Skip Salt And Pepper – Add A Packet Of This Seasoning To Sautéed Cabbage For 10x The Flavor

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

There exist among us sad individuals who would besmirch the good name of cabbage, not realizing its ample culinary potential. Remember when Jacques Pépin silenced the haters with a sweet and sour cabbage that was good enough to serve as a main dish? This underrated veggie is a diamond in the rough, a delicious wallflower just waiting to grace your plate with flavor and nutrition alike. After all, there are some foods with more vitamin K than cabbage, but not a lot — and that's to say nothing of it being packed in fiber and low in calories. Cooking it is no mystery, either. Slicing the leaves into ribbons (discarding the woody core) and sauteeing them is easy-peasy ... and, with lemon-pepper seasoning, you can add "lemon squeezy" to that descriptor as well!

A standard lemon pepper seasoning, like the basic, well-rated version by Lawry's, contains more than just lemon and pepper; you might expect garlic, onion, sugar, and salt to join the mix as well. The combination makes this a well-rounded flavor enhancer that hits all the major taste categories and works with every color of cabbage. It's an all-in-one culinary bombshell that permits you to skip plain S&P. 

Lemon goes swimmingly well with cabbage overall, to the point that there are a number of recipes that call for lemon zest or lemon juice over cooked cabbage. But the beauty of using lemon-pepper seasoning is that there are no tricks involved: you just sprinkle the seasoning on. Do this while the cabbage is sauteeing in your fat of choice, and you will bloom the seasoning as you cook for fuller flavor.

All by itself, lemon-pepper seasoning will add big flavor to cabbage and will technically need no further adornment. It's not one of the unique spices that will give your dishes pizazz, but it doesn't need to be extraordinary when it's this solid of a team player. We're here to tell you, however, that a few common kitchen staples play really well with this flavor profile and can take your dish all the way to the nirvana of noms. Garlic seems to be the number one addition to dishes that also incorporate lemon with cabbage, and with good reason. Lemon and garlic are timeless allies in building flavor with the one-two punch of acid and allium goodness, while black pepper adds mild heat. 

To kick your cabbage up to the next level, consider adding real spice. Red pepper flakes will do the job all on their own quite nicely, but we were intrigued when we were plumbing Amazon for lemon pepper seasoning packets and unearthed Siete Lemon Pepper Fajita Seasoning, which adds smoked sea salt, lemon oil, ground dates, and turmeric to a standard lemon pepper combo for big Tex Mex taste. Getting spicier with such a mix would be absolutely scrumptious, we think. After that, all you would need is a splash of hot sauce or your favorite ground pepper. You could serve this spicy, lemony, sharp dish alongside your favorite meat, of course, but we might just be tempted to roll it up in a tortilla all by itself for a veggie-friendly taco that bursts with unexpected savor and the comforting, homey delight that is tender sauteed cabbage.