Cabbage Pasta With Garlic Parmesan (Printable Version)

Caramelized cabbage with spaghetti, garlic, and Parmesan. Simple, hearty Italian comfort in 35 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

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

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 medium head green cabbage, about 1.5 lbs, cored and thinly sliced
04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
05 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Aromatics and Flavor

06 - 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
07 - 0.5 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
08 - 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
09 - 0.75 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 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 0.5 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 if using, and extra Parmesan.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It turns a head of cabbage into something golden, sweet, and deeply satisfying without any fancy ingredients.
  • The whole thing comes together in one skillet after the pasta boils, so cleanup is mercifully quick.
  • It tastes like youve been cooking all day, but really youve just been stirring a pan and grating cheese.
02 -
  • Don't rush the cabbage, it needs those 12 to 15 minutes to caramelize properly or it'll taste bland and squeaky instead of sweet and tender.
  • Reserve more pasta water than you think you'll need, it's easier to add a splash at a time than to realize you need more after you've already drained the pot.
03 -
  • Use a large enough skillet so the cabbage has room to spread out and caramelize, if it's too crowded it'll steam instead of brown.
  • Grate your Parmesan right before you add it, the freshly grated stuff melts into the pasta in a way that pre-shredded cheese just can't match.
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