If you're looking for an Italian Cabbage Recipe to trump all other cabbage recipes, this is it!
I always HATED cabbage growing up. We had it once a year on St. Patrick's Day. Boiled cabbage with peppercorns. If the cabbage wasn't bad enough It had to come with those little black peppercorns. If my mom added enough butter, I was able to tolerate it, but I always remember it being a struggle.
My wife has this specific ability to take things I hate and make me like them. Trader Joe's, natural peanut butter, and now, cabbage. She made this recipe from Ciao Florentina, another Italian blogger. After having that a few times we started developing our own Italian Cabbage Recipe.
I think this is one of the most versatile side dishes we have on our website. It's not only a side dish but it could absolutely be the main meal. It's so filling and healthy and is a great side any time of the year.
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Ingredients
- ¼ lb pancetta, chopped
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp calabrian peppers
- 2 tbsp fennel
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 head green cabbage, halved and sliced
- salt and pepper
- 1 can cannellini beans, drained
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Pancetta. I always buy Boar's Head pancetta and chop it up myself. I find that the already chopped-up stuff is always too small and has a weird texture.
Cannellini Beans. You could potentially substitute white northern beans or kidney beans.
Calabrian Peppers. Substitute crushed red pepper for the calabrian peppers. I would suggest 1 tablespoon of red pepper for every 2 tablespoon of calabrian peppers. I made the mistake of using both on one of the recipe development sessions and it was definitely too spicy.
White Wine. I have substituted chicken broth for this and it works perfectly fine.
Fennel. You can't leave the fennel out. Some people are averse to fennel, but it is such an important flavor to the recipe. I wouldn't recommend this dish without it. Use a little less fennel if necessary, or if you really like fennel, add a little bit of fennel at the end of cooking to add an extra layer of flavor.
Green Cabbage. Savoy cabbage would be a great alternative!
How to Make it
It is such an easy recipe, but it takes a little time to cook and wilt the cabbage. I recommend using a dutch oven over a standard pot, just because it keeps the heat so well.
I used this dutch oven from Kana for the Italian cabbage recipe and they are so pretty. They have a little gold top handle and my wife loves them. I recommend them so far. It's a pot that you can leave out on your stove because it looks so nice!
Start with the pancetta
Place the chopped pancetta in the cold Dutch oven and raise the heat to medium heat. Fry the pancetta until golden brown, as shown above, about 8 minutes once hot. Remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside.
The Base
The onions and garlic are the base for the cabbage. Start by adding 2 tablespoon olive oil to the pot. Add the onions to the pot. Don't stir them. Let them sit for 3 minutes to develop a slight brown char.
Once the onions are starting to change color, stir them and add in the garlic and the fennel. Saute the garlic for 1-2 minutes.
Make a space to add the tomato paste and place it directly on the hot surface of the dutch oven, not on top of the onions. Let it sit for 2 minutes, then stir throughout. Add the Calabrian peppers and combine everything.
Deglazing the pan and wilting the cabbage
Pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan. Then immediately add in the cabbage and cover the pot for 5 minutes and do not open it.
After 5 minutes open the Dutch oven and use a wooden spoon to move the onions from the bottom throughout the cabbage. If there is no liquid in the bottom of the pan, add a little more wine or water.
Drizzle the cabbage with the last tablespoon of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot again for 5 minutes.
Repeat this process of uncovering and stirring every 5 minutes until the cabbage is softened and taking on the red color of the tomato paste. This should take about 15 minutes.
Once the cabbage is softened, add the cannellini beans and stir throughout the dish. Serve hot!
Meals that would be great to serve with this!
- Italian cabbage would go great on the side of some crispy chicken cutlets!
- I would also serve this dish right along with some chicken francese or spicy chicken saltimbocca
- Pasta always needs more vegetables so serve your spaghetti with garlic and oil, creamy red pepper pasta, or spaghetti carbonara with some of this!
- Fish would go great with this dish! I'd serve it on the side of cast iron lemon dill salmon, pan-seared snapper, or pistachio-crusted sea bass!
- If you end up having it as a full meal, then you might have some leftover room for our Pistachio Cream Tiramisu or white chocolate macadamia nut cookies
Recipe FAQs
Savoy cabbage is similar to green cabbage but milder and sweeter while napa cabbage is an oblong shape, a Chinese variety of cabbage, and much more delicate, which means it cooks a lot faster.
Adding the tomato paste to the hot dutch oven lets it caramelize faster and develop an intense tomato flavor. This will translate into a less bitter flavor in the cabbage.
No! You can use no meat if you'd like. But I prefer it with a little meat for the protein. I'd also use Italian sausage in place of the pancetta, or in addition to it!
This Italian Cabbage Recipe is great to make in advance. It is one of those recipes that even tastes better the next day. If you make it in advance, just warm it up in a pan or dutch oven on medium heat until hot throughout!
Other Great Side Dishes
If you loved this recipe, please comment below! It's so delicious and a great way to add a new vegetable side to your repertoire of weeknight meals! Follow along with us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.
📖 Recipe
Italian Cabbage Recipe
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven or large pot
Ingredients
- ¼ lb pancetta, chopped
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon calabrian peppers
- 2 tablespoon fennel seed
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 head green cabbage, halved and sliced
- salt and pepper
- 1 can cannellini beans, drained
Instructions
- Place the chopped pancetta in the cold Dutch oven and raise the heat to medium heat. Fry the pancetta until golden brown, about 8 minutes once hot. Remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoon olive oil to the pot. Add the onions to the pot. Don't stir them. Let them sit for 3 minutes to develop a slight brown char. Then stir them and add in the garlic and the fennel. Saute the garlic for 1-2 minutes. Make a space to add the tomato paste and place it directly on the hot surface, not on top of the onions. Let it sit for 2 minutes, then stir throughout. Add the Calabrian peppers and combine everything.
- Pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan. Then immediately add in the cabbage and cover the pot for 5 minutes and do not open it. After 5 minutes open the Dutch oven and use a wooden spoon to move the onions from the bottom throughout the cabbage. If there is no liquid in the bottom of the pan, add a little more wine or water. Drizzle the cabbage with the last tablespoon of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot again for 5 minutes. Repeat this process until the cabbage is softened and taking on the red color of the tomato paste. This should take about 15 minutes.
- Once the cabbage is softened, add the cannellini beans and stir throughout the dish. Serve hot!
Carole Parsons
Most delicious way to eat cabbage ive ever found! I had some pork sausages so I chopped those into small meatballs in place of the pancetta. I was feeding my kids so I just added 1tsp of crushed red chillies which was enough for a bit of bite and complemented the sweetness of the caramelised tomato paste and fennel perfectly for their tastes. I skipped the beans as I already had some porcini risotto to use up but would use them another time for a complete meal. Everyone liked it 😄
Billy
Just wanted to point out that fennel seed is a different thing than fennel, so folks making this recipe should take note.
Vinny and Marisa
Good point! Just added that little note in!
Tom Pagano
Thank you. No one uses 4 Tablespoons of Fennel seed that I know of.
Vinny
This is a delicious cabbage side dish. I won't make cabbage any other way! Enjoy the recipe!