Slow Roasted Red Cabbage Steaks with Za’atar Butter

These crispy, sweet and succulent slow roasted red cabbage steaks are elevated with nutty and herbaceous za'atar butter.

Besides being so tasty and looking so nice, these red cabbage steaks are really easy to make. Prep is all of 5 minutes and off to the oven they go.

In about an hour of slow roasting, you'll have succulent red cabbage steaks with lacy crisp outer leaves and a soft center.

Great as a side dish or component of a Mediterranean rice bowl.

Ingredients

Red Cabbage: Red cabbage and white cabbage are mostly interchangeably. Red cabbage has a slightly earthier or more peppery taste as compared to white cabbage which is mostly sweet with only a little pungency.

Za'atar: Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend made from toasted sesame seeds (nutty), thyme (herby), sumac (lemony) and a tiny bit of salt. So basically a nutty, earthy, lemony spice blend. You can find it at many supermarkets or otherwise specialty Middle Eastern grocers...or make your own!

Salted Butter: Salted butter ensures the salt makes it into the center of the cabbage steaks. Salted butters can vary in their salt content ao you'll likely need to add a but more salt.

Salt: Normally za'atar blends have only a little salt (let's say half a teaspoon in a quarter cup) so you'll need to add salt to taste. I can't tell you how much because ut depends on the salt content of your particular za'atar blend and butter. A little sprinkle should do it.

Optional extra seasoning: These would also be great with some garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili like Aleppo pepper or regular chili flakes.

Instructions

Start by preheating your oven to because prep is really quick.

Cut the cabbage in half from the core. Place the cut sides down, then slice crosswise into 2-3 cm / ¾-1 in thick slabs, keeping the core attached so the slices hold together.

I used most of one head of cabbage for this recipe and left out the rounded ends which I'll use for another purpose (like soup).

Once the cabbage is cut you can lay it out on a baking tray / cookie sheet. I like to use parchment paper to prevent sticking and for easy cleanup.

Next, cream together the softened butter and za'atar until smooth and even.

Finally, just smear the za'atar butter onto the cabbage steaks. Try to get some coverage on both the bottoms and the tops - more on top since it will spread downwards as it melts.

It really helps if cabbage is at room temperature and not fridge cold. If it's cold from the fridge the butter will seize up when you smear it on and make everything much more difficult. Ask me how I know...

A final note on presentation.

The za'atar butter tends to spread and scatter sort of unevenly in the oven. For more even coverage, do another sprinkle of za'atar or even just sesame seeds for a bit of 'crust' action over the tops of the steaks.

Do this either near the end of baking or at the halfway point if you're using raw sesame seeds.

The cabbage steaks bake up to have lusciously sweet and soft centers with crisp lacy outer leaves. It's hard not to start picking off those crispy bits before they're even off the baking tray.

Serving Suggestion

These cabbage steaks are very on-theme as an addition in Mediterranean meals like rice bowls with Mediterranean Vegetable Pilaf or Mediterranean chickpea rice with sun dried tomatoes.

You can drizzle them with a quick lemon tahini sauce (tahini, lemon to taste and a few splashes of water whisked together).

Aside from serving them as a component of a dish, you can also make a quick warm roasted cabbage salad by laying them out in a bowl and drizzling with lemon tahini sauce or other dressing of your choice.

Recipe

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