As we all know, January is the month where everyone is watching their budget and turning every cent. With back to school, recovering from festive spends, or thinking if it was really necessary to paint the whole house.

As a local caterer, Leanne Haas has learnt something beautiful: you don’t need expensive ingredients to make food that is wholesome, hearty, and delicious. And if there’s one ingredient that proves this over and over again, it’s cabbage.

Haas said that in her kitchen, whether cooking for clients, retirement villages, or the homeless, cabbage is honestly the main character. It stretches a pot, it feeds many mouths, it works with any flavour, and it stays affordable all year round.

“I especially love pairing cabbage with pork chops or gammon, and it also goes really well with boerewors and ox liver,” she said.

Even if you simply fry cabbage on its own with enough seasoning, it becomes a dish on its own. And deep down, even though we joke about it, nothing hits that soft spot when the funds are low like pap and cabbage.

Haas shared some of the endless ways to use cabbage:

Cabbage soup
Perfect for detoxing after December or for anyone trying to eat lighter. It’s filling, nourishing, and naturally boosts weight loss thanks to cabbage’s high fibre and low calories.

Stir-fries
Cabbage works beautifully in stir-fries. Add carrots, peppers, or whatever vegetables you have on hand. If you’ve got meat, mince, chicken, or sausage, toss it in.

Cabbage accepts almost any flavour and transforms it. You can also add some purple cabbage to add some colour to your meal.

Fire-roasted cabbage
One of the most underrated ideas. Slice cabbage into thick wedges, season, add a bit of oil or butter, and braai it over an open flame. The smoky flavour is incredible.

Cabbage rolls
That dish where you wrap mince inside cabbage leaves? It’s called cabbage rolls (or “golabki” in some cultures). It’s budget-friendly, filling, and looks impressive on a plate.

Salad: Three ways to make it exciting
Cabbage isn’t only for warm meals – it shines in salads too.

1. Sour coleslaw
A tangy version with vinegar, a little sugar, salt, and pepper. Crisp, refreshing, and lasts long in the fridge.

2. Tropical coleslaw
Add pineapple, a touch of mayo, and perhaps raisins for sweetness. Perfect with grilled chicken or summer braais.

3. Traditional creamy coleslaw
The classic – shredded cabbage, carrot, and a creamy dressing. You can also add a little finely grated onion and black pepper to your coleslaw. Always a crowd pleaser.

Haas said that cabbage works so well in January because of the affordability. She also said that it is nutrient-rich (vitamin C, fibre, antioxidants).

“It’s versatile: braised, fried, soupy, raw, roasted, stewed, steamed. It fits every diet, budget meal, weight-loss meal, comfort meal, and plant-based meal,” said Haas.

According to Haas, cabbage stores well and stays fresh far longer than most vegetables and can even cook and freeze cabbage up 12 months.

Second to potato, she believes that cabbage is the most versatile vegetable and represents more than food – it represents community, nourishment, and creativity.

It’s the one ingredient that shows that good meals don’t have to be expensive, they just need heart.

“If 2026 had a ‘January ingredient of the month’, it would definitely be cabbage,” concluded Haas.