This recipe for my Easy Roasted Cabbage is a deliciously different way to serve one of my favorite vegetables. The high temperature roast brings out some great flavor and gives you crispy edges that my family loves!
Cabbage has to be one of my favorite vegetables. Whether it’s fried, boiled, sautéed, or even raw in things like coleslaw, it’s just always been a vegetable I really like.
And we really enjoyed the flavor of roasted vegetables like my roasted green beans and Brussels sprouts, so it just made sense to try roasting some cabbage, too.
And y’all know I’m a big fan of adding flavor at every step and in every possible way, so while many recipes called for olive oil, I swapped that for a little liquid gold – bacon grease.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s super delicious with the olive oil, but the bacon grease gives the cabbage that smoky flavor that I love. Can you use olive oil? Absolutely! Is bacon grease better? Sure is.
So what is bacon grease and how do I store it?
Simply put, bacon grease is the rendered fat that remains when cooking traditional pork bacon. It’s a great way to add flavor to a variety of things – especially vegetables. I even make a salad dressing out of it.
Once it’s cooled but still liquidy, I simply strain it through a coffee filter or mesh strainer right into a sealable container or jar. Straining it gets the pieces of leftover meat out which can cause it to go rancid faster.
And while you probably remember your mom or grandma keeping it right on the countertop, it’s really better from a food safety standpoint to store it in the fridge or freezer. It will keep pretty much indefinitely in the freezer – which is where I keep mine. It will keep in the fridge, when properly strained, for up to a year.
How to Save and Store Bacon Grease
Here are my tips for saving bacon grease! Let me show you how to clean and filter your rendered bacon fat and explain the best ways to store it!
Learn How to Save Bacon Grease
When I put this recipe together, I opted to use the entire head of cabbage as to not have leftover raw cabbage. It makes quite a bit and calls for two baking sheets. With all that being said, this recipe scales down perfectly. Half a head of cabbage works just as well. I’m just giving y’all options. 😄
When it comes to slicing the cabbage, I prefer to trim off the bottom of the stem, but leave the core of the cabbage intact. It helps to hold it all together.
And since I mentioned holding together… Many recipes out there call for you to flip the cabbage about halfway through the cooking time. I found this to be pretty problematic. It just all falls apart – even when keeping the core intact. It still tastes delicious, but just looks a little messy when it falls apart. Feel free to do it either way.
Y’all enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 medium head green cabbage*
- ¼ cup olive oil or bacon grease
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475°F and line two large rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil for easy cleanup, if desired. Set aside.
- Use a sharp knife to trim off the excess stem, then slice the cabbage in 10 to 12 wedges, leaving the core intact. This helps keep the cabbage together.
- If using bacon grease, warm it slightly in the microwave until it's pourable. Drizzle the bacon grease or olive oil over the cabbage wedges and divide them evenly on the baking sheets. Sprinkle both sides of the cabbage generously with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until the cabbage is tender and the edges are deep golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
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Yummy 😋
Thanks!
This was so good I could not wait until tomorrow to bring up the computer again. My husband is delirious. Went back for seconds.
However, I roasted about 13 minutes- your 35 minutes is Way Off.
So delightful may make the other half cabbage tomorrow.
I’m so glad y’all enjoyed it! It sounds like you found the perfect roasting time for your tastes. All of my recipes are relentlessly tested, so I know 35 minutes works, but it’s all about personal preference.
Roasted cabbage is superb! I make this on the stovetop with hamburger steak for a low carb meal. Thanks for featuring the humble green cabbage!
I totally agree—roasted cabbage is a game changer! Pairing it with hamburger steak sounds delicious and perfect for a low-carb meal.
This is absolutely a kick ass recipe. My family loves cabbage and I’ve done many different ways over the years, but this is the best. Like stated, olive oil is good, but bacon grease???c’mon, this is the BEST. I served it up with some Mexican queso crumbled cheese and it was awesome……
HA! So glad you enjoyed it, Wayne!
This is so fast and easy! And tasty! I sprinkled some leftover grated Parmesan on the leftovers which was great, too. I think I put lots of black pepper on it, which I didn’t notice until I ate the leftovers, and it gave it a nice kick. I doubled the recipe and so glad I did. Even after a few days it kept its nice charred flavor.😋
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
This turned out terrific. Followed the recipe and we love it.I guess I will never understand the people posting “I cut the cabbage differently, changed the spices,cooked longer/shorter at a different temperature, and I don’t like it.This recipe stinks!” Learn the rules before you change them,Sparky!
Thanks for another way to cook one of my favorite veggies!
Ha! Thanks, Sid! So glad you enjoyed it!
The bacon grease idea was superb but 475 for 35 min burnt the cabbage so badly. I was very sad and disappointed
All ovens cook a little differently and the position of the baking pan in the oven can also have a great effect on how quickly it cooks. Anytime you’re roasting at a high temp, it’s best to keep a watch on it pretty frequently.
I haven’t tasted it yet but you get 5 stars bc 1. It WILL be delicious. 2. You made this so simple and that’s exactly what I needed for my dinner tonight! Thanks Stacey!
Thanks, Michelle! Hope this turns out great for you!
5 stars earned! Super simple & delicious!
Awesome! Thanks!!
To die for. Please keep sending recipes. Great
Thank you so much Becki!
Ooops. I forgot to proof read.
Thanks for the recipes. I love reading the commentary that other Chefs are willing to share. I have learned from your sharing and have become a better cook.
Thank you and to all the other Chef who are willing to sh for sharing
I’m glad this community of cooks has been helpful!
I LOVE the back history and folksy stories you deliver with these recipes and really appreciate the extra effort you give to relate your history with the recipes. Please keep up the good work. My family loves your dishes when I prepare them.
Thank you so much!
Thanks for the recipes and the repartee. Anyone who doesn’t care for the extra commentary could just scroll on down to the recipe. My opinion. Keep them coming. Thanks again.
Thanks so much, Donald! I’ll never understand why folks are so bothered by having to scroll for a free recipe.
I would greatly appreciate and request that in future recipes you kindly get to the point and post the recipe without all superfluous chatter. All of the folksy backstory may be interesting to some people but ultimately is unnecessary and distracting. Thank you.
There’s a handy “Jump to Recipe” button, usually within the first few lines of any recipe, somewhere after the title of the article on just about every recipe I’ve looked at on every website for years. Pretty useful for the impatient.
I try to make it as easy as possible.
You can always use the Jump to Recipe button. Just because you don’t like the commentary doesn’t been others don’t.
Sounds great I am on ww so this will work can’t wait to try it 🙂
Perfect! Hope you enjoy it!
Wow, I’m trying to figure out another way to enjoy my cabbage..this is going to give me a challenge change..sounds yummy. Yup, 80, balance n arthritis in my hands. Can’t afford delivery charges so I get to Walmart or Publix once a month or soonet. I also cook my cabbage, add cooked noodles with kielbasa or sausage..sometimes I Sautee onion mini color peppers with the sausage..mix n enjoy.
That sounds great! Thanks for sharing that idea, Rainey!
My mouth is watering. Yum. I no long drive (I will be 90 in a few weeks) so have to depend on my son taking me or shopping for me. He works crazy hours, and comes when he can. I love cabbage!
Louise, I’m right behind you – I’m almost 83. I still drive but am having trouble with my balance and walking around. So I have found that ordering groceries from Kroger or Walmart is perfect for me. They are delivered right to my door and they will even bring them in and put them in my kitchen. I especially appreciate this since I no longer have to lift heavy cat kitter containers! Try it out!
We all need a little help every now and then. Sure hope you’ll enjoy this!