Roasted Cabbage with Balsamic Reduction

Thick wedges of cabbage are coated in a spice rub, roasted until tender and crisp. Finally, they are drizzled with a sweet and sticky balsamic glaze.

These roasted cabbage wedges make a brilliant side dish to your favourite main.

Hello cabbage season! At this time of year there is an abundance of cabbage.

Cabbage doesn’t always get the best reputation, but I reckon the way it’s prepared is the the make or break factor. Boiled cabbage? No thanks. Roasted cabbage? Um YES!

When it’s roasted, and the edges go crispy and charred, it takes on this deep and delicious flavour. It’s sweet and a little smokey and just really really good.

The spice rub on the cabbage is a mixture of crushed fennel seeds, cumin seeds, salt, pepper and olive oil. Simple, but both cumin and fennel pack a flavour punch.

Then I drizzle it with a homemade sweet balsamic reduction.

Homemade Balsamic Reduction

Now you can absolutely buy this from the store if you can’t be bothered reducing your own. But it’s super easy to make it yourself from balsamic vinegar, and it’s cheaper.

It’s simply balsamic vinegar that has reduced down, in a pan until slightly thickened, until it can coat the back of a spoon. It thickens more as it cools.

Reducing it means the vinegar takes on a sweeter molasses-like taste, but the sharp bite of vinegar is still there, which lifts the flavour in this dish.

You can add a little extra sweetness to the reduction with some honey, brown sugar or maple syrup if you like your reduction on the sweeter side. I don’t add any, I think it’s sweet enough on its own.

Any left over balsamic vinegar can be used in plenty of other dishes! Try it drizzled over roasted veggies or salads.

Cutting the cabbage

I cut 1.5 centimetre thick slices from the cabbage, and depending how wide the cabbage is, I’ll cut the slices in half.

The middle part of the cabbage is the toughest part, and it will take the longest to cook. You can cut this piece out if you like, though I don’t bother. I like the contrast in texture the middle gives along with the crispy outer leaves.

Cooking the Cabbage

The cabbage needs to be roasted in a hot oven until the stem is tender and the outer leaves are crispy and dark brown. These outer parts add heaps of flavour so don’t be afraid of a bit of caramelisation.

That being said, you obviously don’t want it to burn, so do turn the oven down if you think they’re going too dark.

Once cooked, they’re best served hot and straight from the oven, sprinkled with freshly chopped parsley and drizzled with balsamic reduction.

Want more winter recipes? Try this vegetable Pho or Vegan Cauliflower Satay Noodle Bowls

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