Cabbage Pasta Garlic Parmesan (Printable)

Comforting Italian-inspired pasta with caramelized cabbage, garlic, and Parmesan. Simple, hearty, and ideal for weeknight meals.

# 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 & Seasonings

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

→ Finishing

10 - 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
11 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 - Zest of 1 lemon

# How To Make:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining.
02 - Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced cabbage and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is golden, tender, and caramelized.
03 - Stir in garlic slices and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant, taking care not to brown the garlic.
04 - Add drained pasta to the skillet with the cabbage. Toss thoroughly, adding reserved pasta water as needed to create a silky sauce consistency.
05 - Stir in Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper as needed.
06 - Plate immediately, garnished with fresh parsley and lemon zest. Offer additional Parmesan at the table.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Cabbage transforms into something candy-sweet and deeply savory when given time in the pan, developing flavors you would never expect from the raw ingredient
  • Everything happens in one skillet while the pasta boils, making it the kind of dinner that actually fits into real weeknight life
  • The ingredient list reads like something you already have in your kitchen, no specialty shopping required
02 -
  • Reserving pasta water is not optional, the starch in that liquid is what creates the silky sauce that binds everything together
  • Do not rush the cabbage, those golden brown edges are where all the flavor lives, and undercooked cabbage remains tough and sulfurous
  • Garlic burns faster than you think, so have everything else ready before you add it to the pan
03 -
  • Slice the cabbage as thinly as possible, a mandoline works wonders here if you have one
  • Grate your own Parmesan, the pre-grated stuff simply does not melt the same way
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