Last Updated on June 26, 2020
Since I learned from a renowned physician that red cabbage is the number 1 bargain antioxidant vegetable, a red cabbage stir fry was overdue.
So here comes my first “warm” clean eating recipe with this purple cruciferous vegetable playing the main role. I’m sure you’ll love the fact that this delicious vegan dish can be ready within 20 minutes. The only premise is that you have cooked grains (e.g. brown rice) at hand. And if not, I’ll give you a tip below how to speed up cooking time. Read on!
Time-saving tip: replace brown rice with bulgur
If you don’t have cooked brown rice at hand, you could easily use bulgur instead which can be cooked in a breeze. Just cover it with boiled salted water and let it sit for 20 minutes. Don’t tell me that this important whole grain is missing in your pantry?!
This coarse wheat meal is full of dietary fibers, which make you longer satiated. Other substances in bulgur can calm the nerves and regulate blood sugar levels. For the following ingredients overview I’ve used bulgur.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes
Edamame: You can use either pre-cooked, ready made edamame beans (see above) or frozen which you have to shell before. It takes some time to shell them but the reward is a green eye-catcher you won’t get with the pre-cooked version.
Sun-dried tomatoes: You can maybe skip the edamame, but it’s the dry tomatoes that give this flavorful dish the ultimate kick. By the way, did you know that dried tomatoes are high in fiber, antioxidants, and proteins?
They are available either in jars with oil, but even better if you can get oil-free sun-dried tomatoes in resealable bags to keep this recipe as light as possible. I don’t know about the US, but here in Germany I can purchase little bags with oil-free sun-dried tomatoes even at Aldi!
Herbs & spices: You can use either fresh or dried basil, oregano and turmeric
Ingredient swaps
If you want to switch things up, here are some variations you can try:
Grains: Instead of bulgur you can use any other cooked grains like brown rice (see below), millet, buckwheat or the pseudo-grain quinoa for an extra punch of protein. If you have plenty of time click through to learn how to cook brown rice on the stove for perfect side dishes.
Peas: if you can’t get Edamame frozen peas are a great replacement with a similar eye-catching color effect.
Step-by-step photos
Step 1: sauté diced onions in some olive oil for a minute.
Step 2: Add thinly sliced red cabbage and stir-fry for 5 minutes on medium heat.
Step 3: Now add garlic and turmeric and stir-fry for another minute.
Step 4: It’s time to add cooked grains (bulgur, brown rice etc.) and frozen edamame. Stir-fry for three minutes. If you are using pre-cooked edamame add it with step 5.
Step 5: At last add sun-dried tomatoes, soy sauce, herbs and cook for another 3 minutes at medium heat. If you are using pre-cooked edamame then you would add it in this step.
As you can see it is an easy and colorful one-pan meal.
Heads up regarding seasoning. Sun-dried tomatoes are usually salty, so you often won’t need any additional seasoning for this dish.
Don’t tell me that I didn’t warn you, especially if you have to watch your sodium intake…
PrintRed cabbage stir fry with dried tomatoes and edamame
A delicious one pan meal
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: stir-frying
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 250 grams brown rice, cooked
- 250 grams red cabbage, thinly grated
- 200 grams edamame (frozen, shelled)
- 2 white onions, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 100 grams sun-dried tomatoes (oil-fee), thinly sliced and pre-soaked in water
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, cold pressed
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, ground
- 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
- 1 tablespoon basil, dried
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (e.g. Tamari)
- salt and red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan and sauté onions for 1 minute.
- Add the cabbage and fry for 5 minutes at medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and turmeric and fry for another minute.
- Add cooked rice and frozen edamame, stir fry for 3 minutes.
- Then add dried tomatoes, oregano, soy sauce, and chopped basil.
- Stir-fry for another 2 minutes
- Season lightly with salt and pepper. (optional)
Notes
Ingredient Notes:
- Tip: Don’t go overboard with salt as the dried tomatoes are usually salty enough.
- For an Asian touch sprinkle with some sesame oil and sesame seeds at the end of cooking.
- For best results, I don’t soak sun-dried tomatoes longer than 30 minutes in water
Ingredient Swaps:
- Edamame: you could also use 100 grams of frozen split peas which you add together with the cooked grains
- Brown rice or bulgur: you could use cooked quinoa, millet, buckwheat or any other whole grain of your preference
- Sun-dried tomatoes: If you are using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil make sure to drain oil if you are watching your weight
- Dried herbs: Use fresh herbs like basil and/or oregano if at hand
More red cabbage recipes
If you love red cabbage but you don’t know what else to do with it, you’ve come to the right place. Some time ago I’ve posted a vitamin-rich salad recipe with purple cabbage and carrots including a secret ingredient.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy it too. In this blog post, I’ve also put together the top benefits of this cruciferous vegetable. Click through for the clean eating red cabbage salad recipe.
This is my kind of recipe! Looks so delicious! I am going to have to give this a try!
Thank you Juli. Just give this easy and tasty one-pan meal a try, I’m sure you won’t regret it.
Perfect for Meatless Mondays. So yummy!
Absolutely! This simple vegan stir-fry convinces even carnivores like my hubby 🙂
Vegan & clean — a good way to start the new year. 🙂 This looks great and yes, I bet those sun-dried tomatoes add to it perfectly. Sounds delicious.
If your new year’s resolutions are vegan and clean then this tasty recipe is for sure a keeper.
What a delicious flavour packed dish. I love anything that has sun-dried tomatoes in it.
Me too Dannii!!! I sometimes think I must have lived under a rock for many years because I’ve started to cook with sun-dried tomatoes only a few years ago.