Cabbage Pasta With Garlic Parmesan (Printable)

Caramelized cabbage with spaghetti, garlic, and Parmesan. Simple Italian comfort 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 & Flavor

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, 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

# Directions:

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 ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes until cabbage is golden, caramelized, 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 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, and extra Parmesan on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's the kind of dish that tastes like you've been cooking all day, but honestly takes less time than ordering takeout.
  • Caramelized cabbage becomes something completely different from raw—sweet, almost silky, with none of that sharp bite you might expect.
  • You probably have most of these ingredients already, which means dinner can happen tonight without a grocery run.
02 -
  • Don't rush the cabbage—those 12-15 minutes of gentle cooking is what turns it from an ordinary vegetable into something almost sweet and luxurious.
  • Your pasta water is liquid gold here; the starch in it actually helps the cheese and oil emulsify into a silky sauce instead of clumping.
  • The Parmesan should be freshly grated and added right before serving so it melts into the warm pasta without getting clumpy or separating.
03 -
  • If you want extra richness, add an extra tablespoon of butter right before you add the Parmesan—it's unnecessary but absolutely delicious.
  • Make sure your skillet is large enough that you're not crowding the cabbage; too much in too small a space means steaming instead of caramelizing.
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