Cabbage is a food that you’ll want to make sure you get enough of on the Paleo diet. It’s great for the digestive system and will help ensure that everything will go smoothly with your increased meat intake. It’s part of the cruciferous vegetable family, which is consistently making the news for their remarkable health benefits. The main benefit we’re looking for here is the fiber content, but it is also rich in vitamins and minerals that have been shown to have anti-cancer benefits and help to avoid heart disease. There are plenty of reasons to be sure to increase your consumption of cabbage.
1. Simple Homemade Paleo Cole Slaw
Cole slaw is one of the most popular cabbage dishes you can make, and Kiri has outdone herself with this offering. She’s kept things pretty basic here, only using the ingredients that are truly necessary, and make the step-by-step easy to follow. But you’re still getting two types of cabbage, carrots, vinegar, sea salt and pepper, and more all added together to make a savory and delicious slaw that will remind you of your pre-Paleo days without interfering with your progress.
2. Unstuffed Paleo Cabbage Rolls
Deconstruct traditional stuffed cabbage rolls with these unstuffed rolls. They have basically the same ingredients and flavor, but skip the step where you have to stuff the rolls. which keeps it easier to make. It really does look like a cabbage roll dish that has been unraveled and scattered around. But don’t worry, they don’t have you stuffing rolls just to unstuff them, and this is a fun recipe to make because it all gets made in one pan so you can have a complete meal without using up every single cooking utensil in the kitchen. Easy to make, easy to clean up, we love it!
3. Purple Cabbage Slaw with Hazelnuts and Pomegranate
Purple cabbage generally doesn’t get eaten as much as green cabbage, but it has its own distinct flavor and shouldn’t be overlooked. In this law they’re using purple cabbage along with hazelnuts and pomegranate to really separate this from other coleslaws and bring you a new medley of flavors that you likely haven’t tried before. There are a ton of different ingredients in this, and each one will come through because there isn’t any one ingredient that has a taste that will overpower the others. That makes it fun to eat, as each of the items seems like they were hand-picked to cause a flavor overload when eaten together.
4. Cabbage Chips
Perhaps you’ve heard of making kale chips, but did you know that you can also make cabbage chips just as easily? They’ll provide you with a suitable snack that’s great for standing in for unauthorized items like potato chips. The bonus is that all you really need is some cabbage, sea salt, spice, and a bit of oil to bake them up. Of course the oil they’re using here is Paleo friendly, making this a snack that you shouldn’t feel the least bit bad about having. You can even have a showdown and see which you like better, kale chips or cabbage chips. Fitting that they both come from the same family of vegetables.
Photo: Paleoland
5. Napa Cabbage Frittata
Most of the time a frittata will be mostly about the eggs but in this one the focus is on the cabbage. There are still plenty of eggs in this, but there’s also half a head of napa cabbage. And like most awesome Paleo recipes there’s plenty of meat too. This time in the form of beef and bacon, so you know this is going to be a savory, eggy meal that will stick with you for most of the morning and maybe into the afternoon. She’s even managed to squeeze some coconut milk into this so it will have a nice texture, and she has a unique way of making it that you’ll want to check out.
6. Cabbage Enchiladas
Mexican dishes fare pretty well on Paleo, as long as you get rid of the corn or flour tortillas, and that’s what cabbage’s job is in this recipe. They do a pretty good job of encasing all of the traditional ingredients you’ll find in enchiladas, like beef, onion, an assortment of vegetables, cumin and chili powder. Of course it won’t taste exactly like a traditional pan of enchiladas, but at the same time you’ll be getting a ton more nutrients and health benefits, rather than anything that will weigh you down or be a detriment to your body. The ingredients have been selected not only because they will give you the taste of enchiladas, but because they are Paleo friendly.
7. Stir Fried Cabbage with Bacon
It doesn’t take long for Paleo chefs to combine anything with bacon, and here cabbage is getting the bacon treatment in full force. Bacon has a knack for making things taste better, pretty much no matter what it is. When paired with cabbage the bacon acts as the frying agent, infusing the cabbage with flavor and of course adding little bits of joy to this side dish. It makes a great addition to just about any meal when you need a nice serving of vegetables to go along with a meat dish. Keep it simple, add bacon and enjoy!
8. Roasted Cabbage Slices
Talk about a simple recipe to follow! The title says it all, you basically slice up some cabbage, and then roast it. But the secret, if there is one, is the different seasons they recommend using on it, and the oil they’re using to roast it in. This makes the end result something tasty indeed. Things don’t have to be complicated on Paleo, and in fact the more you complicate them the less likely it is to still be Paleo. This is a reliable side dish that you can make up whenever you need to, as it’s relatively easy to keep a head of cabbage handy.
Photo: Everyday Maven
9. Chicken Soup with Cabbage
OK, so you’ve had chicken soup before, but we’re guessing you haven’t had Punjabi-style chicken soup with cabbage in it. This has a spicy kick from serrano peppers, and all of the other ingredients are totally Paleo. The Indian spices are going to give this a flavor that you won’t find in any mainstream chicken soup recipe. That means you can cook this up as a light meal any time you’re in the mood for it. Hot soups are best eaten in the fall and winter months as they can warm you up and provide the body what it needs to battle the cold, dry weather.
10. Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage
Here’s a Hungarian-style stuffed cabbage recipe that is sure to please the whole family and get them to eat their vegetables. It uses an entire head of cabbage, so you know that it’s loaded with flavor as well as fiber. The filling is what’s really going to get a lot of Paleo mouths watering, as it’s loaded up with beef, onions, and garlic. The whole dish conforms to the Paleo way of eating, right down to the sauce. You’ll get additional benefits because it’s made from sauerkraut and tomato sauce, and cooked tomatoes are shown to provide more lycopene than fresh.
11. Paleo Nori Rolls
Here’s a way to use cabbage that you probably never thought of, you can use sauerkraut as filling for sushi rolls. They provide three different recipes for you, and one of them includes a tuna sauerkraut roll. Sushi doesn’t have to mean raw fish, and as long as you are using ingredients that you enjoy, and that don’t violate the Paleo way of eating, it’s fair game. These rolls will provide plenty of nutrition, and give you something fancy to eat, even though you’ve gone caveman.
12. Homemade Sauerkraut
If you want to make the nori rolls above you can make your own sauerkraut with this homemade recipe. This is a great idea for a number of reasons. First, it gives you the ability to have quality control over you kraut. There’s no telling what goes into a jar of conventional sauerkraut, and it’s not a very easy item to find in an organic variety. When you make it yourself you can use an organic head of cabbage and you’ll be way ahead of the game. This recipe has you filling a 6 gallon bucket of sauerkraut, so if you follow it exactly you’ll have fermented cabbage for quite some time.
Photo: My Little Jar of Spices
13. Crunchy, Tangy Slaw with an Orange-Balsamic Vinaigrette
Here’s a slaw recipe we just had to include because it’s a bit different than most others we’ve seen. It promises to come out crunchy and tangy, so this isn’t the slaw recipe you’re looking for if you want something sweet. It comes with an orange-balsamic vinaigrette so there is definitely no shortage of flavor. There are basically two camps when it comes to coleslaw, the sweet and the tangy, and this one is for those that like it tangy.
14. Cabbage and Pork Filet Stew
Here’s a recipe that is a perfect example of how to eat on Paleo. You are getting equal amounts of cabbage and pork in this, which is how you want to divide your plate on Paleo. It also shows you that you can focus on presentation as well, with the ingredients stacked onto each other this looks like something you’d find at a gourmet restaurant. It also includes tomatoes, so you’re getting all of the nutrition from those, as well as from the cabbage, and protein from the pork.
15. Corned Beef & Cabbage
No list of cabbage recipes would be complete without a Corned Beef & Cabbage recipe. And since you can eat both on Paleo it makes for a nicely portioned Paleo meal. Rather than ordering this meal at a restaurant it’s best to cook it yourself so you can make sure that there isn’t anything going into it that you’re not supposed to have. We love how the list of ingredients has been kept to a minimum, yet it produces a meal fit for an Irish nobleman.
16. Not Quite Cabbage Rolls
These cabbage rolls aren’t really rolls at all, but the ingredients that go into cabbage rolls are all here. It incorporates leftover meatballs and shows you that you don’t have to start from scratch to put together a delicious Paleo meal. You just have to be creative and use what you have on hand. The cabbage serves as a nice bed for the meatballs, and there’ s even some guacamole in the middle.
17. Easy “Taco” Shells
This is a way to make taco shells that keeps you grain free, while adding way more fiber and nutrients than an ordinary taco shell. It’s not going to taste like the tacos you remember, but when you factor in that regular tacos don’t have nearly as many vitamins and minerals, it seems to be a fair trade off. Paleo is all about making better choices, and getting rid of things that don’t further you along in regards to your overall health.
