HappyHealthy Fact Sheet: Cabbage

Helping Mississippians live happier, healthier lives!

Cabbage is a versatile green vegetable that can be prepared in a variety of ways such as steaming, roasting, air frying, grilling, or sautéing. Cabbage is about 93 percent water. Cabbage is great eaten raw as slaw, added to soups, cooked with meals, or fermented as kraut.

Select

• Select cabbage heads that are firm with:
  • crisp, dark green outer leaves.
  • a compact and dense or heavy feel.
  • no blemishes, yellow leaves, or soft spots.

Cabbage can be found in grocery stores and at farmers markets. With two peak growing seasons, cabbage makes for a great staple food for more than half of the year. In Mississippi, growing seasons are April to June and October to December.

Three varieties of cabbage are green, red, and Savoy. Savoy cabbage has crinkled, yellowish-green leaves. Green and red cabbage have smoother leaves than Savoy.

Store

• Store in a bag whole or chopped.
• Refrigerate in the crisper drawer and use within two weeks.

Prepare

When working with cabbage, here are a few tips to follow:

1. Remove any discoloration from outer leaves before using.
2. Cut the head in half through the stem, and remove the core. Be careful when cutting heads in half—they can be hard to cut through.
3. Rinse leaves.

Fun with Food

Children can help

• Select cabbage at the store.
• Rinse cabbage.
• Measure ingredients.
• Place in a bowl.
• Stir.

Spring Roll in a Bowl

• 2 green onions, about 1/4 cup
• 1 pound ground beef
• 12 ounces coleslaw mix
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1. Wash your hands well with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
2. Wash and cut the green onions into small pieces. Discard the white roots.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the beef until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander.
4. While the beef drains, add the coleslaw mix, garlic, soy sauce, and ground ginger to the same skillet, and stir to combine. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the cabbage softens. Add the beef back to the skillet, stir the ingredients, and continue cooking for another 2–3 minutes.
5. Remove the skillet mixture from the heat and top with green onions.
6. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Cabbage Steaks

• Vegetable oil or vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1 head cabbage
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2. Wash your hands well with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
3. Coat a baking pan with vegetable oil cooking spray or vegetable oil.
4. Remove the loose outer leaves and wash the cabbage. Cut the bottom off of the cabbage and set it so that the flat end is on the cutting board. Cut the cabbage into half-inch-thick slices. Remove the core from the cabbage slices if needed. Arrange the cabbage steaks in a single layer on the baking pan.
5. Brush the tops of the cabbage steaks with oil or spray with vegetable oil cooking spray.
6. Season the tops of the cabbage steaks with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
7. Place the baking pan in the oven and bake 17–20 minutes or until the cabbage steaks are golden brown.
8. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

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Publication 4105 (POD-04-25)

By Kelli Whitten, Mississippi State University Extension Service.

This material was funded by USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - SNAP. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.