The Flavor-Packed Boil Everyone's Talking About Puts Cabbage Front And Center

Everybody loves a good one-pan meal. When a recipe is simple, it gets big points. If there are only a few, affordable ingredients involved? Even better. And when you can combine that with minimal cleanup — now we're talking. But while stews and casseroles are always a solid choice, a festive seafood boil is where it's really at, and you can give it a unique, vegetarian spin using one surprising ingredient: cabbage.

Cabbage boils have been going viral online over the past few months as more and more people discover the flavor-packed dish. Loaded with butter, garlic, and Cajun spices, the recipe basically imitates an oven-baked seafood boil, but it swaps in a whole head of cabbage. The easy preparation gives the humble staple a major upgrade, transforming into a rich, tender treat worthy of any dinner table.

@allrecipes

Say buh bye to seafood and say HELLO to Cabbage Boil! 🥬👋 When we saw @bigpapahannah, @serinaamadee.eats, and @cookiterica make this, we had to try it! Get the full recipe down below or at the link in the @allrecipes bio. Ingredients: 1 head cabbage 1/2 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, divided 2 teaspoons paprika, divided 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, divided 2 teaspoons Old Bay® seasoning, divided 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon 1 lemon, juiced, divided 6 tablespoons butter, divided salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Directions: Preheat the oven to 385 degrees F (196 degrees C). Remove core from cabbage and make 6 2-inch cuts down from the core about 1/4 of the way down. Coat the cabbage with oil. Season cabbage with a 1 teaspoon each of the following seasonings: garlic powder, smoked paprika, paprika, Cajun seasoning, Old Bay, and chicken bouillon. Squeeze 1/2 lemon over cabbage and rub spices into cabbage until completely coated. Place 3 tablespoons butter in the center of cabbage and wrap tightly using two sheets of foil. Place on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Meanwhile, melt remaining butter and whisk in remaining 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, smoked paprika, paprika, Cajun seasoning, Old Bay, and lemon juice. Set aside. After 1 hour, remove cabbage from the oven and spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter mixture over the cabbage. Re-wrap cabbage in the same foil. Bake for 1 additional hour. Remove from oven and allow cabbage to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper; serve with remaining butter mixture for dipping if desired. 🧑‍🍳: @Natalie #cabbage #cabbageboil #sidedish #viral #appetizer

♬ Floating Smiles – Evoke Music

To make a cabbage boil, all you need to do is coat the head in spices and olive oil, stuff it with butter, and wrap it in foil before baking it for about two hours or so. Once it softens, just peel back the leaves and dip them in the melted, Cajun butter, along with any toppings or add-ins you want to play with. You'll have a delicious, messy backyard meal that will transport you right to summer without any seafood.

To prep the cabbage, remove the outer leaves, carefully cut a circle about an inch or two deep around the root, and shimmy off the bottom to create a well. Then, make a few slits around the edges, about a quarter of the way up the leaves, and place the cabbage down on the tray — with the bottom facing up.

This is where you're going to load your butter and spices. Salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder are non-negotiable, and some Cajun spice and Old Bay seasoning will really help this resemble a seafood-boil sauce. Lemon is a great addition too, as is brown sugar and parsley. You don't want to skimp on the butter either, use at least a few tablespoons and feel free to take the cabbage out halfway to baste it.

Some water or chicken stock can help keep the cabbage moist inside the foil and aid the steaming process, and you can stuff a whole bulb of garlic into the center of the cabbage for even more flavor. Bacon can also amp things up, and it's best to leave the cabbage to rest for a few minutes after it's out of the oven so that everything distributes evenly. Finally, make sure you use a double layer of foil – that much melted butter can make things messy, but it's always worth it.