Cabbage with fennel seeds is a simple yet flavorful side dish. The cabbage gets tender-crisp in the oven as it caramelizes with the crunchy, zesty fennel seeds. It's a delicious way to use up a whole head of cabbage!
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Cabbage is such an underrated vegetable! It's delicious raw, like in a spicy jalapeño slaw, or cooked, like in creamy colcannon. And today, we are making cabbage the true star of the show with this roasted cabbage with fennel seeds.
Cabbage and fennel go so well together. When you roast cabbage, it gets mildly sweet and caramelized, tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. Those flavors and textures play up the sweetness in whole fennel seeds.
This is a hearty, fork-and-knife side dish. I like to serve it with BBQ tofu or salt and pepper tofu and some mashed potatoes.
The whole dish comes together in one baking pan, and it's so delicious topped with a balsamic drizzle or with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. You can also add a drizzle of tahini or tahini sauce, if you like!
I like to save time by purchasing reduced balsamic from the store, but if you prefer to make your own balsamic reduction, you definitely can!
Love cabbage? Also check out my super delicious vegan rolled cabbage recipe!
✓ Ingredients and substitutions
- head of cabbage - You can use red or green cabbage in this recipe. If the outer leaves are wilted, just pull them off. You want to slice the cabbage into ½" to ¾" thick steaks. Slicing off a little bit of the bottom will help the cabbage stay upright, so you can slice it into steaks.
- fennel seeds - These give this dish such a lovely flavor! You want to use whole fennel seeds, which are available at most regular grocery stores.
- spray oil - Helps the cabbage crisp up and caramelize and adds moisture.
- salt and pepper - Adds flavor. The salt also helps the cabbage caramelize.
- balsamic reduction - Optional, for drizzling. You can squeeze on lemon or lime juice, if you prefer. You do want to add some kind of acidity at the end, though.
- tahini - Optional, for drizzling. Adds richness and protein to your roasted cabbage.
🥣 How to make roasted cabbage with fennel seeds
Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Cut your cabbage up into ½" to ¾" thick slices.
Place the cabbage slices on a lined baking sheet. Spray both sides of each piece with the olive oil. Then, sprinkle on the fennel seeds, salt, and black pepper.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cabbage is browned around the edges and tender in the middle, then taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
Serve hot drizzled with the balsamic or with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and some tahini or tahini sauce.
💡 Helpful tips
- You want your cabbage slices to be pretty uniform in thickness, so they will roast up evenly.
- How long you need to bake will depend on how dense your cabbage is and how thick your slices are.
- Sometimes, the very outer leaves will burn a bit too much during roasting. If that happens, just pull them away and discard before serving.
🫙 Storage directions
Leftover cabbage with fennel seeds will keep for three to five days in the refrigerator in a closed container.
📖 Recipe
Roasted Cabbage with Fennel Seeds
Ingredients
- 1 head of cabbage any wilted outer leaves removed, red or green cabbage are both fine
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds or more - enough to sprinkle all over your cabbage slices
- spray oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt or more, if needed
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or more, if needed
- balsamic reduction optional, for drizzling
- tahini optional, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Cut your cabbage up into ½" to ¾" thick slices, and place the slices on a lined baking sheet. Spray both sides of each piece with the olive oil, then sprinkle on the fennel seeds, salt, and black pepper.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cabbage is browned around the edges and tender in the middle. No need to flip! Serve hot, drizzled with the balsamic or with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and a tahini drizzle.
Celeste Alway
Absolutely delicious! Lunch today for me in Australia. Thanks, Becky!
Becky Striepe
I'm so glad that you enjoyed it, Celeste!