Name: Easy Buttered Cabbage
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 medium sized cabbage; 1/4 cup water or vegetable stock; 1/2 cup butter (about 120 grams); salt & pepper (to taste); 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (or different seasoning (optional))

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A simple side dish of cooked cabbage with butter and seasoning. Great to serve with roasted chicken, pork, sausage or vegetarian meals. This is my favourite way to prepare cabbage, it's so easy to make and delicious to eat.

Why make this recipe?

Cheap & tasty side dish
Easy to make
Great to make in bulk & freeze for later

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How to prepare cabbage for cooking

Make sure that you take off the top leaves, which are usually very dirty and quite often nibbled by slugs or other insects. I prefer to cut the cabbage in half first, then remove the hard middle part of the cabbage. I also always rinse the cabbage under cold water before I use it in my recipes.

Cut the cabbage with a sharp knife into a thin shreds (long cuts) and keep going until you've used up all the cabbage.

If you are using just half of the cabbage, keep the rest covered in cling film or plastic bag in the fridge until you needed.

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Pro tip

Make sure that you don't leave the cabbage simmering without the water, butter or vegetables stock. Cabbage doesn't have much water content, so you might need to top up the liquid during the simmering process.

What butter is best for this recipe?

I usually use my regular unsalted butter, because that's what I normally buy. But, I've noticed, that when I use high-quality butter, like Irish or French butter, the cabbage has even more buttery taste and it taste even more morish.

I often make my own homemade butter with herbs, so sometimes I use that and the herbs make it extra tasty. If you want a healthier option, you can also use vegan butter, ghee or olive oil or even use part butter and part oil of your choice.

How to make buttered cabbage

Take out the outer leaves from the cabbage and rinse in a water. Shred (cut) the cabbage into a small pieces, leaving the hard bits (the core) out.

Place the cabbage to a large saucepan with water, butter and seasoning.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to fairly low and continue to simmer.

Simmer with the lid on for 20-30 minutes checking frequently to make sure the cabbage won't burn. Add more water if needed.

How else can I make this buttered cabbage recipe?

I've given you the basic (but tasty) recipe, that works well as any side dish. If you want to you can add chopped onion and garlic to spice up the cabbage, or add bacon pieces to make it more meaty.

Another way to make this buttered cabbage is to add different seasoning. For example smoked ground paprika works really well with this recipe as does smoked sea salt.

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Buttered Cabbage is a perfect side dish for...

Buttered cabbage is a great comfort food and it's a perfect side dish for various stews, roasted meat, mashed potatoes, pork chops, sausages or meatloaf. It also makes a perfect savoury snack if you want to eat it just on it's own.

Serving size

I find that 1/2 medium size cabbage is enough as a side dish for 3-4 people, depending on your appetite.

How many calories is one serving of buttered cabbage?

I've broken down the calories and nutrition for you in my recipe card (see below), but one portion is less than 50 calories.

Can I scale up or down this recipe?

Yes, absolutely - you can make just 1/2 of this recipe (with just 1/4 of the cabbage) or double up the quantity if you like. If you have a lot of cabbage, you can make this dish and freeze it for later.

Can this recipe be made in advance?

Once made the buttered cabbage should be fine in the fridge for 1-2 days, so it it can be made a little in advance.

If you wanted to make it more than 2 days in advance, I'd suggest to freeze the buttered cabbage in portions and then defrost it (and warm through) as and when you need it.

How to store this recipe

Keep the buttered cabbage in an airtight storage container with a lid in the fridge for 1-2 days. Alternativelly you can freeze it on the same day as you've made it.

Can I freeze buttered cabbage?

The best thing about this recipe is that you can make twice as much and then freeze what you don't need straightaway. I usually portion off the cooked cabbage, so that I have enough for 2 people in one freezer bag or container.

Once you have finished cooking the cabbage, leave it to cool down completely. Transfer to a suitable container with a lid and freeze on the same day. The cabbage should be fine in the freezer for 3-6 months.

How to re-heat buttered cabbage

You can re-heat buttered cabbage either in a microwave or on the hob. When re-heating on the hob (cooker) put it on a very gentle heat and add small amount of water or extra butter to prevent the dish from drying out.