Cabbage Pasta With Garlic Parmesan (Printable)

Caramelized cabbage, garlic, and Parmesan tossed with pasta for a simple, hearty Italian-inspired weeknight meal.

# What You 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 - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
08 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
09 - ¾ 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

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
02 - While pasta cooks, heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced cabbage and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes until 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 cooked pasta to the skillet with 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 if desired, and extra Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It uses humble ingredients you probably already have, but tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.
  • The cabbage becomes unbelievably sweet and tender when you let it caramelize slowly.
  • You can have dinner on the table in half an hour, even on your most exhausted evenings.
  • It reheats beautifully, so leftovers actually get better the next day.
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving the pasta water; I forgot once and the dish was dry and clumpy instead of silky.
  • Let the cabbage truly caramelize; if you rush it, you lose all the sweetness and end up with something bland and wet.
  • Add the Parmesan off the heat or with the heat very low, or it can seize up and turn grainy instead of melting smoothly.
03 -
  • Use the widest skillet you have so the cabbage has room to caramelize instead of steaming in a crowded pan.
  • Taste the cabbage halfway through cooking; if it's still bitter, add a tiny pinch of sugar to help it along.
  • Grate your Parmesan on the smallest holes of a box grater so it melts instantly into the hot pasta.
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