Whole30 German Red Cabbage

Sweet, tangy, and totally Whole30-friendly, this healthful and delicious veggie side is a must-have for your Oktoberfest celebration!

To skip to the printable recipe, click here.

A while back, Monster Padre had been craving braised pork and spaetzle. So when his parents (who also love German food) came for a visit, I jumped at the opportunity to whip up an Oktoberfest-ish feast.

In addition to the meat and starch, MP requested sauerkraut, something green, and some German-style red cabbage. I’d never made the latter before, but I figured a quick trip around the interwebs would tell me all I needed to know.

To my surprise, the recipes I discovered contained boatloads of sugar--and here I was hoping this cabbage could be one of the more healthful components to the meal!

I decided to go with my instincts and swap the refined sugar for something more substantial. A beautiful interplay of onions, apples, and unsweetened apple cider (aka unfiltered apple juice) did the trick.

When Monster Padre saw the red cabbage braising away, he exclaimed, “Oh, I just meant for you to get it canned or something!” After digging in, however, we all agreed that scratch was the way to go. Now Whole30-friendly German Red Cabbage is in our regular rotation, and Monster 2 will even beg for it if it’s been too long.

This dish pairs really well with pork, potatoes of any color, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, sausage, all kinds of mustard, and sunny-side-up eggs.

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 T fat (I like bacon grease; avocado oil is great for vegan)

• 2 small onions, small dice

• 1 tart apple (such as Granny Smith), small dice

• 1 sweet apple (such as fuji), small dice

• 1 head red cabbage, thinly sliced

• Salt and pepper

• 1 bay leaf

• ½ tsp ground cloves or caraway seeds

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1 cup unsweetened apple cider (unfiltered apple juice)

• 2 tsp lemon juice

Here's what you'll do:

1. Heat cooking fat in a large saute pan or brassier over medium heat. Add diced onions and apples, season lightly with salt and pepper, and saute till onions are soft and translucent.

2. Add cabbage to the pan, season lightly with salt and pepper, and add bay leaf and ground cloves or caraway seeds. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring gently to incorporate.

3. Add apple cider vinegar and apple cider, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 2 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.

4. Stir in lemon juice and add more salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Special tools needed:

• large saute pan (this 5-quart All Clad model is pricey but legit)

• or a large cast-iron brasier (this 3.6-quart, Le Creuset-esque model by Lodge is a great buy)

For the Printable recipe, click here.