Cabbage Pasta With Garlic Parmesan (Printable Version)

Caramelized cabbage, garlic, and Parmesan tossed with tender pasta for an easy, comforting Italian-inspired meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz spaghetti or linguine
02 - Salt for boiling water

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 medium head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
05 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Aromatics and Flavor

06 - 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
07 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
08 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
09 - 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

→ Finish

10 - 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
11 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 - Zest of 1 lemon

# Method:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
02 - While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced cabbage and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cabbage is caramelized, golden, and tender.
03 - Add garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant but not browned.
04 - Add the cooked pasta to the skillet with the cabbage. Toss everything together, adding reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
05 - Stir in Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt or pepper as desired.
06 - Serve immediately, garnished with parsley and lemon zest, and extra Parmesan.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It transforms humble cabbage into something golden and sweet, almost like it caramelizes into candy.
  • You probably have most of these ingredients sitting in your pantry right now.
  • The whole dish comes together in the time it takes to watch one episode of your favorite show.
  • It tastes expensive and impressive but costs almost nothing to make.
02 -
  • Don't rush the cabbage, if you try to cook it over high heat it will burn before it gets sweet and tender.
  • Always reserve more pasta water than you think you need, it's the secret to making everything silky instead of dry.
  • Add the Parmesan off the heat or it can seize up and turn grainy instead of creamy.
03 -
  • Use a mandoline or the slicing blade on a food processor to cut the cabbage super thin and save your knife hand.
  • If the cabbage starts to stick or brown too fast, add a splash of water to the pan and lower the heat slightly.
  • For an even richer version, stir in an extra tablespoon of butter right before serving and watch it gloss everything up.
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