Recipe: BBQ-grilled cabbage

Shannon Beigert

The humble cabbage is one of my favorite vegetables. It is delicious eaten raw in slaws and salad, or cooked by itself or with other ingredients, such as stuffed cabbage, or alongside corned beef. Cabbage can be dressed up or down, and is so good!

We like to grill outdoors this time of the year, and were recently guests at a friend’s home. Since they are remodeling, they've got limited use of their kitchen. We spent the evening outdoors and had grilled salmon along with delicious grilled cabbage.  We enjoyed it so much, I tried it at home.

I prepared grilled cabbage with a main course of grilled beef kabobs. Although it was not quite as good as the one at our friend’s place, it was still delicious, easy, and healthy.

Ingredients:

Use a grill-safe veggie basket or pan, preferably with holes

1 head of green cabbage
Spray oil (suggest using olive or avocado oil) 
1/4 Cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Wash and dry the cabbage.

Using a large knife, first core the cabbage, then chop roughly into large pieces Spray the veggie pan with oil. Place the prepared cabbage on the roasting pan. Using tongs, spread the cabbage out on the tray and give the cabbage a light spray of oil Place the pan with the cabbage on it directly on the grill. Cook on your grill on a high to very high heat -- that means 400 to 550 or so degrees.

As the cabbage begins to cook, its volume will decrease significantly, as the water in it evaporates.

Stir the cooking cabbage with tongs, moving it around a bit to encourage even cooking.

Watch to see when the cabbage is ready. It will depend on the heat of your grill, and whether you prefer it crunchy or softer. Cooking time can take anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes. The higher the temperature, the faster it will cook.

Once you have completed cooking the cabbage, place it in a bowl.

Mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard to create a dressing. Pour it directly over the hot cabbage, salting and adding pepper as desired.

Enjoy!

Shannon Beigert is a chef and baker who loves to entertain guests at her Olympia home. If you want to let her know that this recipe worked well for you, send her a note at shannon@theJOLTnews.com