This classic braised red cabbage recipe is a beautifully vibrant and delicious vegetable side dish to add to your dinner table over the festive period this year. Seasoned with red wine, cinnamon, star anise, and topped with juicy fresh pomegranate seeds for the most beautiful dish.

This recipe is another addition to my Christmas sides series that I’ve been posting lately, which include these incredibly honey glazed carrots, balsamic brussel sprouts, cauliflower cheese, perfectly crispy roast potatoes, cheesy stuffing balls, veggie pigs in blankets, and roasted green beans and carrots.

Ingredients & Equipment

I love this braised red cabbage because it requires literally one-pot, and is minimal effort. You can pop your ingredients in the pan first thing in the morning, and leave the cabbage to braise in the corner while you do other things.

Here’s a shot of the ingredients you’ll need:

*ingredients list: red cabbage, red onion, brown sugar, red wine, red wine vinegar, water, salt, apple, star anise, cinnamon stick*

FAQs

Can I use white cabbage?

I wouldn’t recommend substituting the red cabbage for white cabbage in this dish. You could try a different stewed cabbage recipe instead.

What can I use in place of red wine?

If you don’t want to use red wine in this dish, you can simply omit it from the recipe. However, rest assured that the alcohol cooks off in this dish, so it just adds a nice depth to the recipe.

Braised Red Cabbage

Name: Braised Red Cabbage
Prep time: 7 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 37 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 red cabbage shredded; 1 red apple peeled and cubed; 1 large red onion thinly sliced; 1 tsp olive oil; 30g butter, cubed; ¼ cup 60ml cup red wine; 2 tbsp red wine vinegar; ⅓ cup 80ml water; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 star anise; 0.5tsp nutmeg; Salt and pepper; 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds; 1 handful fresh parsley

Yield: 4-5 portions

Prep Time: 7 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 37 minutes

This classic braised red cabbage recipe is the perfect vibrant and delicious addition to the dinner table over the holidays. Seasoned with red wine, cinnamon, and star anise, this gorgeous side dish is practically an excuse to bring a glass of red wine in food form to your meal.

Ingredients

1 red cabbage shredded
1 red apple peeled and cubed
1 large red onion thinly sliced
1 tsp olive oil
30g butter, cubed
¼ cup 60ml cup red wine
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
⅓ cup 80ml water
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
0.5tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp pomegranate seeds
1 handful fresh parsley

Instructions

Add the oil to your casserole pan and tip in the red cabbage and red onion, sauteing for a couple of minutes (3-4 minutes) until the vegetables start to soften.
Add in everything else (except the butter) and stir it together.
Top the red cabbage with the cubed butter, dotted around the top of the ingredients.
Place the lid on your casserole dish and leave the red cabbage to braise on low heat for 1 hour - 1.5 hours.
Dish up the braised red cabbage and serve with the pomegranates and parsley scattered over the top.

Notes

Stir the red cabbage every so often while it’s braising to ensure it’s not sticking and burning to the bottom of the dish. It’s also really important that you make sure the pan is on a low heat!

This braised red cabbage recipe can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or can also be frozen (freeze without the pomegranates). Defrost fully in the fridge before reheating on the hob or in the microwave.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 162Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 146mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 4gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g

Nutritional information is not always 100% accurate.