One of my favourite Christmas side dishes. We have mixed up the traditional recipe this year by adding a polish twist. So let me introduce you to our very own creation, Red Cabbage with Apple and Kabonas.
Very simple to make you can see step by step pictures on here. The recipe card is at the bottom of the page. It takes a while to cook the cabbage to a nice soft texture. However you don’t have to stand there watching just check back and give a stir here and there.
You can make this ahead of time. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for 1 month. Perfect for making ahead before Christmas, one less thing to make on the day!
If you have a slow cooker it may be easier to use that for this recipe. Will take a longer time to cook but you won’t need to keep an eye on it. Bonus is the delicious scents it fills your house with!
Kabanos
My brother’s girlfriend is Polish, thought it would be nice to find a way to bring the taste of home for her into our Christmas dinner.
Kabonas is a polish sausage, you will find it in all supermarkets with the cured meats, we picked ours up from Tesco.
It’s a long thin pork sausage, which can be eaten cold or hot and has a delicious smoky flavour. It complements the sweetness of the cabbage & apple perfectly.

The above picture is when we added the Kabanos. The scent in the kitchen for 1 1/2hrs was amazing.
The below picture is the finished dish, you can see how the cabbage has soaked all the flavours up.

See below, served up with our delicious Salmon en croute! (Recipe coming soon)
If you want it sweeter you can add some cranberry sauce or try a bit of plum jam mixed in.


Braised Red cabbage with Apple and Kabonas Sausage
Ingredients
- 25 grams Unsalted butter
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 1 Red cabbage Large and finely sliced
- 2 cooking apples grated
- 4 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 4 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp Allspice
- 200 grams kabonas sausage chopped into small chunks
- 100 ml water
Instructions
Hob method
- Melt the butter in a very large pan over medium heat, cook the shallots for 5 mins, until they are soft.
- Add all the other ingredients, stir together until the sugar has dissolved
- Cover with a lid and place on a simmer for 1 1/2 hr, stirring occasionally until the liquid has evaporated from the panEnjoy!!
Slow cooker method
- Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, cook the shallots for 5 mins, until they are soft.
- Place in a slow cooker along with all other ingredients. turn on low and leave to cook for 4-5 hours, stir only once halfway through.
Nutrition
If you liked our Red Cabbage with Apple and Kabonas. Keep an eye on our recipes as we will have more Christmas posts coming up soon.

Why a great dish! I’ve never tried that type of sausage but I’m going to look for it.
Its a polish sausage, I think in America the closest thing you will find to it is Kiełbasa.
This looks so tasty! So cool that you implemented Polish sausage for your brothers girlfriend. Where can we find this kind of sausage in the states (if possible)?
Thanks for comment
It’s a polish sausage, I think in America the closest thing you will find to it is Kiełbasa.
Hope you enjoy this recipe, please let us know your thoughts, always good to hear feedback!