Braised Cabbage with Mushrooms and Ham - a delicious way to prepare cabbage. You can also call it a cabbage stir fry, or another interesting name: Solyanka recipe.
I have a friend who claims she doesn't cook, and yet every time I am at her house, she whips up something outrageously delicious, usually with an interesting twist on classic dishes. Take, for example, this braised cabbage with mushrooms and ham.
This outrageously delicious cabbage stir-fry recipe is also known as Solyanka (or Soljanka). It is very popular in Russia and Germany, and it's usually made with cabbage, a little bit of pickled cucumber (for saltiness), and a broth. Sometimes the meat is added, too. Well, my friend took this dish to a completely new level, by reducing the broth basically to zero and making it more like a stew, adding wild mushrooms and ham, and using only a very moderate amount of pickled cucumber to add just the right saltiness. She also used only about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste for color and to create a very subtle tomato flavor. Oh, my deliciousness! This has become my new comfort food and a favorite way to eat cabbage! Just take a look at this medley of veggies: can you smell the wild mushrooms infused with garlic flavor, tomato, cabbage, ham, and pickle flavors?!
Because the vegetables here are cooked in a very little liquid, and simmered at a low temperature (without boiling), all the flavors mingle nicely, and what you get is a perfectly prepared stew! You can serve this braised cabbage stir-fry (or Solyanka if you wish) as is, or on top of rice or quinoa!
Braised Cabbage Stir-Fry with Mushrooms and Ham (Solyanka)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion , small, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons water
- 8 cups cabbage , finely shredded
- 1 pickle finely chopped
- 3 cups mushrooms , fresh, chopped
- 1 ½ cups ham chopped
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat, add chopped onion and minced garlic and cook until softened for about 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat, if necessary, to avoid burning the onions and garlic.
- Add tomato paste and about 2 tablespoons of water to the skillet, and mix, cooking on medium heat, to make sure the tomato paste is well combined with onions and garlic.
- On medium heat, add shredded cabbage, finely chopped pickled cucumber, chopped mushrooms and chopped ham to the tomato paste mixture, mix to combine. Add more water if needed, by tablespoons, to make sure your mixture remains moist but not soupy.
- Reduce heat to simmer and let the vegetables braise on very low heat for about 40 minutes to make sure all flavors blend well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This was absolutely delicious! I had to improvise a little, as I had no pickle. I used a few capers instead, and it seemed to work very well. Will be making it again, for sure.
Nadia, thank you for trying this recipe and sharing your review. 🙂 It's one of my older recipes - glad you liked it!
This recipe sounds a lot like the early stages of French onion soup!! I wonder, do you think you could go on and use your recipe and make a soup? Will it be tasty enough once more broth is added? Much appreciate your thoughts.
I think this will be really delicious as a soup. Add the chicken broth or beef broth, might have to add some salt or other seasonings.
Why is it that you don’t post nutritional values for your recipes? Would be really helpful when calculating for all different types of diets.
I love to eat cabbage Julia, but its so hard to find different recipes for it. Want to try this!!
this sounds so amazing! cabbage is really so versatile.
Oh, this does look delicious. It seems that in the UK, we seem to be having a bit of a eastern-European food boom and have seen a wave of simple, starch-and-cabbage based dishes (though this is to over-simplify the food, as it is far more than that). It's all very cosy and warming, though, and frugal - just what we need during these lean winter months!
Don't think I've ever tried a Solyanka before and it looks amazing! Sounds refreshing and very appetizing!
I have surprisingly never made anything with cabbage! This looks fantastic!