Corned Beef and Cabbage with Horseradish Cream Sauce
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Take your corned beef and cabbage to a whole new level by swapping the traditional boiling method for oven roasting—it’s a total game changer!
A beloved St. Patrick’s Day tradition, corned beef and cabbage is a cherished Irish-American dish, typically featuring corned beef—a brisket cured with salt and spices—and assorted vegetables like cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. While traditionally these components are boiled together in a big pot, I’ve found that slow-roasting the meat and vegetables separately yields a far more delicious outcome. My personal twist? Adding a horseradish-spiked butter sauce to the vegetables before roasting—it makes all the difference!
No corned beef and cabbage meal would be complete without a creamy horseradish cream sauce. Its cool, tangy, and slightly spicy flavor beautifully complements the rich, salty taste of the beef. To round off this traditional Irish-American meal, serve the corned beef and cabbage with my cheddar soda bread.
Table of Contents
“My goodness this corned beef and cabbage with horseradish cream sauce is definitely taking it up a notch! I will never boil corned beef again!”
What You’ll Need To Make Corned Beef & Cabbage
For the Corned Beef and Vegetables
- Corned Beef with Seasoning Packet: Named for the large “corns” or grains of salt used for curing, corned beef has a distinctive salty and savory flavor. Opt for a flat-cut brisket for even cooking and slicing. To ensure juiciness, do not trim the fat before cooking; it’s best to remove it after. Most corned beef packages come with a seasoning packet—essential for adding flavor with spices like peppercorns, bay leaves, and mustard seeds. If missing, refer to FAQs for a homemade substitute.
- Butter: The base of the roasting mixture, butter adds richness while assisting in the browning and caramelization of the vegetables in the oven.
- Prepared Horseradish: Combined with butter, this condiment adds a sharp, tangy flavor to the roasted vegetables. This spicy condiment is made from grated horseradish root mixed with vinegar and salt, and can typically be found in the refrigerated section of the supermarket.
- Carrots, Small Gold Potatoes, and Green Cabbage: Roasted together in the butter and horseradish mixture, these vegetables contribute variety of textures and flavors. The carrots introduce sweetness and color; the potatoes, a creamy texture; and the cabbage, a crunchy and slightly bitter balance.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
For the Horseradish Cream Sauce
- Sour Cream: Forms the creamy base of the sauce, offering a rich texture and a slight tanginess.
- Prepared Horseradish: Provides the sauce’s signature spicy, pungent flavor. Start with a recommended amount and adjust according to taste for more of a kick.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds depth and a mild heat, enhancing the complexity of the sauce while meshing well with the horseradish.
- White Wine Vinegar: Introduces a bright acidity, balancing the creaminess of the sour cream and the spiciness of the horseradish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by rinsing the meat under cold running water. This will rid the meat of some of the saltiness. Place the corned beef fat side up in a large roasting pan.
Pour about 1/8 inch water around the corned beef. Sprinkle the contents of the seasoning packet into the water around the meat. Cover the pan tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil and roast on the middle rack for 3 hours.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the melted butter, horseradish, salt, and pepper.
Mix well.
Place the carrots, potatoes and cabbage side by side on a rimmed baking sheet (do not line the pan with foil; the potatoes will stick). Drizzle the horseradish-butter mixture over the veggies.
Toss with a spatula to coat all of the vegetables evenly, keeping the vegetables separate. Turn the potatoes so that they are cut side down (they’ll get much crispier that way).
After the corned beef has roasted for 1 hour and 30 minutes, place the pan of vegetables on the bottom rack of the oven. Roast the vegetables and continue cooking the corned beef for 1 hour and 30 minutes more, until both the meat and vegetables are tender. Check on the veggies occasionally to be sure they are browning evenly.
Remove the meat from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Let cool slightly, until cool enough to handle.
Cut off the layer of fat on top of the corned beef and discard. Slice the meat against, or perpendicular to, the grain into 1/4-inch slices.
Simply combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl, and season to taste.
Arrange the meat and roasted vegetables on a platter and sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve with the horseradish cream sauce on the side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can create your own seasoning mix for the corned beef. Combine equal parts of mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and allspice berries to make about one teaspoon in total. I would also include a bay leaf for added flavor. Feel free to adjust the mix based on the spices you have available.
The corned beef can be roasted up to 3 days ahead of time and reheated. However, for best results, roast the vegetables just before serving to maintain their crispiness. The horseradish cream sauce can be prepared up to two days in advance and stored in the fridge.
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Corned Beef and Cabbage with Horseradish Cream Sauce
Take your corned beef and cabbage to a whole new level by swapping the traditional boiling method for oven roasting—it’s a total game changer!
Ingredients
For the Corned Beef and Vegetables
- 1 (4-lb) flat-cut corned beef with seasoning packet (do not trim the fat)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 medium carrots, cut into 2-in chunks
- 1¼ lb small gold potatoes (about 2.5" in diameter), halved
- 1 very small green cabbage, cored and cut into ½-inch-thick slices (see note)
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley, for garnish (optional)
For the Horseradish Cream Sauce
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven the 325°F. Set one oven rack in the middle position and another in the bottom position.
- Rinse the corned beef several times under running cold water. (No need to dry it.)
- Place the corned beef fat side up in a large roasting pan (you'll trim the fat after the meat is cooked). Pour about ⅛ inch water around the meat. Sprinkle the contents of the seasoning packet into the water around the corned beef. Cover the pan tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil and roast on the middle rack for 3 hours.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, horseradish, salt and pepper.
- Place the carrots, potatoes and cabbage side by side on a rimmed baking sheet (do not line the pan with foil; the potatoes will stick). Drizzle the horseradish-butter mixture over the veggies and toss with a spatula to coat all of the vegetables evenly, keeping the vegetables separate. Turn the potatoes so that they are cut side down (they'll get crispier that way).
- After the corned beef has roasted for 1 hour and 30 minutes, place the pan of vegetables on the bottom rack of the oven. Roast the vegetables and continue cooking the corned beef for 1 hour and 30 minutes more, until both the meat and vegetables are tender. Check on the veggies occasionally to be sure they are browning evenly. (The cabbage will brown first, so give it a toss when the bottom pieces look golden. The potatoes and carrots may need to be turned, but only if they are nicely browned on the bottom before the cook time is up.)
- Transfer the corned beef to a cutting board and let sit until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes. Cut off the layer of fat on top of the corned beef and discard. Slice the meat against (or perpendicular to) the grain into ¼-inch slices. Arrange the meat on a platter with the roasted vegetables and sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve with the horseradish cream sauce.
For the Horseradish Cream Sauce
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more horseradish to taste, if desired.
- Note: You won't use the whole head of cabbage; just use enough to cover ⅓ of the sheet pan.
- Note: The nutritional information does not include the horseradish cream sauce.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 577
- Fat: 40 g
- Saturated fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Sodium: 2813 mg
- Cholesterol: 138 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Absolutely delicious! Easy preparation. The veggies were great with the butter & horseradish. Horseradish cream sauce was so tasty with the corned beef & the cabbage-actually good with everything. The aroma in the house while cooking was sooo good. I’m saying goodbye to boiled corned beef from this day forward. Jen Thankyou was again for a fantastic recipe!
LOVE this recipe and your site Jenn! – Question; can I substitute Greek for sour cream?
Sure (and glad you like the recipes)! 🙂
I made this last night it was marvelous. The first time I’ve been able to slice corned beef and not have it fall apart. I made a few changes:
1st I coated the top of the meat with Grill Mates Brown Sugar Bourbon seasoning, 2nd I only used a little Horseradish as my wife isn’t fond of it, 3rd I sprinkled Camp Mix Spud Fixin on the vegetables and included onion halves to the tray. I did make the horseradish cream sauce as is. Overall the meal was great. Definitely a keeper. Thanks.
I wish I could send a picture! My dinner came out sooo delicious, we loved roasted cabbage and the horseradish sauce. I thought the carrots would never cook.. I put the vegetables back in the oven on 400° for 10 more minutes and they’re perfectly roasted! Thanks so much! Happy St. Patrick’s Day ☘ 😊👕💚🍀🍀🍀🍺
Happy Saint Paddy’s Day!
Hi Jenn – 2 questions (aplogies for the last minute questions)
1. I was just recently given a le Cuisinart Dutch Oven (literally – on Monday), I had planned on using my roasting pan with the foil to cover, but am wondering, instead can I use the D.O. with its cover?
2. Can I subsitute a hard apple cider for the water?
Thank you,
Marianne
Hi Marianne, Sorry I’m weighing in too late to help! I hope you had a good meal and for future reference, the answer to both of your questions is yes. 🙂
I typically make corned beef in my ceramic coated cast iron dutch oven with the lid on. Would it be OK to use that instead of the roasting pan with aluminum foil? I could also use the dutch oven pan with aluminum foil instead of the heavy lid. Thank you!
Sure, that should work. Hope you enjoy!
Superb recipe! A few footnotes: 1) I could have used 3 times the cabbage and carrots and twice the potatoes. All were extra yummy with the butter/horseradish and next time I’ll make more of it. Especially make the cabbage great. In other words…double the veggies and butter mixture.
The horseradish sauce was great roo. Recipe made a lot more than this piece of meat but I will find use other uses like on sandwiches.
So five stars from me!
Hands down the best corned beef recipe! Thank you so very much. I have passed this on to everyone I know!! The horseradish butter is to die for, don’t skip it on your veggies and potatoes you will regret it!! I put a layer of Dijon mustard on top of the fat before putting in the oven and place the corned beef on a bed of sliced onions and 3 cloves of garlic in the water. I don’t cut the fat off after cooking I put under the broiler to crisp up. I would give 10 stars if I could!!!! ⭐ Yummy😋
I want to double this recipe – I can’t fit 4 large pans in my oven. I want to use 2 smaller pans for the beef and 2 large for the veggies. I’ll put the two small pans on the top rack, but when I add the veggies could I put 1 large on top and switch one of the smaller meat pans to the bottom to fit it all? And would I add time?
Hi Nancy, I think I’m weighing in too late to be helpful – sorry! Perhaps you already tried it, but for future reference, I do think what you’ve suggested will work and that everything should need a bit more time in the oven as it will be more crowded.
Thanks for this great recipe! What’s the target internal temperature?
Hi Hannah, You don’t really need to check because you cook it for so long, but from a food safety standpoint, it should be at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit (but after all that time in the oven it will definitely register higher than that).
Hi Jenn
I left purchasing my corned beef too late and could only find a 1 1/2 lb one, which makes me sad as that means no leftovers for hash, but at least we’ll have 1 great dinner! How long do you think it should take to cook?
Thanks
I suspect this answer is coming too late to help — sorry! I would guesstimate that a 1.5-lb corned beef would need about 2 to 2-1/2 hours in the oven (but check it carefully as it may take a little longer).
The best corned beef I have ever had! I will always make it this way in the future. No more boiling it.