You may well have heard by now – it has been featured in Vogue, after all – that cabbage is the It-vegetable of 2026. The humble brassica has reportedly knocked cauliflower off its top spot, and we are all now cabbage crushing or cabbagemaxxing, or whatever it’s called. While I tend to roll my eyes at most overhyped food trends, I fully support eating more cabbage. It has had a bad rap due to decades of being overboiled in school canteens. But, finally, we’ve realised that with the right preparation – anything but boiling – it can be delicious. Plus, cabbages cost next to nothing, are a true nutritional superstar (think fibre, vitamins C and K and anti-inflammatory sulforaphane), and we grow them in abundance.
Today I’m sharing a recipe for roasted white cabbage. Of all the varieties, it is perhaps the most humdrum and forgotten about. It doesn’t have the vibrant pull of red cabbage or the delicate, wispy green leaves of a hispi cabbage (perfect for quick searing on a barbecue or griddle pan). But white is fabulous when roasted, melting into a tender heap and turning sweet and caramelised in the process. You could leave out the meatballs here and have it as a wonderful side dish, too.
12 free-range pork meatballs, £3.75; 100ml double cream, £1.25; 1 onion, halved and finely sliced, 16p; 1 white cabbage, 95p
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat 1 tbsp oil over a medium-high heat in a large ovenproof sauté pan or shallow casserole. Fry the onion and meatballs with a pinch of salt for 5-7 minutes, or until the meatballs are golden in places and the onion is soft. Tip onto a plate.
Add another 1 tbsp oil to the pan. Cut the cabbage into 8 wedges and nestle into the pan. Season and cook for 4-5 minutes on one side, or until they’ve taken on a bit of colour, then turn.
Pour in 200ml chicken stock or bone broth and the cream, then return the meatballs and onion to the pan, giving it a shake to distribute everything evenly. (Add some thyme sprigs, parmesan rinds or a dollop of Dijon mustard, too, if you like.)
Transfer to the oven for about 30 minutes, by which time the cabbage should be golden and tender. Serve with rice, pasta, mashed potato or couscous.
