Cabbage Pasta With Garlic Parmesan (Printable)

Italian-inspired pasta featuring caramelized cabbage, garlic, and Parmesan. Ready in 35 minutes.

# Components:

→ 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 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 1/2 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 achieve desired sauce consistency.
05 - Stir in Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper as desired.
06 - Serve immediately, garnished with parsley and lemon zest if desired, and extra Parmesan on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The whole meal comes together in about half an hour, which means you can have dinner on the table before you've even thought about what to cook tomorrow.
  • Caramelized cabbage becomes tender and slightly sweet, nothing like the sulfurous smell people always worry about when cooking this vegetable.
  • It's genuinely restaurant-quality tasting despite being made with pantry staples and costing far less than a single takeout order.
02 -
  • Don't rush the cabbage caramelization—those golden edges and tender texture are what transform it from boring vegetable into something luxurious, and it genuinely needs those 12 to 15 minutes of patient cooking.
  • Freshly grated Parmesan melts smoothly into the warm pasta, while pre-grated varieties stay grainy and slightly separated, so this one detail changes the entire mouthfeel of the dish.
03 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before draining because this starchy liquid transforms a dry dish into something silky and luxurious, and you can always add more but you can't add it back once it's gone.
  • Keep the finished dish slightly loose rather than tight and clumpy, as it will firm up a bit as it sits and cools even slightly, so better to err on the side of saucy when you plate it.
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