This certainly is not the healthiest recipe I will post on here, but it is a damn good comfort meal. My very Italian family has always made this pan-fried cabbage – my mom and nana, especially. I thought it would pair nicely with spaghetti, and I was not wrong. My nana was impressed with it, for sure.
She was staying with me for a week while Joe was traveling for work and brought over a whole head of cabbage. I was so excited to fry it up, but it wasn’t until we were wondering what to make for dinner when I said “hey, why not just add this to spaghetti?” Can you tell how Italian we are yet? Ha!
Anyways, I wanted to share the recipe with you guys because it is too delicious to pass up. I hope you like it as much as we did! Even Willow enjoyed it.
Recipe
You will need:
- 1 large head of cabbage
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 8-10 garlic cloves, minced/sliced (I do both)
- 1/4 cup water
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Box of spaghetti, cooked according to package
To make:
- Prep cabbage by cutting into a variety of slices – thick, thin, etc. You can also roughly chop if you prefer but I like to have both large and small pieces.
- In a large pan, add olive oil. I know it seems like a lot but it is what it is. This is how it gets really delicious.
- In pan, add your garlic. I like to both mince and slice.
- Finally, add cabbage and about 1/4 cup water.
- Turn heat to medium and cover for about 10 minutes, then check and stir. This process of the cabbage breaking down and caramelizing takes some time. I continue to cover and then check every 10 minutes or so until it is wilted and browned. You can add more water to bottom if it starts to stick (or oil). I would say the whole process takes about 40 minutes, at least.
- In the meantime, cook your spaghetti according to package.
- Once down, add cabbage to your spaghetti and toss until coated well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
This is true comfort food, for sure. Not an everyday eat!! But this Italian girl definitely likes to treat herself every once in a while. Let me know if you give it a try.
Have a beautiful day, friends!
