You might be tempted to pour the cabbage cooking liquid sitting in the bottom of your pot down the drain, but maybe don’t do it just yet. What seems like the afterthought of a hearty, savory dish can actually be an untapped source of flavors. All it needs is just a little bit of coaxing to become the rich, luscious sauce it’s always meant to be. The key to this transformation? Butter. That’s it. No fancy technique, no elaborate ingredients — just a few tablespoons of butter, a bit of stirring and simmering, and you’ve got a luscious sauce on the spot.
Most cabbage recipes, whether you’re roasting, braising, or stir-frying this vegetable, will result in its cooking liquid being released. The unassuming broth holds an earthy, subtly sweet taste, mixed with savory hints from the seasonings. On its own, it’s mild and pleasant, but nothing to write home about. When enriched with butter, it’s a whole other story. It’s pure heaven the moment buttery richness meets the brassica’s hidden depth. The butter mellows out any bitterness and plays into the vegetal sweetness, creating a unique cabbage-infused sauce. It’s the ultimate low-effort, budget-friendly kitchen hack that allows you to make a flavor-packed meal out of everything at your disposal.
From main courses to side dishes, this cabbage sauce does it all
Undoubtedly, the first place you can use this cabbage sauce is with your cabbage dishes. Roasted cabbage wedges make a lovely side dish, but with the sauce poured over them, every forkful is downright mesmerizing. Already laced with a buttery warmth, Southern fried cabbage only gets better when its flavors are enhanced by the sauce. The same goes for grilled cabbage steak, sauteed cabbage, or any cabbage dish that you’d normally deem too boring. Just a drizzle of this savory, rich sauce can make a world of difference.
Cabbage recipes are only the starting point because there’s so much more you can utilize this special sauce for. Drizzle it over other roasted vegetables for an easy, delicious side to accompany hearty main courses. Mix a little bit with mustard, mayonnaise, or vinegar to make a salad dressing, especially for coleslaw and other cabbage-based salads. Instead of light and creamy, you’ll have a deeply savory sauce that offers a special twist to familiar dishes.
Veering into main dish territories, cabbage pasta is great as an effortless weeknight dinner. Similarly, your fried rice would be a total delight with just a few extra splashes of cabbage sauce to deepen the flavor profile. In the mood for comfort food? Use the sauce as a base and add broth or cream to make a simple cabbage soup. Accompanying these dishes could be seared pork chops, roasted meat, or grilled fish — all of which would also work splendidly with the cabbage sauce.
