Braised Red Cabbage {with Apple}

Name: Braised Red Cabbage & Apple {Oven or Slow Cooker}
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 135 min
Ingredients: 1 Red cabbage (Shredded); 2 Red onions (Chopped); 3 Cooking apples (Peeled, cored and chopped); 75 g Dark brown sugar; 3 tsp Mixed spice; 1 tsp Ground cinnamon; 75 g Unsalted butter; 3 tbsp Red wine vinegar; 100 g Cranberry sauce (Optional); Salt and pepper; 80 g Pomegranate seeds (I buy a small pre-prepared pack)

This easy Braised Red Cabbage recipe is the perfect make-ahead vegetable side dish, slow cooked with spices and apples to make the humble cabbage into something extra special.

A side dish full of braised red cabbage.

This Braised Red Cabbage with Apple is such a special side dish for times in the year that call for rich, hearty food.

It’s has a sweet and sour tang that transforms the humble cabbage to something extraordinary and it looks colourful and pretty on the plate. It’s by far one of my most favourite and impressive sides to serve up.

And the best thing? It can be made WELL in advance – can be frozen even – then just heated up again on the day you need it.

This is another dish where your trusty slow cooker comes into its own, OR you can make it in the oven.

Why you’ll love this Braised Red Cabbage and Apple recipe

⭐️ Ultra convenient make-ahead dish

⭐️ Delicious sweet and sticky tang

⭐️ Looks colourful and impressive

Ingredients for Braised Red Cabbage laid out on a counter.

Braised Red Cabbage Ingredients Notes

Red cabbage – Just a normal red cabbage. This will need to be shredded and thickly sliced
Red onions – These need to be chopped into chunks
Cooking apples – These need to be peeled, cored and chopped up. You could use a gadget like this Oxo Good Grips Apple Divider to make this job quicker
Dry ingredients – You will need dark brown sugar, ground cinnamon and mixed spice
Butter – This should be unsalted
Wet ingredients – Add some red wine vinegar for the colour and cranberry sauce
To finish off – You’ll need some pomegranate seeds (I use a small pre-prepared pack) and salt and pepper

How to make Braised Red Cabbage and Apple in the slow cooker

How to make braised red cabbage. Step 1.

1. Put all of the ingredients (apart from the cranberry sauce and garnish) into a slow cooker or heavy lidded saucepan, then mix well.

How to make braised red cabbage. Step 2.

2. Cook according to the recipe below. When tender, stir through the cranberry sauce and season. Serve sprinkled with the pomegranate seeds.

How to make Braised Red Cabbage and Apple in the oven

Put all ingredients apart from the cranberry sauce into a heavy, lidded saucepan and mix well.
Put the pan (with lid on) into the oven and bake in a preheated oven at 140C, as per the recipe below.

REHEATING AFTER MAKING IN ADVANCE

When cold, you can either:

Keep it covered in the fridge for up to 2 days OR
Freeze it for up to 1 month.

FOR FREEZING

Complete the recipe (but don’t add the pomegranate seeds until just before you serve).
Pack into a sealed freezer-proof container.
When you’re ready to serve, defrost fully in the fridge overnight.

REHEATING

You can then either reheat:

In the slow cooker on HIGH for 1-2 hours (try not to overcook, but do check it’s hot through).

In the microwave, covered, for 3-5minutes or until hot through (this timing will depend on the portion you are reheating and also your own microwave).

My preferred option:

On the hob. Pop into a lidded saucepan over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until hot through. Stir regularly and if the cabbage is drying out at all add a splash of water.

Recipe Tips

⭐️ Vinegar

It’s really important to add some red wine vinegar when cooking red cabbage as it’s what keeps the gorgeous red colour.

⭐️ Slicing

A mandoline is really useful for making this dish or any type of coleslaw. I use this adjustable mandoline slicer.

More special side dishes…

Side Dishes

Boulangère Potatoes

Side Dishes

Cauliflower Cheese {Easiest Ever Recipe!}

Christmas Recipes

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Chestnuts {EASY RECIPE}

Side Dishes

Yorkshire Puddings {Foolproof Recipe!}

FAQ

Help! I forgot to defrost the cabbage!

It’s OK, you CAN carefully defrost this from frozen, but it takes a little more work to reheat.

➡️ You can either pop it into the slow cooker for about 1 hour on HIGH or 2 hours on LOW.
➡️ You can do it in the oven in a lidded casserole dish, on 180C for 20 minutes or so.
➡️ On the hob, gently heat in a lidded saucepan for about 10-15 minutes (it might need a little water).
➡️ You can also do it in the microwave for approximately 10 minutes.

Stir occasionally for each method and make sure the cabbage is heated all the way through before serving.

Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.

Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).

Braised Red Cabbage {with Apple}

Why you’ll love this Braised Red Cabbage and Apple recipe

Braised Red Cabbage Ingredients Notes

How to make Braised Red Cabbage and Apple in the slow cooker

How to make Braised Red Cabbage and Apple in the oven