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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My husband grew up in Ohio, and I in Northern California, where I have had little experience cooking corned beef and foods that he loves. When he saw me preparing the corned beef according to Jenn’s directions, he went, “Oh Robin! you will ruin it that way- it has to cook in a crock pot..” Then he walked away in disgust with me. But wait! I followed Jenn’s recipe to a T, or shall we say a Jenn Segal, and it melted in our mouths like the finest cut of beef-corned beef has NEVER tasted this delicate! And I am still using the Horseradish Sauce in so many other dishes to add deeper flavor and flair. Wow Jenn! Thank you so much!
This recipe is delicious! I’m going to use the sauce for another dish- how many days ahead can I make it? I have a lot to do so I’d like to get as much done in advance as I can. Thanks so much 😊
Glad you like it! The sauce should keep nicely for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
Jenn,
I’m 70 years old. I’ve been making corned beef & cabbage for St. Patty’s Day since I was 17. Your recipe was awesome. One hundred on a scale of 10. Baking it in the oven; the horseradish butter for the veggies; and the horseradish sauce, what can I say.
You need to get your recipe out there. I’m actually cooking it right now. Why wait for St. Patty’s Day
My household is not a big fan of horseradish… anything else I could substitute for it? I thought of mustard, maybe with some honey, but I don’t want to create something inedible and waste a whole corned beef. Help, please 🙃
Hi, I’d go with the mustard. You could add honey to that, but it would definitely give it a different flavor (not bad – just different). 🙂
Thank you!!
I had to cook it yesterday and “cheated” following another web site’s recipe. 🥴 not cheating ever again!!!! I’ll stay true to your recipes in the future… lesson learned.
I have made corned beef, potatoes, carrots and cabbage the same way for 40 years (as my Irish mother-in-law taught me) boiled and using the corned beef water for the veggies. I never thought I’d try another recipe. I tried this and it is fabulous. We have served to other “Irish” family members who boil the meal (messy) and they thought it was great as well. A real winner!! thank you Jenn!
Perfect. I especially liked the salt reduction in this method versus boiling with the package content which as we know adds a ton of salt. Family loved every aspect of it. Vegetables were seasoned just right. The cream sauce was a pleasant surprise and hit too as we normally prefer just horseradish and Djon mustard on the side. I simply doubled the recipe for 8 people and everything was gone, even the carrots! This will now be my go to recipe for Corned Beef.
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. It is now my go-to corned beef recipe. A couple of nights ago I had friends over who were craving corned beef having missed St. Patrick’s Day. I typically make a New England Boiled Dinner but wanted to try something different. I had a 3.3 lb corned beef and a smaller one so I decided to cook it two different ways, the larger one using your recipe and the smaller one in the Crockpot. Hands down I and my guests loved your recipe. The corned beef and veggies turned out perfect. Again, thank you for posting the recipe. I loved it so much, I am buying another corned beef this week for me only as there were no leftovers.
This recipe for Corned Beef is the best I have ever tried. I shared with a sister and she agrees! This will be the only Corned Beef recipe I will ever need! Thank you
Hi! This sounds delicious and I’m planning on making it for my large extended family tomorrow. I bought 2 roasts that total about 8.5 pounds. They will fit in one roasting pan. How long should I plan on cooking the roasts? 45 min per pound?
Thanks!
Hi Lisa, I’m obviously weighing in too late to help but hopefully you got a good result. For two pieces of meat that are about 4.25 pounds each, I think the cooking time of 3 hours would be about the same if not just a touch longer. Hope they came out well!
This was out-of-this world delicious and easy!!! Thank you so much, Jenn!!!!! I lament that I can only find corned beef in our grocery store around March 17th. One question… we have some leftover horseradish cream sauce. How can I use this up?
So glad you enjoyed it, Mary! The sauce is delicious with grilled steak or salmon.