Fridge Friend Recipes
Braised Red Cabbage for Christmas recipe
A sweet-sour braised red cabbage side, commonly served with roast dinners at Christmas.
70 min · Easy · British Jump to method
Ingredients
- 1 medium cabbage red cabbage
- 1 large onion
- 2 medium apple
- 25 g butter
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
| Nutrition | Per servingEstimated |
|---|---|
| Calories | 82 kcal |
| Protein | 1.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16.7 g |
| Fat | 2.4 g |
| Saturated fat | 1.4 g |
| Fibre | 3.8 g |
| Sugar | 11.6 g |
| Sodium | 390 mg |
Why this works
A lightly energising, fibre-rich vegetable side dish with moderate sugar and salt, best enjoyed as part of a balanced meal.
High in protective plant compounds. Red cabbage and apples provide anthocyanins and other antioxidants, which support overall cardiovascular and cellular health.
Good source of fibre. Cabbage, onion and apple contribute useful fibre for digestive health and a steadier post-meal blood sugar response.
Sodium and sugar to note. The added salt and brown sugar increase the sodium and free sugar content, so portion size matters if watching blood pressure or sugar intake.
Method
- Remove any tough outer leaves from the red cabbage, then slice it finely.
Slice the cabbage as thinly and evenly as you can so it softens at the same rate; discard any especially thick white ribs if they would stay chewy.
- Peel and slice the onion, then core and dice the apples.
Keep the onion pieces fairly fine so they almost melt into the braise, and cut the apple into similar-sized dice so it breaks down evenly without turning to purée too soon.
- Melt the butter in a large lidded pan over a medium heat and soften the onion for 5 minutes.
Let the butter foam but not brown before the onion goes in; if it starts catching at the edges, turn the heat down a touch so the flavour stays sweet rather than bitter.
- Add the red cabbage and apples, then stir in the brown sugar, red wine vinegar, cinnamon stick, cloves, salt and black pepper.
Stir well so the sugar dissolves against the hot pan rather than sitting in patches, and make sure the vinegar is spread through the cabbage to avoid sharp, uneven spots.
- Cover with a lid and cook gently for 45 to 55 minutes, stirring now and then, until the cabbage is tender.
Maintain a very gentle simmer with only an occasional bubble at the edges; if it boils hard, the cabbage can go mushy and lose its jewel-like colour.
- If the mixture looks dry, add a splash of water and continue to braise until glossy and soft.
Add only a small splash of water at a time, just enough to prevent sticking on the base, then let it evaporate so the finished braise stays rich rather than watery.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves before serving hot as a Christmas side.
Lift out the whole spices while the cabbage is still warm so their flavour does not turn woody, and serve before it cools enough for the butter to set on top.
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