Want To Transform Boring Cabbage? Try This Cooking Method

Cabbage gets a bad rap for being bland and rather stinky when cooked. More people are likely to find cold cabbage more agreeable, but one cooking method could be a new favorite for the cruciferous vegetable. One of the mistakes everyone makes when cooking cabbage is not seasoning it enough. However, the cabbage boil method that went viral on TikTok involves generously dousing the vegetable in butter and spices and cooking it in foil like a seafood boil.

For this recipe shown on YouTube channel Cookingwithdestiny, you'll start with a whole cleaned cabbage. Remove damaged outer leaves and the core from the bottom — this part is a bit challenging and requires a sharp knife, so mind your fingers. Place the whole head on a large sheet of aluminum foil, with the hole-side up.

Drizzle the cabbage with olive oil. The next step makes this a cabbage dish you'll want to eat all year: Be generous with the spices. Sprinkle on onion powder, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, paprika, lemon pepper, lemon juice, parsley, brown sugar, and minced garlic. Place half a stick of butter in the center, and then wrap the whole cabbage in enough aluminum foil to make sure all of the seasonings are sealed in. Finally, bake it in the oven at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for about two hours or until the whole cabbage is soft and tender.

The most labor-intensive part of the viral cabbage boil recipe is removing the core. Instead of a knife, opt for an apple core remover to easily break through the tough bottom layers. Make additional deep cuts from the core to help the butter and spices coat the vegetable more thoroughly. Though water content from the cabbage should be enough to create a steaming effect inside the foil, you can add a bit of broth for added flavor and moisture.

The cabbage can get a second round of butter and spices by creating a sauce with the same ingredients you placed inside the vegetable. You can either pour this on after cooking or add this sauce halfway through cook time. For those who don't eat dairy, a plant-based butter or olive oil can be swapped for the butter that goes in the center.

There are many other interesting ways to cook with cabbage. If you're planning a BBQ or camping trip, the foil-wrapped cabbage can be cooked on a grill or campfire. If you're short on time and don't have two hours to spare, slice the cabbage into thick rounds instead and coat with butter and spices before wrapping — this reduces the amount of time it needs to cook. Once the cabbage is out of the oven or off the grill, let it sit for up to 10 minutes, so the melted butter and spices settle slightly instead of immediately seeping out.