Sweet and Sour Cabbage in Tomato Sauce
Some side dishes take you straight back home with the very first bite, and for me it’s this one: cabbage braised in a sweet and sour tomato sauce. Soft ribbons of cabbage, deeply golden onions, plenty of garlic, and a sauce that balances bright lemon with gentle sweetness. It’s simple, humble and inexpensive – and that’s exactly why everyone keeps coming back to it.
The magic of sweet and sour
The secret here is balance. Lemon wakes up the flavors, a little sugar rounds them out, and tomato paste adds depth and color. Taste at the end and adjust: a squeeze more lemon if you like it tangier, a pinch more sugar if you like it sweeter. There’s no single right answer – just the way you like it.
Take the onions all the way
Don’t rush the onions. Cook them until they’re a deep golden brown before adding the garlic and cabbage. Those caramelized onions give the dish its natural sweetness and rich flavor.
Cabbage: simple, cheap and versatile
Cabbage is one of the most affordable and useful vegetables in the kitchen. Shred it for a crisp slaw, add it to sauces and soups, stuff it, or ferment it into sauerkraut. This braise is one of the best ways to turn that half head of cabbage waiting in your fridge into a warm, comforting side.
What to serve it with
It’s especially good next to roast chicken, meatballs, schnitzel or a good steak, and it’s lovely spooned over rice. It keeps for several days in the fridge, and the flavors only get better by the next day.
Step by step
Cook the onions until deeply golden.
Add the garlic and the cabbage and cook until the cabbage softens.
Add the tomato paste, water, lemon, sugar and seasoning, and simmer a few more minutes. Enjoy!
Sweet and Sour Cabbage in Tomato Sauce
Braised cabbage in a sweet and sour tomato sauce with golden onions, garlic and lemon. A cozy, old-fashioned side dish that goes with almost anything.
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium head green cabbage cut into thick strips
- 1 onion sliced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1-2 tbsp granulated sugar to taste
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
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Heat the olive oil in a pot.
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Add the onion and cook until deeply golden.
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Add the garlic and cook for about a minute.
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Add the cabbage and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until almost completely soft.
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Add the water, tomato paste, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper and stir well. Taste, balance the sweet and sour, and simmer for about 5 more minutes.
Notes
Start with 1 tablespoon of sugar and add more at the end if you like it sweeter.
