I Tried the Cheesy Cabbage Steaks That Everyone Is Obsessed with, and They’re Not What I Expected

In my experience, cabbage can be sort of hit or miss in the sense that it really needs to be the right scenario for me to crave it. Chopped cabbage sautéed with some diced onions and garlic can turn any meal around, but the taco truck by my house that includes cabbage in a burrito oversteps a line for me. That being said, I’m always down for a delicious and creamy coleslaw or a nice roasted cabbage. So when I came across Stella Drivas — aka Hungry Happens on Instagram — and her recipe for Cheesy Cabbage Steaks, I jumped at the opportunity to give them a shot. 

Truthfully, I’m a sucker for cheese, so no arm twisting was needed to get me on board for a new way to use cabbage. And if all was to go well, I would have something new (and a bit healthier) to add to my cooking rotation. Somehow though, the term cabbage steaks was new to me, so now was my chance to catch up to the rest of the culinary world and leave the beef behind for at least one meal.  

Get the recipe: Cheesy Cabbage Steaks

Start by preheating your oven to 425°F and preparing a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. After washing it, and making sure not to trim its stem or core, cut a single head of cabbage in half, then proceed to cut each half into three thick slices. At this point, you should be left with about six disc-shaped “cabbage steaks.”

In a bowl, combine olive oil, grated Parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, and Italian herb seasoning. Mix together and add salt and pepper to your preferred taste. Brush both sides of each cabbage steak with the mixture before placing on the prepared baking sheet to bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cabbage is looking golden.

When ready, remove the steaks from the oven and start dressing with toppings. For this recipe, I followed Stella’s example and made half pizza and half Mediterranean, which is a great place to start if this is a new recipe for you. Dress up three steaks with marinara, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni, then garnish with dried oregano and chili pepper flakes. For the remaining three steaks, spread pesto as the base, then top with crumbled feta cheese, and garnish with sliced miniature red peppers. Pop the steaks back into the oven for about 5 minutes, or just long enough for the cheese to melt. Serve hot and enjoy!

As someone who was already a fan of cabbage, I was very much interested in this way of preparing it. Somehow, I had never heard of cabbage steaks before, and being that pizza is one of my personal top five favorite food groups, I thought at the very least, I would enjoy this newer take on an already classic vegetable. 

To be honest though, the pizza flavor kind of fell short for me, and each bite left me craving a real slice of pizza more and more. I did, however, prefer the Mediterranean flavor for this type of recipe because it seemed to meld better with the fact that you’re eating cabbage. 

So personally, I’d rather keep pizza as pizza, but can totally see myself making Mediterranean-flavored cabbage steaks again in the future. The oven bake gives the cabbage a little more crunch, and the feta cheese mixed with the pesto made it seem as if these flavors were meant to go together. If you have someone in your family who is on the fence about cabbage, this could be a fun introduction using flavors they may already be familiar with, and tip them over to where the grass is most definitely greener.   

1. Experiment with different toppings. While I will literally put cheese on everything, taste preferences can vary drastically from person to person. So if either of the cabbage steak flavors did not work for you, experiment with other ingredients to get the preferred taste you are looking for. The possibilities are endless, and some of your favorite meals can be reimagined with this recipe. 
2. Peel off layers if needed. Depending on the size of the cabbage head — as well as your baking sheet — you may need to peel a few layers of the cabbage off before or after slicing. If I had left my cabbage as-is, I would have only been able to make three cabbage steaks on one baking sheet. So after peeling away a few layers, I was able to fit six on one sheet. 
3. Bake until golden. Make sure to leave the steaks in the oven the first time for the full 30 minutes, or until they are golden in color. This is plenty of time to leave them in before they get too roasted and start to burn, and you will be thanking yourself later for the crispy edges and crunchy texture with each bite when finished.  

Get the recipe: Cheesy Cabbage Steaks