich and vibrant broth. Perfect soup for the cold season.

Quick red cabbage cream soup

#8 Quick red cabbage cream soup - Cookpad's recipe -- 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Cookpad

Quick to make and just as quick to disappear from your plates – it’s incredibly tasty, so cook with the expectation that everyone will ask for more

Chicken soup with red cabbage

# 9 Chicken soup with red cabbage - Russianfood's recipe - - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Russianfood

The unusual purple color is just what you need to get your child to eat the first thing. Adults will love it too – this soup has a very interesting flavor.

Red Cabbage as a Side and Main Dish

Red cabbage stew with apples

A variation of the classic recipe that you will never get tired of. Due to the long stew it becomes very tender and sweet. It can be served as a separate dish or with bulgur or couscous.

Cabbage stew with rice

#11 Cabbage stew with rice - Food52's recipe - - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Food52

A very simple and homemade warm dish. Stew with red cabbage, paprika and rice, seasoned with garlic and pepper, is a win-win combination. And how easy it is to make!

California chicken tacos with corn and red cabbage

#12 California chicken tacos with corn and red cabbage - Mastercook's recipe - - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Mastercook

This recipe uses red cabbage as a filling for hearty and savory tacos, but the recipe can be adapted for a burger or stir-fry. Try the classic recipe and experiment – what will you like best?

German red cabbage “Oma”

#13 German red cabbage Oma - Germangirlinamerica's recipe - - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Germangirlinamerica

In Germany, this is a holiday dish of stewed meat and red cabbage. Germans think this is what Christmas smells like!

Roasted red cabbage with bacon

# 14 Fried red cabbage with bacon - Foodandwine's recipe - - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Foodandwine

The classic version of this dish is served as a side dish to juicy pork – shoulder, chops, loin, medallions. But try serving it with fish, cod or halibut – it’s an incredibly delicious combination!

Red cabbage roast with coconut

# 15 Red cabbage roast with coconut - Foodandwine's recipe - - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Foodandwine

An Indian dish created by Chef Asha Gomez. Very unusual and only takes 25 minutes to prepare. Surprise your friends with original combinations!

Pasta quesareche with braised cabbage, bacon and caramelized onions

Pasta, braised cabbage and bacon = a win-win combination.

Red cabbage schnitzels

#17 Red cabbage schnitzels - Koolinar's recipe - - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Koolinar

A great vegetarian dish – easy to make, very tasty and unusual. Schnitzel worms are a great way to spice up your diet during Lent.

Red cabbage rolls

# 18 Red cabbage rolls - Webspoon's recipe - - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Webspoon

A great alternative to the classic recipe – this version is very bright in serving and a little spicier than the original.

Red cabbage garnish with lingonberry and onion marmalade

#19 Red cabbage garnish with lingonberry and onion marmalade -Globalcook's recipe  - 23 red cabbage recipe ideas
Source: Globalcook

A dish of restaurant cuisine that anyone can easily handle. Can be served as a side dish or as an appetizer.

Red Cabbage Smoothie

Red cabbage is a treasure trove of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. What else do you need for a perfect smoothie? It will help you lose excess weight, helps to eliminate toxins from the body and stimulates cellular regeneration processes. You can make purely vegetable smoothies with purple cabbage or fruit, vegetable and berry smoothies – for example, with the addition of black currants.

Thrifty Trends. What to Make with Leftover Blue Cabbage?

A current trend in cooking is to use all products with no leftovers. And it works without fail with red cabbage!

If you have some leftover cabbage, you can simply shred it, add balsamic vinegar or olive oil and you have a fresh salad for a quick snack or as a side dish for meat or fish dishes. But you can “conjure up” something more original.

For example, leftover red cabbage and shortbread dough can be used to make a delicious pie with sour cream. You can make spicy cabbage with sausages – in the original recipe it is made with white cabbage, but you can replace it with purple cabbage, it will be even more savory.  

What red cabbage dishes do you make?

What to Make with Red Cabbage?