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German

Apfelrotkohl

Vegetarian

Shredded red cabbage braised slowly with apple, onion, vinegar and warm spices until glossy and sweet-sour. The essential side for roasts and festive meals.

Apfelrotkohl is a German side dish from Germany, ready in about 1 hour 30 minutes and made with red cabbage and apple. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Bowl of glossy braised red cabbage
Photo: MOs810 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Total
1 h 30 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
145

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Melt the butter (opens in a new tab) in a heavy pot, add the onion (opens in a new tab) and sugar (opens in a new tab) and cook until the onion is soft and lightly caramelised.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the cabbage and apple (opens in a new tab) and stir until the cabbage starts to wilt. Add the vinegar – it keeps the cabbage a vivid colour.

    • 5 min
    • medium heat

  3. Step 3

    Add the water, bay leaves (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab), juniper (opens in a new tab), cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and salt. Cover and braise gently, stirring now and then, until very tender.

    • 60 min
    • low heat

  4. Step 4

    Remove the whole spices, stir in the jelly (opens in a new tab) if using, and adjust with more sugar (opens in a new tab), vinegar or salt until it tastes balanced.

    • 4 min

About this dish

Origin
Germany · Commonly attributedBraised red cabbage is shared across Germany, Austria and Scandinavia.Also popular in Austria, DenmarkMore food from Germany
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes
Cooking method
Braised
Taste
sweet & sour, aromatic / warmly spiced, fruity
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · High-fibre
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-fibre · Low-fat · Carb-conscious
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Festive & celebration · One-pot
Cook more with
Red cabbage · Apple · Butter · Onion · Sugar · Apple cider vinegar
Techniques
Braising

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

145 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 291 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 7%
  • Carbohydrate 67%
  • Fat 26%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy145 kcal50 kcal
Protein2.8 g1 g
Carbohydrate26.6 g9.2 g
Net carbohydrate21.4 g7.3 g
Sugars17.6 g6.1 g
Added sugars4.2 g1.4 g
Fibre5.3 g1.8 g
Fat4.5 g1.5 g
Saturated fat2.6 g0.9 g
Trans fat0.2 g0.1 g
Cholesterol11 mg4 mg
Sodium662 mg228 mg
Salt equivalent1.7 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
505 mg
Calcium
88 mg
Iron
1.5 mg
Magnesium
33 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
130 µg
Vitamin C
99 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
36 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: juniper berries, cinnamon, jam.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Rotkohl tastes even better made a day or two ahead.

Serve with

  • Serve with Sauerbraten, roast duck or goose and potato dumplings.

Storage

  • Keeps 5 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently with a splash of water.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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