(Keto, Low-Carb, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free & Dairy-Free Option)
With Just 4 Ingredients!
Jump to RecipeI have to admit, cabbage took me a real long time to try. I don’t know what it is about green food, but I mistakenly assumed for many years that anything that was green was icky tasting. My short list of assumed “icky” tasting foods included avocados, pea soup and cabbage, among others. No joke!
I don’t know what prompted me to actually taste cabbage for the first time, but I think it had something to do with teaching my kids to try new foods. We tell our children to try new foods all the time, because they might be surprised they actually really like them. I think I figured I should take piece of my own advice!
I’m so glad I did, because I discovered that I actually love cabbage! Especially when prepared in this Roasted Garlic Cabbage recipe. I am happy to say that I am no longer afraid of green foods! In fact, I eat them all of the time, with avocados, pea soup and cabbage being at the top of my list!
What Are the Benefits of Green Cabbage?
Although cabbage looks like a lettuce, it is actually a cruciferous vegetable, along with broccoli, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts. It is a low carbohydrate vegetable that is packed with nutrients. Just 1 cup of cabbage provides 85% daily value of vitamin K and 54% daily value of vitamin C.
It is also high in both insoluble fiber, to help keep the digestive system healthy, and soluble fiber, which serves as food for beneficial gut bacteria. This soluble fiber has been shown to not only feed the beneficial gut bacteria, but also increase the number of beneficial gut bacterial in our bodies.
In addition, it has a high polyphenol content, making it a great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory food. Consuming cabbage regularly can prevent oxidative stress in the body, reduce the risk of several cardiovascular diseases, prevent type 2 diabetes, prevent certain types of cancer, reduce chronic inflammation (including heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease) and improve your overall digestion of food.
And if that wasn’t reason enough to eat more cabbage, a report by the Economic Research Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that cabbage is the second most economical vegetable, in terms of price per cup. Therefore, not only is it beneficial for your body, it’s fairly cheap to buy!
Should Cabbage Be Eaten Raw or Cooked?
Many people claim that fruits and vegetables should only be eaten raw, claiming that cooking them depletes vital nutrients. However, this is not entirely the case for all fruits and vegetables.
Although some of its vitamin C content is lost when heated, cooked cabbage still contains about 1/3 of the vitamin C you need for the day. Additionally, cooked cabbage forms an organic compound, called indole, which helps the body kill precancerous cells before they turn malignant.
Therefore, although you may lose some vitamin C during the cooking process, you gain cancer prevention! The loss of vitamin C may just be worth its added health benefits when cooked. Besides, vitamin C is available in far more fruits and vegetables than indole is.
If you are going to cook your cabbage, it is better to sauté or roast it for optimal flavor and to enhance its health benefits. Steaming or boiling cabbage, on the other hand, makes it watery and may cause even more vitamin C to be lost in the water.
Beware of Cabbage
It has long been known that putting cabbage leaves on a woman’s body can reduce breast engorgement and relieve lactation-related infections, like mastitis. However, eating too much cabbage may also reduce the milk supply of some moms.
Although there has been no scientific evidence to support either of these claims, several moms can attest to whether this is true. In fact, I know of a mom that had this very issue. She was nursing her fourth child and had an unusually low milk supply. It was discovered that she was eating too much sauerkraut, which is made with cabbage, of course!
So, if you are having a difficult time nursing, it would be wise to watch your cabbage intake. Avoiding cabbage completely probably isn’t necessary, but overdoing it might have negative effects. On the other hand, if you have an oversupply of breast milk, and you are not interested in donating your overabundance, bring on the cabbage and all of its health benefits!
What’s In Roasted Garlic Cabbage?
My recipe includes only the following 4 ingredients:
- Green Cabbage
- Butter
- Garlic Powder
- Himalayan Pink Salt
Although I usually use grass-fed butter, I have also used Organic virgin coconut oil with great success. So, if you are avoiding dairy products, or if you just prefer the coconut oil flavor in foods, it is definitely a good alternative.
I, then, just sprinkle some garlic powder and salt on top of the shredded cabbage and bake it in a casserole dish for about 45 minutes. It’s best to stir it up halfway through, so that the cabbage gets a nice even caramelization in the oven.
What Can You Serve Roasted Garlic Cabbage With?
This cabbage recipe is pretty versatile. It is obviously a great addition to your St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef! But it is also great topped with Chicken with Cream Cheese Sauce, an Italian Red Pepper Roast or alongside any of your favorite meat dishes. It can even be used as a noodle replacement, if you are avoiding grains.
I never thought I’d hear my kids say, “Yah! I love cabbage!” when I say we are having it for dinner. But that’s just what happens now, when I make this dish! This has become one of our favorite vegetable dishes. I hope it becomes one of yours, too!
Roasted Garlic Cabbage (Keto, Low-Carb, Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Option)
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
- 9 x 11 Baking Dish
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Cabbage, Shredded
- 4 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Himalayan Pink Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place shredded cabbage in baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and garlic powder.
- Top cabbage with small chunks of butter.
- Roast cabbage for 25 minutes. Stir well.
- Roast cabbage for an additional 20 minutes, or until it starts to wilt and turn a golden brown.
Notes
- Calories 79.5
- Total Fat 5.8 g
- Saturated Fat 3.5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
- Cholesterol 15.0 mg
- Sodium 106.4 mg
- Potassium 283.1 mg
- Total Carbohydrate 6.4 g
- Dietary Fiber 2.6 g
- Sugars 3.6 g
- Protein 1.7 g
Have you tried this Roasted Garlic Cabbage recipe? What did you serve it with? Please share below.
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