Red Cabbage is a classic winter side dish that your Oma, Nana, Farmor, Babushka, Bubbie or Gramma brightened holiday dinners with. I make it in the fall, freeze it and then eat it all year long myself because I am no one's granny.
German red cabbage is THE reason I grow red cabbages. I hand a couple of them over to my sister Fish Pedicure to make for our family's Thanksgiving dinner and then I turn another one or two into my own red cabbage to eat throughout the year.
I have never, however, grown a cabbage I would consider award winning. My red cabbage are never huge and sometimes start to split but who cares. Small is fine. I'm not entering the into the super competetive world of fall fairs, I'm eating them.
My own father used to search out the biggest of everything in the grocery store. Instead of coming home with a bag of beets he'd come home with one beet that was so big it needed to be buckled into the back seat like a sleepy, red-faced toddler.
Today's recipe for classic German Red Cabbage came from my very own homegrown, very small, non award winning, Guinness Book of World Record losing, red cabbage.
Table of Contents
What Is German Red Cabbage (Rotkohl)?
Anyone with a bit of European background has probably had a scoop of red cabbage brighten up their dinner plate during the holidays.
It's a mixture of fresh, raw red cabbage, sugar, vinegar and apples. The perfect combination of sweet and sour. In Germany it's Rotkohl, in Denmark Rødkål and in Swedish rödkål. Same name, same deliciousness.
Can you freeze cabbage?
Yes, you can freeze cooked cabbage perfectly. Cabbage, cooked or uncooked, freezes very well. It will get softer as anything does once you freeze it, but it doesn't become watery or gross.
In fact, when I make cabbage rolls, instead of boiling the cabbages, I stick the whole cabbages in the freezer for several days. The freezing softens the cabbage leaves enough that they're as pliable as if you had boiled them.
And in the case of cooked cabbage, like this shredded side dish - it freezes perfectly too.
Ingredients You'll Need
All it takes is one or two (normal sized) cabbages, some vinegar, sugar and a couple of apples. That's it.
How to Make German Red Cabbage
It will take about 1 hour. First thing is to shred the cabbage.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
Pro Tip: I use a knife to slice the cabbage thinly to shred it. Honestly? It's easier than dragging out and cleaning a food processor.
But if you want to use a food processor, just fit it with the shredder attachment and shred away.
If I have apples from my espalier trees that are damaged or or soft this is where I use them.
Shred the cabbage with a knife, slice the apples, chop an onion and you're almost done. Don't forget the bay leaf. The ingredients are simmered for about 40 minutes (until the cabbage is tender) and that's all there is to it.
I use red wine vinegar but you can honestly use any vinegar: apple cider vinegar, regular vinegar, rice vinegar ...
I make a batch every fall, put it in individual sized containers and stack them in the freezer (because my freezer is perfectly organized and yours can be too.) Don't envy my organized-freezer-of-a-life because I have a basement I'm afraid to enter for all manner of reasons.
What to serve it with
Red cabbage goes well with pretty much everything but I especially like it with roast chicken, turkey or anything pork. I don't eat a lot of game, but if you do it would be perfect with venison or duck as well. Even ground beef! Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and red cabbage? Mmmmmm.
HERE'S A FUN FACT.
Quick Red Cabbage Coleslaw recipe
You can reserve some of the red cabbage and turn it into a super-quick coleslaw by shoving some into a jar with a 2:1 solution of sugar to vinegar. Let it steep for at least an hour. I like to add a sprinkling of celery seed as well. (so use ¼ cup sugar and ⅛ cup vinegar for example)
Or you can make my regular coleslaw recipe which is classic and delicious.
The Recipe
Classic Red Cabbage
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 2 apples
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 regular sized red cabbage shredded (enough to make 8 cups)
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup + 2 Tablespoons white sugar less if you want it less sweet
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Prep your ingredients so they're ready to go.
- In a large saucepan over medium, melt the butter.
- Add in the sliced apples and onion, cooking until soft.
- Add remaining ingredients and heat to boiling.
- Cover and simmer 40 minutes.
- Discard bay leaf and transfer to serving bowl or individual containers for freezing.
Notes
Some people grow vegetables for fair ribbons. I grow mine to cook with apples, vinegar, and sugar. Different hobbies, same amount of bragging rights-depending on your crowd.
Pat
And Rode Kool in the Netherlands. Same red cabbage, same deliciousness.
Susan
I love red cabbage but find that the colour leeches out when I cook it. Anything to add that will not turn it into plain old regular cabbage? Doesn’t have the same appeal
Sabrina
I think its the vinegar that keeps it bright. Just my theory, though.
Sabrina
We make this regularly (we're German heritage - Rheinland-Palatinate), andlike another commenter, we also finely chop some bacon and brown it in the pot. Then we add in chopped onion, bay leaf and a cloves to "bloom" and then the cabbage, rough chopped tart green apple, brown sugar and vinegar plus a little white wine and a handful of raisins. The raisins plump while cooking and add a pop of earthy sweet when eating - for the anti-raisin folks, they really aren't even raisins at that point, and totally worth a try. I love red cabbage and this is a cozy comfort dish in our family and has pride of place on every special occasion table.
Theresa Romatowski
Hi, my husband's family came here straight from Poland. They taught me to make this sweet and sour cabbage - red or green. But they used a pound of sliced bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Cook the bacon first till very crispy in the same pot being used for the cabbage. Then add the sliced cabbage stirring till mixed well with the bacon and drippings. Then proceed with rest of the recipe. Adds so much flavor. And can be canned or frozen. Great with any pork. Serve over buttered noodles or mashed potatoes. Love it!
kelle
Just made this.....SO good! Even my grandbabies loved it.
Karen
Oh! That's perfect, lol. I just made some a couple of days ago too. But I overcooked mine and it's a bit mushy lol. Glad the grandbabies approved! ~ karen
Elizabeth
Back the heck up. You freeze your cabbage inside of boiling for cabbage rolls? I need more details please. Boiling is the most tedious part of the cabbage rolls process- but I do it because I LOVE them.
And I have the BEST recipe for them- which I can send a link to but only if you elaborate on this no boiling the cabbage miracle 💙
Karen
Hi Elizabeth! Yes just freeze your cabbage for a few days. Or as long as you want. Then when you want to make cabbage rolls just pull it out of the freezer, put it in a colander and set it in the sink or bowl. When it's thawed you have nice, soft cabbage leaves. You still have to shave off the middle vein. ~ karen!
Elizabeth
Huzzah! I’m doing this next time. Thank you. Btw, I mentioned this to my sister and she said this is the way she always does it’s fun I never knew about it!😳
Lydia
Instead of the one cup of water, I use a cup of Merlot wine, or a tad more. Yum!
Karen
Good thinking! ~ karen
Carrie
Hi Karen. I’m going to make some red cabbage and freeze it! I also love the idea to freeze the whole cabbage to make cabbage rolls. I hate the mess of boiling it and burning my fingers.
Cindy Kutz
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Just like my German grandmother made. I think she added caraway seeds, though. Ever hear of that?
Randy P
A fav in many ethnic European communities too. I've had it as a wonderful side to some pork roast slices and steamed bread dumplings with gravy. OK ..... now I'm hungry again and I just finished a late lunch - lol
Lynn
Sounds yummy Karen, I don’t think I have ever had your red cabbage slaw 😟. I know cabbage freezes well when made into cabbage rolls though. I have never just froze plain cabbage balls.
Question for you though could it be frozen after it’s sliced for slaw/ Bosch soup which ever takes my fancy at the time of taking it out of freezer?
If so does it need to be cooked / blanched first?
jody
Perfect timing....I still have two cabbages left in my garden and need something else to make with them. So happy to hear cabbage can be frozen as well.
Mary W
Love this post just as much now as I did then - entertaining, makes me laugh, lots of tips, great recipe! Red cabbage added to my menu plan.
Sharon Naftali
Came out 5h3 same way myocardial used to make it
Thank you
Karen
Thanks for rating the recipe and letting me know Sharon! I'm glad you liked it. I'll be making my own first batch of the season this week. :) ~ karen!
That Annoying Guy
Related/unrelated.
Find yourself some Tom Watson Watermelon seeds, start them, water them, nurture them, love them, feed them, swear at them, curse them, hex them, and you might just get a garden champ.
Susan Dubose
I recently went to dinner at my extended family's home and they served up this dish. It was absolutely fantastic! Admittedly, I enjoy cabbage. Admittedly, I am not big on cloves. But, put together and is terribly tasty
Carla Coleman
Made the red cabbage recipe and was very pleased with how it turned out. Definitely going in the permanent recipe box. I'm looking forward to making it with some venison wurst and potatoes (as someone said in the comments is how they make it) as that would be practically irresistible to the males in the family.
toni
your cabbages are kind of cute compared to david from cornwalls...
Shirley Phillips
Could you cook it with fresh cranberries instead of apples? I want to make it fast in the Instant pot, with non sugar, natural sweetener, like inulin, which comes from apples. I eat a lot of cabbage, but mostly green or savoy, or Chinese.