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Braised Red Cabbage with Sweet Apples and Onion Recipe

Contributors: Roberta Duyff, MS, RD, FAND

Published: February 17, 2017

Braised Red Cabbage with Sweet Apples and Onion Recipe
Rebecca Clyde, MS, RDN, CD

Popular in cuisines of Central Europe, including the Czech Republic and Germany, braised red cabbage seasoned with caraway seeds is a traditional and popular side dish. Its sweet-sour flavor complements roasted chicken, pork loin and root vegetables, too. Bringing health and flavor together, red cabbage adds to the rainbow on your plate, delivering anthocyanins, a type of phytonutrient with antioxidant benefits.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 small head red cabbage, cored and shredded (about 4 cups)
2 sweet apples (such as Fuji, Gala or Jonagold), cored and cubed
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
½ cup apple juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons caraway seeds, toasted
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly-ground pepper

Directions

Before you begin: Wash your hands.

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion; cook, stirring for about 5 minutes until the onion softens and becomes translucent.
  2. Stir in cabbage and apples. Cook just until the cabbage wilts, 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Combine brown sugar, apple juice and red wine vinegar in a small bowl and then stir the mixture into cabbage and apples. Add caraway seeds and bay leaf. Stir well.
  4. Bring the cabbage-apple mixture to a boil. Cover; reduce heat to a simmer, cover, cook for 20 to 25 minutes until cabbage is tender.
  5. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Before serving, remove bay leaf.

Cooking Notes

  • To toast the caraway seeds, put seeds in a small heavy dry skillet over medium heat to bring out the aroma, shaking the skillet frequently for 1 to 2 minutes. Allow to cool.
  • Substitute 5 whole cloves for caraway, if desired; remove before serving.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: ¾ cup
Serves 6

Calories: 120; Calories from fat: 25; Total fat: 3g; Saturated fat: 0; Trans fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 220mg; Total carbohydrate: 25g; Dietary fiber: 5g; Sugars: 17g; Protein: 2g

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