Marry me melting cabbage
This recipe starts with golden-seared cabbage wedges braised low and slow in a creamy, garlicky, sun-dried tomato sauce until they're fall-apart tender and soaked all the way through with flavor.
It's rich. It's cozy. It’s a vegetable dish giving main character energy and we’re so here for it.
I'll be honest — this recipe has more ingredients than I usually go for. But none of them are complicated, most are pantry staples, and the technique is simple: sear, build a sauce, let the oven do the work.
The result is something that feels restaurant-worthy made from the humble cabbage. Serve it as a hearty side or as the main event over crusty bread or polenta.
A few notes before you start
Keep the core intact. When you cut your cabbage into 8 wedges, leave a bit of that triangular core attached to each piece. It's what holds the wedge together while it braises. If you trim it off, the layers fall apart in the pot.
Get a good sear. You want nice golden color on the flat sides of each wedge before they go into the sauce. That caramelization is where a lot of the flavor comes from, and it carries through the whole dish.
Make it vegetarian. Swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth and you're all set.
Marry Me Melting Cabbage
Cut your cabbage into 8 wedges, with the stem intact so that the layers stay together. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.
Ingredients:
Cabbage
1 small head green cabbage (around 2-2.5 lb.), cut into 8 wedges (core intact)
2 Tbsp oil from sundried tomatoes, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sauce
½ cup coarsely chopped drained julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes in oil
2¼ cups chicken or vegetable broth
¼ cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup cream cheese, softened
Salt
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp water
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
To finish
Additional parmesan (optional)
Fresh basil or parsley (optional)
Directions::
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Slice the cabbage into 8 wedges, leaving the core intact. Slice the cabbage in halves, then in halves again, and then one more time. Season the cabbage wedges lightly with salt and black pepper.
Heat 1 Tbsp of oil from sundried tomatoes in a large Dutch oven or oven-safe deep pan or pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches of 4, sear the wedges for 3-4 minutes per flat side until deeply golden. Transfer to a plate. Add another 1 Tbsp of oil and repeat the process again with the other 4 wedges. Transfer everything to a plate. Do not wipe the pan clean.
Add sundried tomatoes, broth, cream, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, garlic, softened cream cheese, and ¼ tsp salt to the pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until well-combined and boiling, about 2 minutes.
In a small bowl, make a cornstarch slurry, stirring together 2 tsp cornstarch and 2 tsp water. Whisk into the pan and remove from heat. Whisk in parmesan until melted, about 1 minute.
Nestle the seared cabbage wedges back into the pan, overlapping slightly if needed.
Bake until the cabbage is fork-tender and the sauce has slightly thickened, 50 minutes to 1 hour, flipping the cabbage halfway through.
Garnish with parmesan and basil or parsley, if desired.
Tip: This is excellent over thick slices of crusty bread, creamy polenta,
