For Ultra-Flavorful Sauteed Cabbage, Swap Salt And Pepper For This Classic Southern Seasoning

Despite endless recipes from countless cultures around the world, cabbage is still somehow a vegetable that flies under the radar. It can be transformed into wedges laced with crispy edges and melty insides, or shaved raw and tossed with herbs and acids for a spectacular bright and crunchy salad. Even when simply sautéed, the brassica has a lot of potential to bring flavor. Rather than seasoning with simple salt and pepper, next time you sauté cabbage give it a Louisiana kick with a heavy dose of Creole seasoning. 

Using Creole seasoning brings new life into what can sometimes be a sad and dull dish. While there's nothing wrong with using just salt and pepper to season cabbage, those two spices are really the bare minimum in the fight against blandness. Cabbage has the wonderful ability to absorb any flavors that cook along with it, which makes seasoning the cabbage fairly straightforward and easy, as you can just sprinkle spices on top as it cooks. 

The vegetable also has a naturally slightly sweet taste on its own when it's cooked down, making Creole seasoning a perfect pairing as the herbaceous, savory notes meld well with cabbage's sweetness. There is a subtle difference between Creole and Cajun seasoning: Creole seasoning usually lacks the notorious heat of dried peppers that Cajun seasoning typically contains and tends to be more herb-heavy as well.

The ingredients of Creole seasoning can vary depending on the maker, but most Creole seasonings are a blend of onion and garlic powders, smoked or regular paprika, black and white pepper, dried herbs like oregano, thyme, and basil, along with some cayenne pepper and salt. One of the most famous Creole seasoning blends available in stores is a green container called Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning, but if you can't get your hands on a bottle of that, you can easily make your own blend at home. Famed New Orleans chef John Besh's simple recipe is a good place to start, and you can tinker with the herbs and spices to suit your taste.

For a heartier dish that combines cabbage with Creole seasoning, try our Southern fried cabbage recipe, which uses the Cajun and Creole "holy trinity" of onion, celery, and bell pepper, as well as strips of bacon for added protein, fat, and a boost of smoky, porky flavor. Serve it as a side dish to pork tenderloin or make it a meal all on its own with a side of warm, crusty bread. Alternatively, you could fry up an andouille sausage and serve the Creole cabbage as a side dish for a true spicy Southern dish. If you like a bit more brightness and heat, splash a few dashes of a Louisiana-style hot sauce like Crystal over the cabbage as you plate it, which complements the Creole seasoning well.