This Vegan Smothered Cabbage with Potatoes is a recipe that is pretty much on repeat in our household during the wintertime. Why? Well, first of all, it is (of course!!) super delicious. But it is also easy to make, requires a limited list of ingredients, and can be batch-cooked. It is also relatively inexpensive as cabbage gets you a lot of volume for a small amount of money. Hooray!!
As with almost all of my recipes on Life & Lemons, this one is super easy to make. Simply cut a large onion (or two medium ones) in slices, fry off in coconut oil, add cut cabbage, water, and then turn on the heat to reduce and soften the cabbage for about 20 – 30 minutes. Once done, mix under a delicious sauce based on cashews, season, and voila. Your potatoes can cook along in the meantime.
What makes this dish so special is that you can then easily add a protein of your choice, which will “transform” this dish every time but also totally allows you to cater it to your dietary requirements. We have had it with tempeh, tofu, and one of my absolute favorites – poached eggs. You could also add chicken or salmon though, I think this would be equally delicious. You can also swap the white cabbage for savoy or Swiss chard – both work beautifully as well.
Why is this Vegan Smothered Cabbage with Potatoes good for you?
Cabbage
Cabbage is often overlooked but it can be a great contributor to your health!! It belongs to the cruciferous vegetable family which also includes cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. Cabbage comes in many different colors – white, purple, or green and can either be smooth or have crinkled leaves. Rich in vitamin C, k, magnesium, potassium, manganese, and calcium, cabbage has also been shown to be hugely anti-inflammatory. Whereas inflammation initially is good for the body (because it fights disease), chronic inflammation is one of the main contributors to common Western diseases. The antioxidants in cruciferous vegetables have been shown to reduce chronic inflammation markers, especially in the blood.
Of course, I also have to touch on the amazing other anti-oxidant benefits cabbage has, as well as its amazing gut-healthy properties. Cabbage is packed with fiber. Fiber helps to provide your good-gut bacteria with feeding ground. It also helps to move everything in your gut along nicely, binds “bad cholesterol”, and helps with easy elimination. Lastly, the high amount of vitamin C bears special mention here. Vitamin C is vital for our immune system. Higher amounts of vitamin C are also important for iron absorption in the body, in particular, if this iron comes from plant-based sources. As an antioxidant, vitamin C also combats free radicals within our bodies and thereby reduces oxidative stress. Finally, vitamin C supports the production of collagen, one of our most abundant proteins in our bodies.
How can I adjust this Vegan Smothered Cabbage with Potatoes to my Dietary Requirements?
This smothered cabbage is vegan, paleo, vegetarian, and dairy-free. If you would like to have potatoes with your cabbage, simply swap them for sweet potatoes if you are on the paleo lifestyle. Due to the cashews used in this sauce, this recipe is not nut-free.
Other Comfort Food Recipes on the Blog
So many delicious, amazing comfort recipes on the blog 🥰:
- Sri Lankan Cashew Curry
- Creamy Baked Cauliflower
- Vegan Penne alla Vodka
- Creamy Lemon Pasta with Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Kohlrabi Casserole with Tomatoes and Sage
And that is it for this week 🤗. I hope you enjoy this easy and versatile vegan smothered with potatoes and truly make it your own! As always, please let me know how you are liking the recipe, by either leaving a comment below and/or rating the recipe. I love hearing from you!! Enjoy and happy cooking everyone 🤩.
Vegan Smothered Cabbage with Potatoes
Course: MainsCuisine: GermanDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes30
minutes35
minutesThis Vegan Smothered Cabbage with Potatoes is easy, comforting, and quickly made. Make it your own by adding your choice of protein!
Ingredients
1 kg 1 potatoes
1 large 1 onion
1 tbsp 1 coconut oil
1 head 1 (white) cabbage (ca. 900 gr.) – see notes for details*
1 cup 1 cashews
1 cup 1 water – plus more for cooking the cabbage
2 tbsp 2 mustard
1/2 tsp 1/2 salt
Pepper to taste
- Optional
Cumin seeds
A dash of cayenne
Protein option of choice
How to
- Wash the potatoes (I eat mine with the skin, if you want to take the skin off, you will also need to peel them). Add to a large pot with water, season generously with salt, and cook for ca. 20 minutes until a knife slices through them. Once done, drain and set aside
- Peel the onion and thinly slice. Heat a large pot over medium heat with the coconut oil. Add the onion and fry off until slightly translucent
- Meanwhile, take off the outer layer of the cabbage and finely slice it into thin slices. Add to the onions. Add a generous amount of water and cook on high with the lid on until the cabbage has visibly reduced in size to about half – ca. 20 minutes. You want to stir from time to and ensure that enough water remains at the bottom of the pot so that the cabbage does not burn
- In a small blender, blend the cashews, water, mustard, and salt on high until super smooth. Add to the cabbage (there can still be water at the bottom of the pot) and mix through. Heat everything through. If the sauce is too thick, stretch a bit with some more water. Do a final taste test and season some more with salt and pepper. Serve the smothered cabbage with potatoes immediately (along with your protein of choice) and ENJOY!
Notes
- * you could also use savoy cabbage or swiss chard
