These roasted cabbage steaks are meltingly tender in the middle with crisp, browned edges. They're an easy, delicious side dish or vegetarian main!
This cabbage steaks recipe will be a game changer for anyone who’s used to eating cabbage raw. Don’t get me wrong—I love raw cabbage’s refreshing crunch. But when you roast cabbage, it takes on a totally different texture and richer flavor.
These cabbage steaks are meltingly tender in the middle, with a ruffly ring of crisp, browned leaves around the edges. A simple garlic oil infuses them with savory flavor, while the hot oven brings out their natural sweetness.
These roasted cabbage steaks are an easy, healthy side dish (the oven takes care of most of the work!), but with the right fixings, they make a great vegetarian main dish too.
So cauliflower steaks, move over! There’s a new vegetable steak in town, and I love it. I hope you do too!
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this cabbage steaks recipe:
- A head of cabbage, of course! I love to make baked cabbage steaks out of green cabbage because of how tender it gets in the middle. That said, if red cabbage is what you have on hand, it totally works here too.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – It helps the cabbage brown and soften in the oven.
- Garlic powder – It infuses the cabbage with savory flavor.
- Lemon wedges – Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the roasted cabbage steaks before serving. It gives them a delicious bright finish!
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Cut Cabbage for Cabbage Steaks
The first step in this recipe is cutting the cabbage into steaks. Here’s how to do it:
- Remove any loose outer leaves from the cabbage.
- Use a sharp knife to trim the bottom of the core to create a flat base.
- Place the cabbage upright on a cutting board.
- Slice the cabbage vertically into 1-inch-thick slices.
The slabs from the center of the cabbage will be the largest and most sturdy, but smaller steaks from the edges of the cabbage will roast up nicely too. Just be sure to handle them carefully so that they don’t fall apart!
How to Make Cabbage Steaks
Once you cut the cabbage, this cabbage steak recipe comes together simply:
Start by prepping the garlic oil. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, garlic powder, and salt.
Next, season the cabbage slices. Place them on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops of the steaks with the garlic oil. Then, carefully flip them and brush the other side.
Roast the cabbage steaks in a 425°F oven until they’re tender in the middle and well-browned around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through the cooking time to help the steaks bake evenly.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing!
What to Serve with Cabbage Steaks
These roasted cabbage steaks are an easy, delicious side dish. Serve them with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, or dress them up more with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, grated Parmesan cheese, and/or chopped toasted nuts like walnuts or pecans. They’d also be tasty with a sauce like tahini sauce or romesco sauce.
If you’d like to make this recipe a main dish, try the serving suggestion in the photo above! Top the cabbage steaks with the following:
- A scoop of bulgur wheat seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh parsley
- Pickled red onions
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Drizzles of tahini sauce
- More fresh parsley leaves
It’s a flavorful vegetarian entree! Easily make it vegan by skipping the feta, or make it gluten-free by using quinoa instead of bulgur.
Storage
I like this recipe best on the day that it’s made, but leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat them in a 350°F oven, or quickly warm them in the microwave.
More Favorite Cabbage Recipes
If you love this recipe, try one of these tasty cabbage dishes next:
- Cabbage Soup
- Creamy Coleslaw
- Vinegar Coleslaw
- Cabbage Salad
- Or any of these 17 Best Cabbage Recipes!
Cabbage Steaks
Ingredients
- 1 medium green cabbage
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon wedges, for squeezing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove any loose outer leaves from the cabbage, then use a sharp knife to slice off the bottom of the core to create a flat base. Stand the cabbage upright on a cutting board. Slice the cabbage vertically into 1-inch-thick steaks. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, garlic powder, and salt. Brush half onto the cabbage steaks. Carefully flip, then brush with the remaining oil.
- Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway, or until the cabbage steaks are well browned and tender in the middle. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve as a side dish with lemon wedges for squeezing or try one of the serving suggestions in the blog post above.
Made it last night! My kids and even my husband (who doesn’t really eat cabbage OR pickled onions) enjoyed it very much!! I made it the way you show in your video, with pickled onions (I had to use the sweet ones I had on hand instead of red), and I had to make rice instead of bulgar (but I used all the same ingredients you did in it). Then topped with feta… wish I had some tahini too but didn’t! Mmmmm!!!!
Hi Megan, I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it!
Hello.
How do you wash the cabbage, or is that not necessary?
Thank you.
Hi Crystal, Remove any loose outer leaves from the cabbage, and then rinse it whole. Pat dry and proceed with the recipe!
Ive probably made this recipe 10 times now and it always turns out perfect! This is the only way I’ll eat cabbage so so tasty and easy to do!
Hi Emily, I’m so glad you love the cabbage steaks!
great idea for some needed flavor punch to cabbage! Much better than boiled also, I’m sure that this would add a nice crisp and flavor to Brussels sprouts too, thank you!