How do you cook red cabbage without losing color?

Lock in the colour by adding a touch of vinegar when cooking red cabbage in water . This stops the lovely deep purple hue from running. Don't be too heavy-handed with red cabbage.

Why does red cabbage turn green when cooked?

Boiling up the cabbage, like boiling any leaf vegetable, ruptures the leaf cells, allowing the chlorophyll and anthocyanin pigments to leach into the water . This becomes a mixture of green from the chlorophyll and purple-blue from the anthocyanins.

Does red cabbage cook the same as regular cabbage?

Red Cabbage vs. Red and green cabbage can be used interchangeably in most recipes . The difference between cooking green cabbage and red cabbage is just one extra step. The compounds that give red cabbage its color, called anthocyanins, are water-soluble and will turn an unappetizing blue color when cooked.

Can red cabbage and green cabbage be cooked together?

And yes, you can cook them together .. Here's one way to do that: Sautee onions in a bit of olive oil. Then, add in the red and green cabbage and cook until they're soft.

What is the healthiest way to eat red cabbage?

You can add this versatile vegetable to soups, stews, salads, and coleslaw. It's delicious raw, steamed, sautéed, or fermented . It retains the most nutrients when it's eaten raw but is still highly nutritious when cooked. The flavor becomes a little milder when you cook it.

Why do you soak red cabbage in water?

Crisp it up: Shredded cabbage stays perky if it's soaked in cold water. This also helps cut the pungent edge. Drain well before combining with other ingredients.

Why is vinegar added to red cabbage?

When you sauté red cabbage, the acids evaporate off and it can turn blue. All you have to do is add lemon juice or vinegar to bring back the bright red color . For this same reason, you may have seen a blue circle around the cherries in cherry muffins.

Is it OK to eat old red cabbage?

Cabbage with an off smell should be discarded immediately . You'll also be able to tell when cabbage has spoiled if the leaves have become soft and discolored. It's best to refer to the old adage: when in doubt, throw it out.

What can you use when cooking red cabbage to retain the colour?

Before cooking, remove any tired or discoloured leaves and always cook red cabbage with a little vinegar . This preserves the beautiful purple colour – without it, the cabbage will turn blue!

How do you keep red cabbage from changing color of bleeding when you cook it?

Add lemon juice, vinegar, wine or another acidic liquid to the dish while the cabbage is cooking . While the alkaline quality of hard water can discolor the cabbage, the acidic quality of vinegars and other liquids helps protect the color.

How do you keep red cabbage bright?

Adding acid One of the easiest ways to keep your red cabbage from turning blue when you cook it is to control its acidity level. Delishably says that by adding a bit of a mild acid like lemon juice, you can slightly boost the acidity of the vibrant vegetable.

How do you stop red cabbage going blue?

When you sauté red cabbage, the acids evaporate off and it can turn blue. All you have to do is add lemon juice or vinegar to bring back the bright red color. For this same reason, you may have seen a blue circle around the cherries in cherry muffins.

Garlic Ginger Healthy Red Cabbage Recipe (Easy Instant Pot Side Dish) (2024)

January 4, 2017 by Denise 8 Comments

This garlic ginger healthy red cabbagerecipe takes only minutes in the Instant Pot and is full of flavor. An easy, healthy and tasty side dish that would go well with any meat or fish.

You might also like this low carb red currycabbage noodles.

Garlic Ginger Healthy Red Cabbage Recipe (Easy Instant Pot Side Dish) (1)

I was looking through my Lose It app where I track all the nutrition for my recipes, and came across a cabbage recipe I must of made years ago. It was very simple but I remember it was really good.

I had made it with green cabbage last time but this time I thought I’d use red cabbage because I like the color so much. I also made it in the Instant Potand was happy to find it only took 5 minutes to cook! So today I give you this garlic ginger healthy red cabbage side dish. It’s packed with flavor, very easy to make and full of healthy goodness.

Is Red Cabbage Better Than Green Cabbage?

So I quickly looked up why red cabbage has that beautiful purple color and found this article from Dr. Axe. The article explains about all the wonderful healing power of red cabbage.

It seems that red cabbage has almost double the vitamin C of green cabbage and even more that an orange. It’s ranked 5th in the clean 15 (one of thelowest amount ofpesticideresidues.) It also has 10 times the vitamin A and double the iron of green cabbage.

The purple color comes from the antioxidantanthocyanin which is not present in green cabbage. So all in all I’m glad I went for the pretty purple one!

Healthy Red Cabbage Recipe

As I mentioned above I tried this in the Instant Potand was surprised that it only took 5 minutes. Start to finish it probably took more like 15 minutes because theInstant Pot takes time to bring it up to pressure and then the actually pressure cooking time is 5 minutes.

Regardless it took little time and made the cabbage super soft. I first started by sautéing crushed garlic and fresh ginger root in coconut oil and a bit of butter.Then set it to pressure cook for 5 minutes and it was done.

Garlic Ginger Red Cabbage

Making This Cabbage Recipe On The Stove

Add cabbage to a microwaveable bowl and cook for 5 minutes. Meanwhile add the coconut oil and butter to a large pan over medium high heat. When melted add ginger and garlic and cook for a minute or so until fragrant. Add in the cooked cabbage, salt, pepper and half of the water. Cover and turn the heat down to medium low. Cook until cabbage is as soft as you’d like it.

What To Serve With This Red Cabbage Side Dish

I served this with pork chops and my husband really liked it. This dish can accompany any type of protein like pork, beef, chicken or fish. These low carb breaded pork cutlets would be great with the red cabbage.

If you are looking for a quick, colorful and delicious side dish, give this one a try. Next time I’m adding jalapeño and I’ll let you know how it is. The nutrition for one serving is:

96 cals / 6.7g fat / 9.4g carbs / 2.5g fiber / 1.8g protein = 6.9g net carbs

4.5 from 4 votes

Garlic Ginger Red Cabbage (easy side dish)

This garlic ginger red cabbage takes only minutes in the Instant Pot and is full of flavor. An easy, healthy and tasty side dish that would go well with any meat or fish.

CourseSide Dish

Ingredients

2Tablespoonscoconut oil
1Tablespoonbutter
3clovesgarlic, crush
2teaspoonsfresh ginger, grated
8cupsred cabbage, shreddedshredded
1teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonpepper
⅓cupwater

Instructions

Instant Pot Directions

Press the saute button and add the coconut oil and butter.
When melted, add the garlic and ginger and mix well.
Add in your cabbage, salt, pepper and water.
Close lid and lock the vent.
Press the manual button and set for 5 minutes.
Quick release or release the pressure naturally when done.
Mix well and serve.

Stove Top Instructions

Add cabbage to a microwave bowl and cook for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile melt coconut oil and butter in a large pot over medium high heat.
Add the garlic and ginger and saute for a minute or two until fragrant.
Add the cabbage and half of the water, mix, cover and turn the heat down to medium.
Cook until the cabbage is as soft as you would like.
Mix well and serve.

More Instant Pot

Instant Pot Shredded Beef
Healthy Instant Pot Beef Stew
Keto Instant Pot Chuck Roast
Instant Pot Chicken Cubes

for your weekly recipe fix.

Reader Interactions

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Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. You should always do your own calculations if you are concerned about the accuracy of this or any recipe. I use the Lose It app for all of my nutritional information because I have for years.

Comments

Aleah Woods
March 23, 2020 at 8:24 pm

Perfect recipe for minimal ingredients! I substituted the butter for olive oil and added a chopped granny smith apple for a little extra flavor. It was great 🙂
Reply
- Denise
  March 24, 2020 at 9:06 am
  
  What a great idea Aleah! Thanks for sharing.
  Reply
Anamika @ Supplement Crunch
September 17, 2019 at 1:23 am

This sounds awesome. Going to make some tonight.
Reply
Anisa
May 09, 2019 at 9:45 pm

I love this dish! We have it at least once a week. However, every week we get “food burn” on the instant pot. After the pressure is released, the cabbage is still cooked and not burned, but do you have tips for how to not make it say “food burn”? We follow the recipe as is, so I don’t understand. Thank you!
Reply
- Denise
  May 10, 2019 at 7:08 am
  
  Anisa, I’ve heard of that before but maybe my Instant Pot doesn’t have that? I’ve never had it happen to me. I think if you add more water it wouldn’t say that. Maybe increase to 1/2 cup? If I find out more I’ll let you know. I found this article that might help. https://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/instant-pot-burn-message/
  Reply
MTR
September 02, 2018 at 4:18 pm

I reduced both the salt and pepper by half.
Reply
- Denise
  September 03, 2018 at 7:45 am
  
  Thanks for commenting and giving us your tips!
  Reply
Debbie
January 23, 2018 at 9:36 am

I am picturing this on my Easter plate next to a slice of ham. It would add both beautiful color and delicious flavor! Saving this!
Reply