Slow Cooker Braised Cabbage

Maybe it has something to do with my heritage, but I absolutely love cooked cabbage. I love it cooked with tomatoes, but creamed cabbage is also pretty darned good, too.

This version is a little more austere, with mushrooms and cabbage as the main ingredients, and just a little flavoring.

I cooked this in my slow cooker, and it took quite some time before the cabbage was as tender as I liked. Your slow cooker might cook at a higher or lower temperature, so the cooking time could be much different.  And even though it's cooked in the slow cooker, you're going to need to do just a little bit of stirring to make sure it cooks evenly.

And yes, the recipe is correct. There's no water added.

Slow Cooker Braised Cabbage

2 tablespoons butter
1 head cabbage
1/2 pound mushrooms
2 teaspoons salt (more to taste)
Several generous grinds black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Put the butter in your crock pot.

Remove the gnarly or damaged leaves from the cabbage. Quarter the cabbage and shred or chop it coarsely - not fine shreds - you want this to have some body. Add the cabbage to the crock pot. Clean and slice the mushrooms and add them to the cabbage.

Add the salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.

Cook the cabbage on low, stirring occasionally so it cooks evenly and it doesn't burn on the bottom. Cook until the cabbage is tender, but not mushy - it took about 4 hours in my slow cooker.

Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper, or vinegar, as desired.

If you prefer a creamed cabbage, you could mix in creme fraiche, cream cheese, or sour cream before serving.

Yum