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Braised cabbage and beets with bacon is not your average side. It makes use of lesser favoured white cabbage and rooty beets and is stunningly colourful. Festive flavours of cinnamon and nutmeg suggest you-know-what is just around the corner, and a lick of smoky bacon bring it back to a traditional Sunday roast. Low prep and hands-off cooking make this recipe one of my winter favourites.

What’s your favourite roast? This cabbage and bacon side goes best with poultry, spatchcock roast chicken is a super time-saver if you can’t commit to a full on roast bird.

Close up shot of braised cabbage and beets in a large pot with bacon bits

Cabbage recipes

Cabbage has to be in my top three vegetables. Perhaps it’s my European roots, but I cannot overlook its wonder! Let me elaborate on my love for the brassica.

First, it is economical. It is a fraction of the cost of everyday veg like broccoli, corn on the cob, or zucchini. Not to mention aubergine and leeks! What’s more one head of cabbage will go a long way!

Second, it’s a nutritional powerhouse (hello Vit C!). Just don’t boil away its value. But really, why would you when here are so many other methods out there?

Next, it is versatile. In Europe, on its native soil, cabbage is eaten hot, cold, as a side or as part of a main. Here is a sample of each to get you started:

Miso butter roasted cabbage wedges (hot)– since I discovered this recipe, I can’t stop making it. If anything is going to get your family eating cabbages, it’s this little sweetheart. (Cabbage wedges are also amazing when roasted with gochujang!)

Classic coleslaw recipe (cold)- showcasing two types of cabbage, red and white! Once you make this, you will never go shop-bought again. It’s cheaper, fresher, crunchier.

Winter salad with cabbage, kale and pomegranate (side) – kale is a dark-leafed cabbage, so double diet points for this dish.

Cabbage rolls (Golubtsi) (main)- an authentic Russian recipe that’s a meal-in-one. Bright green and lacy Savoy cabbage leaves encase a ground meat and rice filling, soaked in tomato sauce. It’s how Russians fight the flu!

Top down shot of a large serving of braised cabbage and beets on a small blue plate

Recipe Tips and Notes

Thinly sliced cabbage and matchstick beets will keep the cooking time down.
Beets are denser than cabbage and will need longer to cook, so cut them fairly small so the cook time is the same.
I kickstart the flavour by sautéing bacon lardons until they have disintegrated into oil. The salty smoky hints will seep into the cabbage seamlessly.
Cinnamon, This is an affiliate link.nutmeg and bay are traditionally festive flavours and work deliciously in a braise.
I urge you to use fresh bay leaves. In the UK, bay trees or bushes grow abundantly and fast! I’m sure no-one would mind if two leaves were pruned in passing.
If you can’t identify bay leaves in the wilds of suburbia, the supermarket will certainly stock them.
Some recipes will add sugar to braised cabbage. But why?? Beets ARE sugar! Personally, I leave it out.
Check on your cabbage every 15 minutes so it doesn’t burn. Really!
Depending on how soft you like your vegetables (and how thin you sliced them), the cabbage will be cooked between 40 mins to an hour.

Close up shot of braised beets and cabbage in a pan topped with bay leaves and cinnamon

Serving suggestions

I’m completely avoiding the obvious here (as it’s definitely too early to talk about you-know-what), but I will just say that this vegetable side dish is a roast worthy companion. The notes of nutmeg, cinnamon and bay are wintry ones and will set the tone for the table with lots of earthy roots and sweetness to the sides.

My perfect seasonal Sunday roast would look a bit like this:

Slow cooker roast beef – if I am taking it easy with a simple braised cabbage, I’m not slaving over roast beef either. I’m letting my slow cooker do the hard work.

While the convenience of air fryer roast potatoes is tempting, when the weather turns cold I love the comfort of scalloped potatoes (Dauphinoise (UK)). I tend not to serve them in warmer months, so I like to make the most this recipe the rest of the year.

Maple glazed roasted carrots sit beautifully alongside the reds and purples of the braised cabbage and beets. Can you imagine a prettier table?

Process shots of the raw ingredients being sliced and prepared before cooked with bacon and braised in a pan

Storage and leftovers

Strange as it might sound, braised red cabbage with beets is surprisingly tasty cold. If you’re keen on sauerkraut, save your leftovers by storing in the fridge for 3-4 days and serve as you would red kraut.

My fave is a layered sandwich of rye bread, Swiss cheese, this braised cabbage and either chicken or ham. Add a smear of mustard or mayo for a bit of moisture.

Not for you? Reheat any leftovers gently on the hob adding a splash of water if needed.