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Picture this: cabbage wedges seared until golden, then slow-braised in a creamy Tuscan sauce of sun-dried tomatoes, cream cheese, parmesan, and garlic until they’re meltingly tender. One of the most impressive one-pan dinners in the vegetarian marry me family!
save this recipe!Cabbage has a reputation problem. Most people think of it as a supporting ingredient, something that goes in the background of coleslaw or soup. This recipe argues otherwise. When you sear a wedge of green cabbage until it’s deeply golden on both sides, then braise it in a Tuscan cream sauce for the better part of an hour, something magical happens.
The result is a vegetable dish that earns the “marry me” name every bit as much as my marry me chickpeas or my marry me mushrooms.
Header options (choose one):
- The Vegetable Dish That Earns the Marry Me Name
- Why Cabbage Deserves to Be the Star
- One Pan, One Hour, Completely Worth It
After developing the full marry me family of recipes on this site and testing this one across multiple batches, here’s what makes the cabbage version stand out:
- Vegetarian from the start, no broth swap or modification required
- The sear before braising builds a golden, slightly charred exterior that holds through the full bake
- Cream cheese and parmesan together produce a sauce with more body and richness than cream alone
- Sun-dried tomato oil in the sauce base adds depth that plain olive oil doesn’t
- The two-stage bake (covered then uncovered) produces meltingly tender interior with a slightly browned top
- Works as a main or a showstopping side for a larger spread
The Testing
Sear in batches
Crowding the pan causes the cabbage to steam rather than sear. The slight char on each cut side is what gives the finished dish its depth of flavor. Work in batches over medium-high heat, four to five minutes per side, until properly golden before removing from the pan.
Covered then uncovered
The covered bake at 400°F for 30 minutes softens the cabbage all the way through. The uncovered bake for another 20 to 30 minutes reduces the sauce from loose and brothy to thick, coating, and bubbling, and gives the exposed wedge tops a chance to brown slightly.
Key Ingredients
- Green cabbage: One medium head cut into 8 wedges with the core intact. Looking to use another type of cabbage? Savoy is delicate and may fall apart. Red cabbage will have a stronger flavor that can work, but discolors the cream sauce.
- Sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil: The oil they’re packed in is used in the sauce base along with the tomatoes themselves. Don’t drain and discard that oil. It’s one of the most flavor-dense ingredients in the dish!
- Cream cheese: It gives the sauce a body and richness that heavy cream alone doesn’t produce, and it keeps the sauce from breaking under sustained heat.
- Parmesan: Freshly grated from a block melts more evenly than pre-shredded, which contains anti-caking agents that can make the sauce grainy.
- Garlic: Four cloves, cooked in the sun-dried tomato oil until fragrant before anything else is added.
- Smoked paprika: Adds a subtle smokiness. It’s the secret little ingredient that I love adding to my Marry Me recipes to take them to the next level!
Pair it with…
Crusty bread for scooping the sauce is the most important accompaniment. As a main, serve it alongside a vegetarian Caesar salad for a full dinner. If you want to explore more of the marry me sauce in different formats, my marry me orzo is the dump and bake version that uses the same flavor profile with almost no active cooking!
Marry Me Melting Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 medium head green cabbage
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, 30 mL
- 2 Tbsp oil from the sun-dried tomatoes
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp each salt, oregano, smoked paprika, keep the salt out; you'll need it again later
- ¼ tsp each ground black pepper, crushed red pepper
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C)
- Cut Cabbage: Cut 1 medium head green cabbage into 8 wedges, keeping the core intact so the leaves hold together.Cut the cabbage in half vertically from the core to the top, and then cut each of each half into four pieces, keeping the core intact.
- Sear Cabbage: Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium/high. Add the cabbage wedges and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes per side until golden and a bit charred. You may have to work in batches. When finished, remove the cabbage from the pan.
- Sauce: Heat 2 Tbsp oil from the sun-dried tomatoes in the skillet, then add ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (chopped), 4 cloves garlic (minced), and spices. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about two to three minutes. Stir in 1 cup vegetable broth and 4 oz cream cheese until cream cheese is mostly broken down. Small lumps are fine and will smooth out as it continues to cookRemove from heat and stir in 1 cup heavy cream and ½ cup grated parmesan until evenly combined.
- Bake: Nestle the wedges into the pan of sauce. Sprinkle the wedges evenly with ½ tsp salt. Cover (with a lid or foil) and bake for 30 minutes.
- Braise: Uncover and spoon the sauce liberally over each of the wedges. Return to the oven uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes. Cabbage should be slightly browned, and sauce should be thick and bubbling.
Notes
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
