Cabbage Wrapped Brats

Name: Cabbage Wrapped Brats
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 tbsp. olive oil; 1 medium onion, sliced; Kosher salt; Freshly ground black pepper; 4 bratwursts; 1 (12-oz.) can beer; 8 large cabbage leaves; Dijon mustard, for serving; 1 c. sauerkraut

By Lena AbrahamUpdated: Jun 7, 2023

Approved by the Delish Test Kitchen

4.3

7 Ratings

preview for These Beer-Braised Cabbage Wrap Brats Come Together In No Time

Yields:

4 serving(s)

Prep Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

10 mins

Cal/Serv:

391

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Let’s be honest: Though we’re all for a good sandwich or flatbread, oftentimes it’s actually just the tasty fillings we’re after. That’s why we’ve taken tons of our favorite classics—like Philly cheesesteaks, buffalo chicken wraps, and shrimp tacos—and turned them into lettuce wraps using everything from collards to romaine. Next up on our list? These simple (but delicious) cabbage-wrapped beer brats.

The cabbage.
First things first—if you’re going to wrap something in a cabbage leaf, it needs to be a little bit pliable, but not so much so that it falls apart. To achieve this, you’re going to want to blanch them for just 30 seconds, so get a timer going. If the head is too tight to peel off intact leaves before blanching, try immersing the entire head in the pot, and use tongs to gently pry off each layer as it’s ready. Don’t worry if some aren’t perfect, you can overlap them when wrapping to cover any tears.

The filling.
Once you’ve got your cabbage leaves ready to go, it’s time for the main event. We love cooking our onions in the same pan as our brats for two reasons—one, less dirty dishes, and two, it creates the most melt-in-your-mouth-delicious caramelized onions EVER. Though bratwurst can explode when cooking, this slower cooking method should keep them from doing so (but keep an eye on them, and if you’re worried, you can always pierce them with a fork to take some pressure off).

Tip: If you’re not feeling the beer, vegetable broth, cider, or ginger ale will also work in its place.

Made these? Let us know how it went in the comments below.

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Directions

1. Step 1In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until slightly tender, 4 minutes. Push onions to edges of skillet and add brats to center of skillet. Sear brats until golden, 2 minutes per side. Add beer and simmer on medium-low until all the liquid has evaporated, 10 to 14 minutes.
2. Step 2Meanwhile, blanch cabbage: In a large pot of boiling water, use tongs to dip cabbage leaves in water for 30 seconds. Place on a paper towel–lined plate to dry. When cool enough to handle, cut a "V" at the base of the leaf to remove the toughest part of the stem.
3. Step 3Build wraps: Overlap 2 cabbage leaves, cut sides in, to create one large oval. Spread mustard in the center of cabbage leaves, then top with caramelized onions, sauerkraut, and brats. Fold the short ends of the cabbage leaves in, then tightly roll from one long end to the other.