16
Oct

Baked Red Cabbage with Apples

I know, I know. I made this grand announcement last week that I was going on a squash filled journey and promised you new and exciting squash recipes – I bet you were hoping for more fun facts too. So what do I do? I go and post a recipe about cabbage. Cabbage isn’t even one of my favorite vegetables. I am often drawn to the cabbage because of its pretty purple leaves, and I love a nice crunchy coleslaw with a tangy vinaigrette, but more often than not I am not sure what to do with this large vegetable that looks oddly like a brain when you slice it open.

So when I plucked this singular, perfectly formed head of cabbage out of my garden (yes, we grew just one cabbage this year) I knew I wanted to make something different, and I knew just where to turn for an exceptional recipe. I am lucky enough to own a copy of an amazing book by James Peterson aptly called, Vegetables. It is an amazing resource for all things veggie and the place where I often turn when I am looking for a simple recipe that highlights a particular vegetable, or just some basic information on how best to prepare a vegetable. I knew this recipe was the one as soon as soon as I saw it because it included apples. I’ve always been a sucker for the combo of tangy cabbage with sweet apples and this recipe had one even more irresistible ingredient…bacon. Okay, I know bacon is NOT a part of healthy cooking and for the most part we are a turkey bacon kind of household, but in this recipe a few slices of thick-cut maple smoked bacon is just what the doctor ordered (ha ha). I did make some adjustments to the amount of bacon in this dish though. The original recipe was called “Baked Cabbage with Apples and Bacon” and the addition of bacon in the title gives you a hint to how much bacon was called for- an entire half pound! I just couldn’t do it, delicious or not, I want to live long enough to enjoy more bacony meals so I cut the amount down by more than half. My version includes just 6 slices of bacon, and with eight servings in the entire dish that’s less than one piece per serving. Enough to add that yummy flavor without so much of the guilt.

Print Recipe

Adapted from Vegetables by James PetersonMakes 8 side dish servings
Ingredients:1 medium red cabbage, 2-2 ½ pounds
6 slices of thick bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 large tart apples, peeled, cored & thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350˚
Peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut into quarters and then cut off and discard the section of core left on each quarter. Slice the cabbage sections very thin.
Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until they barely begin to turn crispy, about 8 minuets. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel to drain. There should be about 2 tablespoons of fat left in the pan. If your bacon is especially fatty and there is more drain off the excess.
Cook the onions in the bacon fat over medium heat until they are soft but not brown, 6-8 minutes. Add the shredded cabbage and bacon to the onions. Cook and stir for 8-10 minutes or until the cabbage is limp.
Peel and core the apples. Cut into quarters and thinly slice each quarter. Toss the slices with the sugar and vinegar. Gently mix the apple and cabbage mixture together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Bake in a 9 x 13 baking dish for about 1 hour.

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4 Comments

Jennifer Bishop October 17, 2011 at 12:57 pm

Amanda~YUM I’m going to be trying this out. Any suggestions for an all veg option, with out the bacon? I’m going to make some for friends and she doesn’t do meat.

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- amanda October 17, 2011 at 3:52 pm
  
  You could easily make this without the bacon Jen. Use 2 tbls. Olive oil instead to saute the onions & cabbage. I would also add a bit of maple syrup along with the balsamic vinegar to give it an extra flavor boost. Enjoy!
  
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Toni Page October 19, 2011 at 1:53 am

Amanda-
I love food and cooking and seriously started cooking healthy foods this summer. Your recipes are so interesting in the way in which you combine flavors. I can’t wait to try them all. Thanks for creating a blog with healthy and savory food recipes. I have to thank Carol for forwarding me your blog.

Toni Page

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- amanda October 20, 2011 at 12:03 pm
  
  Thanks for the wonderful comments. Let me know how the recipes turn out if you make any of them.
  
  Reply