This Southern cabbage recipe features cabbage that is simmered in a flavorful broth with smoked turkey and soul food seasonings. A savory and succulent Southern side dish, this soul food style cabbage is a staple on our Sunday dinner table!
Cabbage in Southern and soul food cuisine isn’t just about healthy greens; it’s about a flavorful transformation. Marrekus, who grew up in Tennessee, says this Southern cabbage recipe was on a weekly rotation at his house. It’s now one of our family’s favorite recipes, along with mixed greens (a greens and cabbage mixture) and collard greens with smoked ham hocks (or smoked turkey collard greens). Everyone always goes back for seconds and even thirds!
I especially love how the boiled cabbage with smoked turkey comes out tender and buttery with a kick of spice. The secret to achieving perfectly tender cabbage is to simmer it in a flavorful broth. The longer it boils, the more tender it becomes. The broth is sooo delicious, perfect for slurping. It’s a great side dish that exemplifies the saying, “Good things come to those who wait.”
What is boiled cabbage?
Boiled cabbage is a classic Southern side dish. It’s often simmered with flavorful ingredients such as smoked turkey, ham hocks, or bacon for added richness and depth of flavor. The cabbage is typically chopped or sliced and cooked until tender, soaking up the seasonings and smokiness of the meat.
Ingredients
- Fresh cabbage: A head of green cabbage, roughly chopped
- Water + smoked turkey: We used a turkey leg, but you can also use smoked turkey wings, smoked turkey tails, neck bones, or smoked ham hocks.
- Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base: For flavoring. Alternatively, use a chicken bouillon cubes or bouillon powder.
- Seasonings: Diamond Crystal kosher salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, lemon pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
Recipe variations and modifications
- Collard Greens and Cabbage are mixed greens cooked together and simmered in a flavorful smoky broth, with seasonings, onions, ham hocks, and red pepper flakes.
- Easy Southern Fried Cabbage Recipe is another Southern favorite. Sliced cabbage is sautéed with onions, garlic, and often crispy bacon or smoked meat until it becomes tender and slightly caramelized. It’s a simple and flavorful side dish.
How to pick cabbage
Make sure to select a firm whole head of cabbage with no wilted leaves. This is especially important when shopping at the grocery store because oftentimes the produce will be days old. If you can find a local farmer’s market that sells green cabbage, that’s even better.
How to make Southern cabbage recipe
Step 1: Heat water in a large pot (about 3-4 quarts, or enough to cover the entire leg).
Step 2: Add chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon pepper, chili powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes.
Step 3: Add Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar.
Step 4: After one hour, remove the meat from the pot and separate it from the bone. Discard the bones and set the pulled meat aside.
Step 5: Cut cabbage wedges then do a rough chop; rinse to remove any grit.
Step 6: Add cabbage to the pot of broth and simmer for about 45 minutes, (cooking time will vary) or until it’s fork-tender.
Step 7: Add the pulled turkey back to the pot before serving.
How to cut cabbage
- Remove the outer leaves and peel off any wilted or damaged leaves of the cabbage head.
- Then, slice in half vertically through the core. Take each half and cut it in half again, creating four wedges.
- Place a wedge flat-side down, then slice it crosswise into thick strips.
- Then give them a few more cuts across to create a rough chop.
- This doesn’t need to be perfect—just enough so the cabbage pieces are smaller and more manageable for boiling.
- Rinse under cold water to remove any dirt or debris before cooking.
What to serve with Southern cabbage
Some of our favorite dishes to pair with this Southern cabbage recipe include smothered chicken, smothered pork chops, fried pork chops, fried chicken, and fried fish.
It also goes great with Southern cornbread, pinto beans, and collard greens (like this collard greens and cabbage recipe).
How to store leftovers
Boiled cabbage tastes even better the next day! The seasonings have time to penetrate and the cabbage becomes more tender and infused with the rich flavors of the broth.
- After preparing this Southern cabbage recipe, allow it to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, transfer it to an airtight container or a covered bowl. Make sure to store it in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking.
- Boiled cabbage can be safely refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
Is this Southern cabbage recipe spicy?
This recipe has a kick to it from the red pepper flakes. You can omit this ingredient if you’d like.
Can I use chicken broth instead of water?
Sure! We recommend low-sodium chicken broth if you plan to go that route.
What is the final texture of Southern cabbage?
This boiled cabbage recipe yields soft and tender cabbage. If you want the cabbage to be slightly crunchy, cook it for less time.
Southern Cabbage Recipe (Boiled Cabbage)
Ingredients
- 3-4 quarts water
- 1 smoked turkey leg or 1 smoked turkey wing or 2 smoked ham hocks
- 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon chicken base or 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 head of cabbage roughly chopped
Instructions
- Set turkey leg (or wings, tail, or ham hocks) in a stainless steel stock pot and cover with water, about 2 inches above the meat.
- Add chicken bouillon granules, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon pepper, chili powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes to the pot.
- Pour in apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.
- Cover pot and bring seasoned water to a boil.
- Cook meat until it is tender and can be easily pulled from the bone, about 1 hour.
- Carefully remove the turkey (or ham, if using) from the pot and pull the meat from the bones; set the meat aside.
- Add cabbage to the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes, or until cabbage is fork tender.
- Remove cabbage from heat and add the pulled meat to the pot and stir.
- Serve warm as a side dish.
Cabbage is one of our favorite side dishes, especially when I’m making a big Sunday dinner. Usually, I make it with smoked ham hocks, but after trying your recipe with smoked turkey, I don’t think I’ll go back. So delicious.
I’ve always cooked my cabbage with bacon, I had no idea ham was an option. 😀
Yummy! Yummy! Yummy! That’s all I can say! Perfectly seasoned and the smokiness from the turkey just made this dish all the more tasty! As described this is definitely a rich and succulent side dish!
I’ve been looking for a fall cabbage recipe and this was the answer to my prayers! It turned out perfect the first time, which is a testament to you as the recipe developer and the amount of care that you put into this amazing recipe!
We had this cabbage with our dinner tonight and it was such a hit! I love the idea of using smoked turkey to add even more flavor!
I don’t think I’ve ever written a recipe review, but this recipe was the best-tasting cabbage I have ever made. It was seasoned perfectly and so flavorful. This is my new go-to recipe.
Thank you! Love to hear that.
This cabbage recipe was delicious! I loved the smoked Turkey flavor in the cabbage, this is how my Grandmom used to make hers! I’ll be making this again for thanksgiving and I can’t wait for everyone to enjoy it as much as I did!
This is cabbage just like my Grandma used to make. Thank you for such a tasty and easy to follow recipe!
Spectacular recipe. I used ham in place of turkey and it was so sooo good! Defo making this again!
I love cabbage and this recipe did not disappoint! The smoked turkey made it so flavorful. Will make this again.
I just picked my last 3 small cabbages and I have some leftover turkey (not smoked) and I’m going to give this a try tonight
Easy, delicious, and healthy recipe to make.
This is a perfect meal for me for tonight’s dinner.
This cabbage recipe sounds delicious I used turkey tails with greens and cabbages they are the best you two are good good cooks thank you
Thank you so much!
Hands up to this recipe. It is a quick and easy dish to make yet delicious!
I am so happy I came across your site. It’s been so long since I have ate any of these recipes. My grandmother used to make a lot of these recipes growing up. The smell wafted all though the house. It was delicious. Thank you so much for bringing these back. I can’t wait till I make a lot of these recipes.
That makes me so happy to hear! xoxo – Krysten
How would I alter the recipe to take the meat out. My husband doesn’t eat processed and store smoked meat but loves cabbage.
Hi Mia! That’s fine, just leave out the smoked turkey and add extra seasonings if desired. I don’t know any other processed or store smoked meat alternatives that would give it that savory flavor.