The Absolute Best Way To Cut Cabbage For Roasting

There are a few tried-and-true techniques for getting caramelized yet tender results when it comes to roasting vegetables. Because chefs implement these methods, it's no surprise that vegetables taste better at restaurants than they do at home, but there are several ways to prep your veggies in your own kitchen for restaurant-quality results. Have you ever considered that getting the very best dish possible starts before you even place your sheet pan in the oven? It's true — the way you slice your veggies matters when roasting them.

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, and cabbage are particularly tasty when roasted. The latter has a number of nutritional benefits, as well. Cabbage is packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, per the Cleveland Clinic, but it can also help fight inflammation, improve digestion, reduce your risk of heart disease, lower your blood pressure, and more. Before roasting your cabbage, here's how you can prep the veggie for better-than-ever results.

When preparing cabbage for roasting, cut it into large wedges in order to maximize its surface area, Serious Eats recommends. While many recipes call for coring a head of cabbage, you'll want to keep the core intact when using this method, as it will help hold the leaves together while they cook. Doing so will result in wedges that are tender on the inside yet brown and caramelized on the outside.

So, first, preheat your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and line a sheet pan with foil. Then, cut your head of cabbage into six to eight equal wedges. Place the wedges on your prepared sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Flip them over and oil and season the other side. Roast the cabbage for about 10 minutes, or until browned, then flip the wedges and roast for another 10 minutes until tender.

Try this foolproof method with a good roasted cabbage wedges recipe or cabbage au gratin recipe. Both are great side dishes to any main course, and cabbage is versatile and subtle enough to serve alongside almost any protein, from chicken to beef to pork.