Nuschi’s Bavarian Braised Cabbage

There is something so amazingly delicious about this simple side dish. It’s very easy to prepare and tastes great with just about anything you serve it with. It’s mild flavor works well as a side dish with almost any type of meat. It’s especially delicious with ham or smoked sausages like Bratwurst. My personal favorite pairing is to serve this alongside smoked brats with potatoes & onion fried crispy brown in a little butter. My mouth is watering as I type! This is the epitome of German comfort food at it’s best!

My mother was born in Hungary but grew up in Bavaria, Germany after WWII, so many of the recipes that she prepared are a combination of both German and Hungarian influences.

Traditional German braised cabbage recipes often call for the addition of Caraway seed but my mother’s recipe includes paprika instead. Technically the addition of paprika makes this more of a Hungarian dish than a German one. I can’t think of a single Hungarian dish my mother prepared that didn’t have a generous amount of paprika added to it. Come to think of it, a lot of the German dishes she made had paprika in them as well.

So as with many of my mother’s recipes, the lines between German and Hungarian gets blurred. Whether this recipe is technically a German recipe or a Hungarian recipe, it’s very good and I encourage you to give it a try!

To start heat a tablespoon oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat.

I like to use my large enameled cast iron pot for this recipe. There is nothing better for braising foods. It distributes heat evenly, promotes caramelization, prevents sticking and resists stains. I have an off brand but I dream about someday being able to purchase a Le Creuset dutch oven.

Whether you go for the real deal or go with a less expensive alternative like the one I have, be sure to get the big 7 quart size. Trust me, you will thank me down the road.

Alright, back to cooking this braised cabbage dish. While the oil is heating up, dice a large yellow onion.

Add the diced onion to the pot and stir to coat with the oil in the pot. Sweat the onions and cook onion until translucent.

While the onion is cooking, prepare the cabbage. Cut the head of cabbage in half, and then into quarters and remove the core.

Slice each quarter of cabbage as thinly as you can.

You will end up with what seems like a ridiculously large amount of cabbage. Don’t worry, cabbage contains a lot of water, and it will cook down to about a third in volume as it cooks.

Once onions have started to soften and turn translucent, start adding the cabbage to the pan. Don’t worry if you can’t fit it all in the pan at once. Add as much as will fit and let it cook down a bit, then add more as room in the pan allows.

Continue to stir cabbage until it cooks down about 3/4 in volume. This will take a good 20-30 minutes. Just keep stirring it, moving it around in the pot and cook it low and slow for best results.

Season the cabbage with salt and pepper. Add a tablespoon (or more) of paprika and stir well to evenly distribute it.

Stir to combine, taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as needed.

I make this every year on my mother’s birthday in her honor. She was a wonderful cook and I wish I had taken the time when I was young to learn more of her recipes. Thankfully I learned this one from her.

I hope you give this one a try, I think you will enjoy it!

May God hold you in his loving arms Mother. I miss you and your wonderful cooking.

Did You Make This?

Snap a pic and hashtag it #naturewayblog — I love to see your creations!  Don’t forget to comment and leave a review, or tag me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

May I ask a small favor?  If you enjoyed this blogpost would you be so kind and like the page?  It lets me know what you are enjoying the most.  It also helps me focus my attention on creating content that will be most meaningful and beneficial for you, my readers.  And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss out on all the latest that’s happening here at Nature Way.  Thank you!