Caraway Cabbage, a Finnish Recipe

Cabbage lovers, oh my, you're going to love this cabbage. Thanks to the tomato, it's got a pretty pink color but what really makes it special is the texture. Really and truly, it's almost like noodles. Really.Truly. This is one of my oldest recipes, brought home from Finland where I lived for a year as an exchange student. Terve – enjoy!

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

Keeping Us Fed During Long Winters

This week’s recipe is from the far-north country of Finland where once upon a time, before the marvel of the modern food distribution system, the selection of fresh vegetables became sparse during long winters.

Rich in Vitamin C and inexpensive, cabbage was a winter-vegetable standby – but here is prepared in a new way, cooked on top of the stove with tomato, onion and caraway. Sautéed in butter, the cabbage softens until almost noodle-like in texture, though more flavorful.

If you’re in a rush, use a bag of pre-cut coleslaw cabbage. That said, chopping up a cabbage yourself just before cooking seems to better release the cabbage’s own natural sweetness. You can, however, successfully substitute fennel seed for caraway and canned tomatoes for fresh.

For a well-rounded, satisfying meal, serve this side dish with pork, a green vegetable and salad.

---

CARAWAY CABBAGE

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 50 minutes
Makes 6 cups

• 2 – 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 small head green cabbage, chopped (about 10 cups, 750g)
• 1 onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)

• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups) or a 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1-1/2 tablespoons (yes, tablespoons ...) caraway seed
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

On medium heat, melt the butter in a large, heavy pot like a Dutch oven. Add the cabbage and onion as they're prepped. Cook, turning occasionally, until the cabbage is limp but not brown.

Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes until the cabbage reaches the desired softness; I like it somewhere between still-crisp and noodle-soft.

Serve hot. Easily made ahead of time, just gently rewarm, hydrating with a splash of water if needed.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Half Cup, made with 2 tablespoons butter/4 tablespoons butter: 54/71 Calories; 2/4g Tot Fat; 1/2g Sat Fat; 5/10mg Cholesterol; 33/47mg Sodium; 9g Carb; 2g Fiber; 6g Sugar; 1g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 1 & PointsPlus 1/2 & SmartPoints 3 & Freestyle 1/2

Adapted from The Finnish Cookbook by Beatrice Ojakangas. That's the original edition, the cookbook my Finnish mother gifted to my own mother the year I was an exchange student in Finland. It is a faithful representation of authentic Finnish cuisine, adapted for American ingredients and measurements. There's also a newer edition of The Finnish Cookbook. My Disclosure Promise

---

More Cabbage Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more cabbage recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ Swedish Red Cabbage ~
~ Mighty Perfect Cabbage & Broccoli Coleslaw ~
~ Peasant Cabbage Tomato Soup ~
~ more cabbage recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog

---

More Finnish Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more Finnish recipes ~

---

Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ cabbage ~
~ tomatoes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

---

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

---

© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2004, 2006 (online), 2010, 2015, 2018 & 2019