Pasta with Caramelized Cabbage and Pancetta
This pasta dish is the perfect on the fly pantry meal that’s super satisfying. The humble cabbage is shredded and caramelized to delicious perfection in the oven along with garlic, pancetta and walnuts and then tossed with buttery pasta. It’s proof positive that just a few humble ingredients— when given some TLC— can transform into a hearty and crowd-pleasing meal in no time at all. And let’s face it— cabbage is the best— it’s inexpensive and can hang out in the fridge for a while— it waits for you. I prefer a shorter pasta for this dish so the cabbage can get caught in the nooks and crannies— but a hearty spaghetti-style pasta such as a bucatini will be just as delish.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. short pasta such as cascatelli, gemelli or fusilli
1 head green cabbage
⅓ cup pancetta, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
⅓ cup Pecorino cheese, plus more for serving
5 garlic cloves, peeled
⅓ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
½ tsp black pepper
⅓ flat leaf parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
METHOD
Trim and core cabbage and remove any blemished outer leaves. Using a food processor or a box grater, shred cabbage. Place in a colander over a plate and toss with kosher salt. Let sit 30 minutes then using a dish cloth press down to extract and drain out as much liquid as possible.
Preheat oven to 425F and set rack in middle position.
Transfer cabbage to a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, then spread out into an even layer. Season with black pepper. Place garlic cloves in one corner and drizzle with more olive oil. Place sheet pan in oven (with garlic corner toward the back of oven) and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir cabbage. Sprinkle pancetta and walnuts on top and return to oven and roast for another 15 minutes. Cabbage should be browned in spots. Remove sheet pan from oven, then finely chop garlic cloves (they should be super soft with a browned exterior).
While cabbage is roasting, cook pasta according to package instructions in salted water to al dente. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid. Drain pasta and return to cooking pot. Add cabbage mixture along with chopped garlic then stir in pecorino, butter and lemon zest. Add up to 1 cup of cooking liquid, season with salt and black pepper and stir till pasta is glossy and cabbage is well combined. Fold in parsley and serve with more pecorino alongside.
