Roasted Cabbage with Chicken Sausage and Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

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Try this low-carb, high-protein cabbage and chicken sausage with kale, red onion, and a tangy honey-mustard vinaigrette. It’s a healthy and easy dinner that’s perfect for a winter’s day.

I know this sound crazy, but eating anything with cabbage reminds me of being a kid back on Long Island. We had lots of German delis out there (along with those iconic diners), with amazing salads: potato salad, macaroni salad, chicken salad, tuna salad — and cabbage salad. They also had great sauerkraut, which is still one of my favorite foods.

Cabbage Is the Perfect Winter Dish

Cabbage makes a great winter dish, whether on its own or as an ingredient in your main dish. You can serve it cooked, raw or fermented. No matter how you prepare it, cabbage is a healthy choice. It is packed with natural antioxidants, which reduce inflammation, Potassium, which helps lower blood pressure, and it is rich in phytosterols and insoluble fiber for gut health.

How Many Varieties of Cabbage Are There?

There are over 300 different varieties of cabbage, but here are 10 of the most common ones:

• Green cabbage
• Red cabbage
• Napa Cabbage
• Savoy cabbage
• Tuscan Kale
• Kale (curly leaves)
• Bok Choy
• Dutch cabbage
• King cabbage
• Brussel sprouts

For this recipe, I’m sticking with the tried-and-true basic green cabbage you can get in any grocery store. Just make sure when you buy it, it’s fresh. There shouldn’t be any brown leaves and it should be firm.

How Many Ways Can You Cook a Cabbage?

You can cook cabbage in many different ways. Here are some of them.

1. Steamed Cabbage

1. Shred your cabbage and place it into a steamer. A steamer is a pot with a perforated basket that fits on top.
2. Bring the water to a boil and place you’re cabbage into the perforated basket.
3. Cook until tender for 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Boiled Cabbage

1. Cut the cabbage into quarters, so it cooks evenly.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Give the water a pinch of salt
3. Place the four pieces of cabbage into the water and boil until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes
4. Drain cabbage in a colander strainer

3. Braised Cabbage

1. Use a skillet with a lid. Add a half cup of vegetable or chicken stock.
2. Add your shredded cabbage and cook on low heat, covered, until the cabbage is soft and starts releasing its own juices.
3. Remove from skillet to a bowl salt and pepper to taste.

4. Sauteed Cabbage

1. Cut the cabbage into 1/2-inch slices. Drizzle with olive oil
2. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.
3. Place cabbage slices face down on the hot skillet using medium heat and cook for 4-5 minutes. Turn and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

5. Slow Cooker Cabbage

1. Cut the cabbage into 1/4 pieces and coat with olive oil.
2. Place into the slow cooker and caramelize all sides of the cabbage.
3. Add in 1 cup of vegetable stock and cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

6. Grilled Cabbage

1. Cut the cabbage into 4 pieces.
2. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and wrap in four pieces of foil.
3. Wrap the cabbage in foil.
4. Grill on medium heat for 30 minutes.

7. Pan Baked Cabbage

1. Shred and core your cabbage
2. Place evenly on a non-stick backing sheet.
3. Bake for 25-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Toss the cabbage halfway through cooking.
4. Place in a bowl to cool.
5. Add salt, pepper, or butter as needed.

Ingredients for Low-Carb Cabbage and Chicken Sausage

Here’s a list of ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe:

• One small to medium fresh cabbage
• One bunch of Tuscan Kale
• One small red onion, sliced
• Half-pound chicken sausage (chicken apple sausage is great)
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt (used throughout the recipe)
• 1 tablespoon black pepper (used throughout the recipe)
• Pinch of hot pepper flakes

TIP: How to Cut a Cabbage

1. Wash the cabbage and take off any bruised outer leaves.
2. Cut the cabbage in half lengthwise, from top to stem. Cut out the stem and core on each half.
3. Shred the cabbage into 1/4-inch slices.

How to Make Mark’s Warm Cabbage and Kale Salad Topped with Chicken Sausage

Since cabbage is the focus of this dish, let’s start with how to roast it.

Once you’ve cored and sliced the green cabbage, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, toss it around, and spread it on a large baking sheet. Roast it in a 350-degree oven for approximately 25-30 minutes, until it is lightly golden and tender.

Next prepare the Tuscan kale, another variety of cabbage that will add a nice deep green color to the salad. Once it is cleaned and sliced, the kale goes on a separate pan because it does not take long to cook and you will take it out of the oven before the cabbage is done. Toss the kale with olive oil, salt, and pepper, place it on a sheet pan, and roast for 15 minutes. Watch carefully because it burns fast!

Get the Chicken Sausage Ready to Bake

Place the chicken sausage into a separate baking dish and bake for 25 minutes. Turn the sausage, cabbage, and kale halfway into their cooking times so everything browns evenly.

Make the Mustard Vinaigrette

Get out a small mixing bowl and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of honey, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, a pinch of salt, and ground black pepper. Whisk together to emulsify. Add the red onion slices and let them marinate in the vinaigrette for at least 15 minutes.

Assemble the Cabbage and Chicken Sausage Dish

Take the cabbage and sausage out of the oven. Cut the chicken sausage into 1-inch rounds on an angle. Put the cabbage on the plate, followed by the kale, then the sausage. Top with the vinaigrette and red pepper flakes. Eat!

TIP: How to Cut Kale

1. Place each large green leaf onto the cutting board
2. Fold the leaf in half along the stem
3. With a sharp knife cut along the stem to separate the leaves from the woody stem. Please be careful to keep your fingers curled under and away from the knife blade!
4. After you de-stem the Kale leaves, stack them up and cut across into 1-inch strips.

How to Store Your Cabbage and Chicken Sausage Leftovers

If you have leftovers from this cabbage recipe they are easy to store. After cooking, let it cool on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes, and then put the cabbage in a bowl and place the fridge. You can put the chicken sausage in a separate container. Both last about two days in the fridge.

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