Sweet and Sour Purple Cabbage
Sweet and sour purple cabbage is a classic recipe that turns a head of cabbage into a flavorful side dish. It’s especially good as a side dish for pork, chicken, sausages, and other hearty main dishes.
When I page through old spiral-bound cookbooks, cabbage is one of the most common vegetables in the "side dishes" section. Perhaps it’s because it’s economical, or because heads of cabbage are large and often require multiple recipes to use them up. There are so many recipes like simple coleslaw, vinegar slaw, stuffed cabbage, and sautéed cabbage like this Sweet & Sour Purple Cabbage.
I found several versions of this recipe in my spiral-bound cookbooks. They all used vinegar, sugar, and apples, with some adding caraway seeds or celery seeds for extra flavor. I like that little boost of flavor, so I included both here.
It's an easy, old-fashioned side dish that is a little sweet, a little tangy, and a great way to serve cabbage. I like it paired with this Marinated Pork Loin Roast especially.
Why You’ll Love This Sweet & Sour Cabbage
- It’s the perfect balance of sweet and tangy.
- The cabbage gets soft but still has a little crunch to it. It’s a nice contrast to the tender apples.
- Don’t skip the caraway seeds, especially if you like rye bread. They add great flavor.
- Several of the recipes I found for this cabbage were listed as German. It would be a nice side dish for an Oktoberfest-inspired meal.
- It’s really easy. Just add everything to the pan, cover, and it’s ready 30 minutes later.
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What You’ll Need + Variations
- Most recipes call specifically for purple cabbage, but green cabbage works just fine here, too. If you’d like to see a few photos on how to cut cabbage, check out this cabbage and noodles recipe.
- You can use white vinegar in place of apple cider vinegar if you’d like.
- Any variety of apple is delicious here.
- I really love the boost of flavor that they add, but if you don’t have caraway seed or celery seed, you can leave them out of the recipe.
A Peek at the Cooking Process
📖 Recipe
Sweet and Sour Purple Cabbage
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter (or bacon grease)
- 4 heaping cups shredded purple/red cabbage
- 1 red apple diced
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon caraway seed (optional)
- ½ teaspoon celery seed (optional)
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
- Add the remaining ingredients: 4 heaping cups shredded purple/red cabbage, 1 red apple¼ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup water, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon caraway seed, and ½ teaspoon celery seed. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook for 30 minutes, reducing the heat down to low once the liquid starts to boil.
- The cabbage should be soft but still have a little bit of a "bite" to it.
- Serve warm.
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