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Corned beef and cabbage is a popular meal for St. Patrick’s Day. Cabbage sales increase substantially in March and prices often drop. With cabbage prices plummeting, it’s a great time to feature this nutritious vegetable in these March meal plan ideas.

March Meal Plan Ideas

Loaded with vitamins and minerals, the unassuming cabbage is often overlooked. Cabbage is high in vitamins K and C and an excellent source of fiber. It’s incredibly versatile and can act as the star of the show or a supporting act. In these March meal plan ideas, cabbage is included in every dish.

“In the night the cabbages catch at the moon, the leaves drip silver,
the rows of cabbages are a series of little silver waterfalls in the moon.”

~Carl Sandburg

This month’s meal plan ideas, focusing on the extremely versatile and affordable cabbage, are also delicious and filling. You’ll find many wonderful meal plan ideas to usher out winter and welcome in spring!

Special Consideration

Cabbage is classified as a goitrogenic food. These foods can affect thyroid function. Other goitrogenic foods are Brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, turnips, rutabaga, radishes, kale, and cauliflower.  Rich in vitamins and minerals, most experts do not recommend fully avoiding these foods—including those with thyroid disease. If this is a concern for you, steaming, cooking, or fermenting can reduce the levels of goitrogens.

While I am providing 31 days of meal plan ideas that include cabbage daily, those concerned about goitrogens would probably not wish to prepare each daily dish.

Need More?

I link directly to recipes whenever possible, but sometimes I make a note about how I alter a recipe to accommodate budget or nutrition. You’ll find these notes in the To-Do List and Notes further down in the post.

The Details

This collection of meal plan ideas serves four or five average eaters. You can make needed adjustments based on your family size and personal desires. And also, these meals often build off of each other. This collection of meal plan ideas features whole, real, and traditional foods. Foods are often (but not always) fermented, cultured, soaked, sprouted, or soured.

Don’t have a sourdough starter? Learn how to catch a wild starter.

Be sure to scroll down to the To-Do List and Notes section for lots of valuable information!

Week 1

Sunday: Warming Beef and Cabbage Soup
Monday: Easy Stuffed Cabbage Casserole (see notes)
Tuesday: One Skillet Hot Sausage and Cabbage Stir Fry (see notes)
Wednesday: Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs and Grilled Cabbage
Thursday: Okonomiyaki (Japanese Cabbage Pancakes)
Friday: Joe’s Special (see notes)
Saturday: Weeknight Cabbage Rolls

Week 2

Sunday: Crockpot Chicken, colcannon, sourdough bread
Monday: White Beans and Cabbage
Tuesday: Low-Carb Cabbage Enchiladas
Wednesday: Egg Roll in a Bowl
Thursday: Main Dish Salad (see notes)
Friday: Sauerkraut and White Bean Soup
Saturday: Curried Cabbage with Ground Beef

March Meal Plan Ideas

Week 3

Sunday: Cabbage Pie
Monday: 2-Minute Instant Pot Italian Cabbage & Tomato Soup
Tuesday: Homemade Corned Beef and Sauteed Cabbage
Wednesday: Pasta With Caramelized Cabbage, Anchovies and Bread Crumbs
Thursday: Burgers and Zesty Low-Carb Jalapeño Cabbage Coleslaw
Friday: Italian Vegetable Soup
Saturday: Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole

Week 4

Sunday: Crockpot Chicken, Creamed Cabbage, Norwegian Style
Monday: Onion Cabbage and Lentils with Rice
Tuesday: Cabbage Sauteed with Chicken
Wednesday: Lentil and Cabbage Stir
Thursday: {20 Minute} Kielbasa Cabbage Potato Skillet
Friday: Arabic Meatballs and Cabbage Patties
Saturday: Main Dish Salad (Read more about this in the To-Do List and Notes)

Partial Week

Sunday: Big Flat Reuben
Monday: Cabbage Lentil Soup 
Tuesday: Bratwurst and Red Cabbage

To-Do List and Notes

Week 1

Sunday:

This soup is served over warm, cooked rice. Make a double batch of rice to use in tomorrow’s casserole. Start your rice to soak early in the day, and use your Instant Pot for perfect rice every time.

Start a batch of sauerkraut.  You’ll need it for next Thursday’s soup, plus it is a wonderful item to keep on hand to add probiotic goodness to your meals.

Monday:

Instead of instant rice in this stuffed cabbage casserole, use the rice you cooked yesterday. Add the rice at the end of the cooking time, allowing a few minutes for it to warm through before topping with cheese. Any ground meat can be used in this recipe.

Tuesday:

A few minor adjustments make this the perfect economical dish. Make your own sausage! Use regular button mushrooms instead of shiitake. If the cost of Napa cabbage is prohibitive, use regular cabbage.

Wednesday:

No advance prep needed for roasted chicken and grilled cabbage.

Thursday:

No advance prep needed for Okonomiyaki. Chicken can be substituted for shrimp, or eliminate meat and serve as a vegetarian dish.

Friday:

Joe’s Special is a staple at our house! My husband and I share cooking duties. This dish is his specialty. Brown ground meat (we use wild game, but you can use beef, pork, chicken, etc.) along with 1/2 of a sliced cabbage and a whole onion. You can also add chopped carrots, celery, or green pepper if you wish. Salt and pepper, then throw in whatever spices you like. Add a little water to keep it from sticking. When the meat is cooked and vegetables are soft, it is ready to serve over rice (or mashed potatoes) and topped with any or all of the following: soy sauce, sour cream, hot sauce (we like sriracha), crispy noodles, and/or peanuts.

Saturday:

Weeknight Cabbage Rolls–since a quicker version is still time-consuming, we make this a weekend dish at our house. Use either savoy or regular cabbage.

Week 2

Sunday:

Cook a whole chicken in the crockpot.  Serve around half tonight along with the colcannon. You’ll need 3 cups of chicken for Tuesday, then save any additional for Thursday’s salad. Save any accumulated stock in a mason jar.

Put the bones back in the crockpot to make broth. Afterward, make a second (and third!) batch of broth.

The broth will keep in a mason jar in the back of the fridge for at least a week. Freeze for longer storage. TIP: Freeze in ice cube trays, then move to a baggie for instant broth as needed.

The colcannon can be made with regular cabbage instead of savoy cabbage.

Let’s start some white beans to soak! Clean and sort two cups of beans, then put in water to soak overnight.

Monday:

If using your crockpot, start the beans at least 5 hours before dinner. I like to cook beans in broth for additional nutrition.

You’ll use 2 cups of beans for tonight’s White Beans and Cabbage. You’ll need 1 or 2 cups for Thursday’s salad. You’ll need 3 cups for Friday night. The rest can be stashed in the freezer for future use.

Tuesday:

No advance prep needed.

Homemade corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day needs to be started today.

Wednesday:

No advance prep needed.

Thursday:

In the dark days of winter, a nice big salad hits the spot! We scour the fridge and freezer for bits of meat and veggies to top the salad. Mixing cabbage with lettuce gives a nice crunch. I cut all of the fresh vegetables, cooked meats, beans or legumes, and cheeses and put them on a large cutting board, which then becomes the serving board. If I don’t have any cooked meats lurking in the fridge, I’ll hard boil some eggs and/or mix up salmon or tuna salad from a can. You’ve saved chicken and white beans from earlier in the week to use in this salad.

We’ll add small bowls of shredded cheese, olives, sunflower seeds, peanuts, etc. Then everyone fills their plate with salad greens and whatever toppings they want. Finish it off with a homemade dressing and maybe a nice crusty bread. It is so good!

Friday:

You’ve already made the beans and sauerkraut for this dish. No other prep is needed.  Use your choice of ground meat. A nice crusty bread is wonderful with this soup.

Saturday:

No advance preparation is needed for Curried Cabbage with Ground Beef. See note in the article to add beef.

 

Week 3

Sunday:

Celebrate Pi Day with Cabbage Pie! No advance prep needed, but allow a couple of hours.

Monday:

No advance prep needed.

Tuesday:

Your homemade corned beef has been curing for a week. It will take 3 hours to cook.

Wednesday:

Pasta With Caramelized Cabbage, Anchovies and Bread Crumbs. Use sourdough bread crumbs and choose your favorite pasta. I like rice pasta.

Thursday:

Welcome spring with burgers and a delicious zesty slaw. No advance prep needed.

Friday:

No advance prep needed for Italian Vegetable Soup.

Saturday:

Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole. Use a traditional fat instead of cooking spray.

 

Week 4

Sunday:

Cook a whole chicken in the crockpot.  Serve a little over half tonight with the Creamed Cabbage, Norwegian Style (omit the bouillon from this recipe). Divide the remaining bird and put in glassware for future meals. A breast and thigh would make a nice presentation for Tuesday (but is not essential). Whatever remains can be used for Saturday’s salad. (I’d move this to the freezer and pull out to thaw on Friday.) Save any accumulated stock in a mason jar.

Put the bones back in the crockpot to make broth. Afterward, make a second (and third!) batch of broth.

The broth will keep in a mason jar in the back of the fridge for at least a week. Freeze for longer storage. TIP: Freeze in ice cube trays, then move to a baggie for instant broth as needed.

If making your own corned beef and condiments for next Sunday’s Reuben, these need to be started today.

Monday:

Early in the day, start 2 cups of lentils to soak. About an hour and a half before supper, cook the lentils until barely soft.

Divide the lentils. You’ll need 2 1/4 cups tonight, approximately 3 cups on Wednesday, and 1 1/3 cup on Thursday. Additional lentils can be stashed in the freezer for future use or added to Saturday’s salad.

For tonight’s Onion Cabbage and Lentils with Rice, use a traditional fat (such as lard, coconut oil, tallow) in place of the canola oil. Use 2 1/4 cups of cooked lentils.

Tuesday:

Cabbage Sauteed with Chicken. We’ll use already cooked chicken for this dish. Cut into chunks. Cook the cabbage for 5 minutes, then add chicken, paprika, and tomato paste. Proceed with recipe from Step 5 as written. Since the chicken is already fully cooked, cooking time can be reduced by half.

Wednesday:

Lentil and Cabbage Stir Fry. No advance prep is needed since the lentils are already cooked.

Thursday:

No advance preparation needed for {20 Minute} Kielbasa Cabbage Potato Skillet.

Friday:

Fun and festive for a Friday night! No advance prep needed for Arabic Meatballs and Cabbage Patties

Saturday:

Main Dish Salad. We scour the fridge and freezer for bits of meat and veggies to top the salad. Mixing cabbage with lettuce gives a nice crunch. I cut all of the fresh vegetables, cooked meats, beans or legumes, and cheeses on a large cutting board, which then becomes the serving board. If I don’t have any cooked meats lurking in the fridge, I’ll hard boil some eggs and/or mix up salmon or tuna salad from a can. You’ve saved chicken on Sunday for this dish.

We add small bowls of shredded cheese, olives, sunflower seeds, peanuts, etc., then everyone fills their plate with salad greens and whatever toppings they want. Finish it off with a homemade dressing and maybe a nice crusty bread. It is so good!

Partial Week To-Do

Sunday:

Start the Reuben early in the day.

Monday:

Cabbage Lentil Soup. No advance prep needed.

Tuesday:

Let’s finish the month with red cabbage! No advance prep needed.

Looking for more meal plan ideas? Check out the meal plan archives here.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy cabbage is fermented. Sauerkraut, kimchi, cordito; all are wonderful versions of kraut. Want to create your own safe-to-eat and delicious fermented salsas, chutneys, pickles or krauts? You need my friend Wardee’s free fermenting formulas Cheat Sheet! Click here to learn more…

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