Jazz Up Boring Cabbage And Make It Bloomin' Style

Cabbage has had quite the comeback story. Once relegated to a stinky, cruciferous veggie reserved for St. Patrick's Day and your grandmother's stuffed cabbage recipe, cabbage is now one of the biggest food trends of 2026.

Despite its rise in popularity, which may have something to do with fibermaxxing and other diet-focused trends, many people don't know how to cook with cabbage. Sure, you can braise it with beer, but if you're after texture, you'll want to seek inspiration from a chain restaurant favorite. It turns out you can give your cabbage the Bloomin' Onion treatment and turn it into an easy-to-share app. 

First remove the hard stem before slicing it into quarters — but not fully. This will allow you to spread the leaves. Pop the head into a Dutch oven (or whatever vessel you have that is large enough to accommodate it), drizzle it with melted butter and your seasoning of choice, and bake it in your oven until it's cooked. You can remove the top of the pot as the cabbage is baking if you want to brown the it. Before serving, add a sprinkle of cheese and whip up a dipping sauce. The cabbage's flavor will mellow, and its shape makes it conducive to peeling apart.

This appetizer offers plenty of opportunity for playing with flavors. For one, you can always swap out the dipping sauce to make it even tastier. If you add smoky seasonings to your butter before drizzling it on the cabbage, for example, you can easily pair it with a flavorful barbecue sauce. We'd recommend a classic and tangy Alabama white sauce, which has a creamy mayonnaise base, flavor from the seasonings, and tang from the vinegar. It's just spicy enough, and the creamy dressing will cling to the cabbage with ease.

You can also transform cabbage by leaning into the Bloomin' Onion style and battering it. Once you've partially cut it into four quarters, partially cut it again to make 16 wedges. Dredge the cabbage in egg and a flour-based breading before baking it in the oven until the breading is crispy. It's excellent dunked into a spicy aioli, or try a homemade garlic aioli for a punchy, fiber-packed appetizer that even folks who don't like cabbage can enjoy.