There's not much more comforting than buttered cabbage studded with juicy bratwurst. The flavor combination is exceptional. Not only does this recipe taste outstanding it is extremely easy to recreate at home. Let's take a look at how to make it.
This Brat & Buttered Cabbage recipe is: Gluten Free, Paleo, Primal and Wheat Belly Friendly.
COMFORT FOOD: BRATWURST AND BUTTERED CABBAGE.
Today has just been the kind of Autumn day where comfort food is necessary. It started with a chilly early morning drizzle and got cloudy from there. My mind drifted off to someplace less dreary. That place is food.
It's really incredible just how much my comfort foods have changed since going gluten free and then paleo. If you asked me three years ago what my laundry list of comfort foods were, they would all have included flour. Every single one of them. Pasta of just about any form, cookies, New England Clam Chowder and nothing really beats sausage gravy and buttermilk biscuits. Now, when I look back, it's not surprising that my blog was called The Chubby Cook.
Since going gluten free, I've decided that I'm not going to try to replicate any of these former delights in some bastardized form. Quinoa, corn, black bean or any other form of pasta that wasn't the real thing just didn't taste like the real thing. I tried them all. What it made me do was miss the real thing even more, because it was so close but just not there. To make a long story short, my new mission when going gluten free initially was to find some foods that really hit me in the "I love it, but don't want it every day" category that comfort food always falls into.
Welcome to the bratwurst and buttered cabbage comfort section of this post. Oh... It's so good. Let's start with the bratwurst. What's not to love about sausage? And as far as sausages go, this dude is one of the kings. The bratwurst is packed with flavor and tastes great both on the grill as well as in the pan. And when you match it up with braised, slightly sweet and yet succulent buttered cabbage it is just a match made in heaven. Although I just finished eating this awesome dish, after writing this paragraph I want some more. It's just that good!
HOW DO YOU MAKE BUTTERED CABBAGE?
Making buttered cabbage is simple. Here are the basic steps:
- Dice or slice the cabbage.
- Add it to a pan over medium-high heat with a little water to soften the cabbage.
- Add butter and salt.
- Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every now and again to prevent sticking.
- Check the seasonings and you're ready to eat.
BUTTERED CABBAGE AND SAUSAGE
To make exceptionally tasty buttered cabbage you need to add some sausage. If you cook the sausage in the same pan that you are going to cook the cabbage in, the browned bits and flavor from the sausage will be infused into the cabbage as it cooks.
You can choose from many different sausages to use for this recipe. Here are some good choices:
- Bratwurst. Made with pepper, nutmeg and sage. The earthy flavor pairs well with cabbage.
- Chorizo. Smoky and spicy made with paprika. Great to add to paprikash or to serve with cabbage.
- Kielbasa. Heavily seasoned with garlic and smoke. A classic combination with buttered cabbage.
- Italian. With or without spice, this sweet sausage is great with cabbage. Even better with caraway seeds.
- Andouille. Only use fresh andouille sausage (soft rather than smoked or cured) with delicious overtones of pepper, onions and wine. Delightful with cabbage dishes!
PLEASE NOTE: The nutritional data is provided by NutriFox and may not be 100% accurate.
LOOKING FOR OTHER COMFORTING GLUTEN FREE RECIPES?
Check out these exceptional dishes you can make at home easily:
Creamy Chicken Cordon Bleu
Saucy Beef Stroganoff Recipe
Easy Chicken Fried Rice
Old World Sausage and Sauerkraut
Bacon Carbonara Recipe
Final Thoughts on the Brats & Buttered Cabbage Recipe:
There are some paleo people out there probably thinking to themselves that butter really isn't part of the plan. Ok. So here's the solution: substitute in bacon fat, duck fat or lard. Or use clarified butter or ghee. If using bacon fat, cut back the salt in the recipe. For the other types of fat, keep the salt levels about the same.
This dish may not become your next comfort food, but hopefully it will make its way into your paleo, primal, wheat belly or simply gluten free rotation. In any event, enjoy!
If you made this Bratwurst & Buttered Cabbage Recipe or like the way that it sounds, please leave your thoughts or feedback below!
BRATWURST & BUTTERED CABBAGE RECIPE
The perfect balance between slightly sweet, salty and savory. Let’s add one more “s” word to the mix: simple. Hell yes this is good.
Ingredients
- 4 Bratwurst, uncooked
- 1 Cup water, split into ½ cup servings
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1.5 LBS Green Cabbage, about ½ a large head shredded
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Sliced green onion (scalliofor flavor
Instructions
For the Recipe
- Get a good, sturdy pan with a tight fitting lid. When trying to figure out the size, take a look a the amount of cabbage you have and go from there.
For the Sausage
- Add the water to the pan and the olive oil. Heat over high heat.
- Add the bratwurst and cover the pan.
- Cook for 8 minutes. Most of the liquid should have cooked off, leaving some browning on the pan.
- Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- Remove the sausage, slice into coins and set aside.
For the Buttered Cabbage
- Reheat the pan with the browned bits over medium high heat until hot.
- Add the remaining ½ cup water and deglaze the pan (use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape off the brown bits).
- Add the butter and melt.
- Add the cabbage and salt. Mix well and cover.
- Cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. When the cabbage is sweet and soft, you’re ready to go.
Bringing it all together
- When the buttered cabbage is done, add the bratwurst back into the pan. Reheat for a minute and combine.
- Serve in bowls and top with the scallion.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Yield
5Amount Per Serving Calories 325
Jennifer says
I made this tonight. It was delicious and so easy to make.
Scott Groth says
Hi Jennifer-
That's awesome! So happy to hear that you liked it.
Thank you for writing too-
Scott
Jennifer says
Where did the recipe go? I only see the pictures
Scott Groth says
Hi Jennifer:
Sorry for the late response- I was traveling back to France when this came in! Thanks for bringing it to my attention that the recipe was missing... We updated our recipe software and for some reason it got left out! I just added it back in- hopefully it is working now.
Thanks-
Scott
Anonymous says
Thanks, Scott. I winged it and actually did it right. Even the cabbage hater in my family ate and loved it. Hope you had a wonderful time in France.
Scott Groth says
Hi there:
Thank you so much- I appreciate you trying the recipe. If it turned haters into lovers, it reached its goal. I rest my case.
Have a wonderful day today!
Scott
Sarah Bauman says
I made this tonight too based on Jennifer's comment. It was really really really good. My husband and I love it.
Scott Groth says
Hi Sarah:
Excellent to hear that. And thank you for writing back to give me feedback- I am grateful for that.
Hope you have a fantastic day in the kitchen and happy eating!
Scott
Melissa Meredith says
This was really great! I can never leave a recipe alone so I added onion, garlic, and some red pepper. I also served it with spicy brown mustard and the green onions you suggested. We really enjoyed this. Thank you!
Scott Groth says
Hey Melissa:
So glad to see you added your own favorites to the recipe.
Thank you for taking the time to let me know how it went.
Take care and happy cooking!
Scott
Adrienne says
I ❤️❤️❤️ this recipe! I keep bratwurst in the freezer for this recipe alone. It is my go-to for when I forget to plan, or don't have much time or energy. It is delicious! And easy! What more can you want?