Braised Cabbage & Lentils
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This Braised Cabbage & Lentils recipe is perfection! Napa cabbage is cooked in a coconut curry sauce with lentils until super tender!
To say I’m in love with this Braised Cabbage & Lentils recipe is an understatement! It all started when I was checking out the produce section at the store and saw the BIGGEST head of napa cabbage I’ve ever seen. I didn’t know what I was going to do with it, but I knew I needed it. And this recipe is the love child of that grocery trip. This recipe has simple ingredients, is super cozy and gives off fancy vibes without being too much work. You will definitely impress people when you place this on the center of your table!
Step One: Prep the Cabbage
Working with half of the cabbage (cut lengthwise) cut it into quarters. Cut those quarters in half (widthwise) so that you are left with 8 shorter wedges of cabbage.
NOTE: By cutting it this way, there will be some wedges that aren’t connected to the stem. They will be loose when cooking them, but they’ll still work just fine.
Heat the avocado oil in an oven-safe stock pot or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many wedges that will fit in the bottom of the pan and cook until charred on both sides (approx. 2-3 minutes per side). Remove from the stock pot and repeat with the remaining cabbage until it is all charred.
Step Two: Make the Braising Liquid
With the cabbage out of the pot, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, red curry paste & ginger powder and cook down for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the lentils, coconut milk, broth & soy sauce and mix to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed – depending on the broth you used, you may need some salt.
Add the cabbage wedges back to the pot and gently press them into the liquid. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 30 minutes.
Step Three: Serve
First, when you pull this out of the oven, take a minute to admire the beauty. Because it really is pretty. The liquid will have reduced by at least an inch and the cabbage will be super tender.
You can definitely eat this on it’s own, but I like to serve it over hot rice with some cilantro on top. It would also be great with a drizzle of chili onion crunch on top!
This dish is beautiful, healthy and satisfying. A truly delicious dinner!
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Braised Cabbage & Lentils
Ingredients
- 1/2 head napa cabbage cut lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
- 2 1/2 cups cooked lentils see notes
- 1 15-ounce can coconut milk
- 1 cup broth I used vegan chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or tamari for GF
- cilantro, cooked rice for serving
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut the napa cabbage in quarters and then the quarters in half – you'll end up with 8 shorter wedges of cabbage (see notes).
- Heat the avocado oil in an oven-safe stock pot or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many wedges that will fit in the bottom of the pan and cook until charred on both sides (approx. 2-3 minutes per side). Remove from the stock pot and repeat with the remaining cabbage until it is all charred.
- Heat the sesame oil in the empty stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, red curry paste & ginger powder and cook down for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the lentils, coconut milk, broth & soy sauce and mix to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Add the cabbage wedges back to the pot and gently press them into the liquid. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, top with cilantro and serve with rice.
Video
Notes
- You could just cut the napa cabbage half in quarters (and have 4 long pieces), but I find it easier to eat the small wedges. By cutting it this way you will end up with some wedges that aren’t attached to the stem and will be loose. Just do your best to flip them with tongs while frying. If they end up separated that is fine.
- I used pre-cooked brown lentils – you can usually find them in the produce section at the store. I prefer to use cooked lentils so that they don’t absorb all of the broth while cooking.
Fantastic! I didn’t have coconut milk and did have a jar of Vindaloo sauce and some Passata in the fridge that needed using so I made do, and it tasted amazing. Will definitely be making again.
It was so good! I wish i made a spicy version! I followed the recipe exact but substituted the soy sauce with coconut amino! It turned out beautifully!
This was insanely delicious! I cut the red curry to one tablespoon since we are baby mouths, and will add more lentils the next time I make this. I don’t understand the alchemy here, but definitely more than the sum of its parts.
I feel like my eyes have been opened. This recipe has not only blessed my taste buds with utter bliss and euphoria. It has shown me a new path in cooking…. I will be making this marvelous masterpiece intill I LIE A CORPSE IN MY COFFIN!!!
Loved, loved this recipe. The sauce is spot on. We devoured it all…
This recipe is delicious!! I had never used canned lentils before, only dried and was pleasantly surprised by how well they held up in the oven. We served it up with rice and a little chili crispon top. Thank you for sharing!
This was such a hit!! I made this for my mom and sister who loved it. The cabbage and lentils turned out so tender and flavorful. I couldn’t find red curry paste so instead just flavored with a tandoori masala spice mix which went perfectly. I also added a bit more broth which did water it down a bit but left me with more liquid at the end as I wanted. Altogether a really great recipe and I love that it’s easily adaptable. Thank you!!
So glad you loved it and were able to adapt it to what you had on hand!
It was fantastic! I doubled all of the ingredients, except the onion and the coconut milk, and I used 5 tbps of curry paste. Will definitely make again!
So glad you loved it!
This was delicious!! I used the whole cabbage to save waste, 2 tins of lentils and upped the stock, garlic and red curry paste. I also added a tablespoon of Ottolenghi Pipelchuma paste. I served it on bulgar wheat. This is the best cabbage dish I’ve ever had. There is plenty for a few days. I will definitely make this again. It did not dissappoint at all!!
Thanks so much Claire! So glad you loved it!
These are the most delicious lentils and Napa cabbage I’ve ever eaten! My family went crazy for the recipe. The only thing I changed was that I added most of a medium size Napa cabbage, instead of half, so I added more red curry, roasted garlic paste, and some of the juice from the lentil cans. Excellent excellent thank you so much!
Thanks so much Cathy! So glad it was a hit for you and your family!
Wondering if this recipe would still work with red lentils? I have a seemingly never ending bag of those in the pantry and feel like this would be a lovely way to get through them
Yo definitely can, I would just pre-cook them before adding them to the pot!
I had half a Wombok (Australian for Napa) left to use and cooked this last night for dinner. It was sooooo yummy!! I don’t know why but my cabbage fell apart when I cut it so I just charred it as best as I could. It didn’t affect the flavour at all. The only change I made was to add a tin of chickpeas for even more protein. I didn’t bother with rice. Definitely a keeper! Question….. I’ve tons of leftovers as I was home alone yesterday – just wondering how freezer friendly it is? Thanks, Trish
So glad you liked this Trish! I haven’t tried freezing this one before. I imagine it will freeze ok, but fresh would be better.
This is sooo good on a cold night. It was a hit with the whole family, including my toddler. The cabbage melts in your mouth in the best way. I followed the recipe but used dry beluga lentils and increased the broth & spices to account for the liquid needed to cook the lentils. This will be a new go-to healthy winter comfort dinner.
Soooo good.
I changed it up a bit as well as my hubby is not a curry fan. I used gochujang instead. I also added one leek stock, seared on stove top.
Delicious 😋
Yummmm! Those swaps sound delish! So glad you both loved it!
I found this recipe on a whim trying to throw together a last minute potluck meal for myself (only vegan going) based on the ingredients I had at my house. Well, to my utterly pleasant surprise, this recipe turned out not only delicious, but is a new favorite! I could not stop eating it served over jasmine rice, even cold as leftovers today I find myself taking a bite each time I open my fridge! It is absolutely delicious. I did, however, use curry powder instead of red curry paste, as that is what I had on hand, and I added a bit of cumin after tasting (but before going into the oven). I am looking forward to making this dish again! Thank you Rene for this recipe, I love it!!
Thanks so muck Kylie! So glad you loved it!
Hi I’ve half a cabbage to use up and would like to try this, just wondering if it would last a few days in the fridge and how best to reheat it? Thank you!
Yes it will definitely last in the fridge for a few days. I like to reheat it in a skillet, but you could also just use the microwave. Hope you love it!
Creamy, rich and delicious! I had half of a napa cabbage also so tried the recipe. Will definitely be making this again.
Thanks so much Jessika! So glad you liked it!
So good!
Thanks Dan!
Not vegan, so added a cup of chicken stock and a parm rind. Also cooked the cabbage on the stovetop as I wasn’t sure what the oven was for lol.
Added more water and adjusted spices and added 1/2 cubed potato while cooking. The lentils only till the very end since they were cooked.
But the added star ingredient was a squeeze of lemon. Omg!!! That tanginess makes this extra amazing. Thank you
Jessica
So glad you liked it Jessica! The reason for the oven is to give it a more even cook, but the stovetop totally works too!
Very yummy!!
Thanks Linda!
This was SO good. I made it with regular cabbage from my garden, cant wait to make it again.
Next level…cabbage from the garden! That sounds amazing!
I love this recipe. I am not vegan so I have used a little beef or chicken broth and it’s been amazing.
Thanks Thai! So glad you liked this one!
Can one use regular cabbage instead of Napa?
So delicious. I will be making this often.
Thanks so much Carla!
Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious!
Thanks so much Jane!
This had to be one of the most divine vegan recipes I’ve ever tried! Easy to follow and a showstopper! Can’t wait to bring to a potluck!
Thanks Stacy!! So glad you liked this!
I cut the cabbage into bite size chunks and added Brussels sprouts to the initial sear, then followed the rest of the recipe to the letter–so excellent!!!!
Love the idea of adding sprouts! So glad you liked it Sheri!
Incredibly flavorful and delicious, and so easy to put together!
Note: It is spicer that I imagined, though that’s a plus for me. I might cut back on the curry paste by 1 Tbsp next time for the more sensitive palates in our home.
Thanks so much Jen! So glad you liked it!!
Could this be cooked on the stovetop rather than in the oven? Thanks!
Yes! You could definitely do that too – the reason for the oven is that it is a more even cook. But you can also cook it on a super low heat on the stove.