Home

Pasta with cabbage

17/11/2023

Pasta with cabbage is a tasty and comforting dish typical of home cooking in Italy, especially in the North. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 320 g of pasta (penne, farfalle, or rigatoni work well)
  • 1/2 head of cabbage (about 500 g)
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 100 g of pancetta or guanciale (optional, for a vegetarian version you can skip it)
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Chilli pepper (optional)
  • Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Preparation

  1. Clean the cabbage by removing the tougher outer leaves. Cut in half, remove the core, and slice the cabbage into thin strips.

  2. In a large pan, sauté the garlic clove (whole or chopped, depending on your taste) in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. If you have chosen to use pancetta or guanciale, add it now and let it brown until it becomes crispy.

  3. Add the sliced cabbage into the pan, a bit of chilli pepper if you like, salt, and let it cook with the lid on over moderate heat for about 15-20 minutes. The cabbage should soften and flavor with the fat from the pancetta.

  4. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente following the package instructions.

  5. Drain the pasta and add it to the cabbage and bacon in the pan, tossing everything together for a couple of minutes over high heat to blend the flavors.

  6. Serve the pasta hot, sprinkling with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese.

Curiosity

Cabbage, besides being a typical winter ingredient, is very versatile in the kitchen and can be used in many different ways, from soups to sides, from risottos to pastas. Rich in vitamins and minerals, it is a real boon for the body during the colder months. The combination with guanciale or pancetta is typical of many Italian peasant recipes, where the goal was to create hearty and flavorful dishes using available ingredients.

If you want an even more typically Italian variant, you might add a pinch of nutmeg to the preparation, or use crumbled sausages instead of pancetta. Enjoy your meal!