Looking for a quick, easy, and delicious vegan cabbage and pasta recipe? This simple dish, inspired by the hearty flavours of Eastern European cuisine, makes a perfect fuss-free lunch or light dinner. Combining tender cabbage with comforting pasta, this budget-friendly meal is ready in under 45 minutes. Discover how to make this flavourful and satisfying vegan pasta with cabbage that's both nutritious and incredibly tasty!
Our culinary landscape boasts a delightful array of pasta dishes, often featuring unique ingredients like savory sheep's cheese, creamy cottage cheese, crunchy nuts, delicate poppy seeds, or even toasted breadcrumbs and rich milk. Yet, amidst this flavourful variety, there's one simple yet deeply satisfying dish that consistently wins my heart: humble pasta with cabbage.
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This unexpectedly delicious combination, often found in the comforting kitchens of Eastern Europe, transforms simple ingredients into a surprisingly satisfying and naturally vegan meal.
Only Two Ingredients
Exactly, we need only two ingredients, as the title suggests, cabbage and pasta:
- Cabbage: 1 medium sweetheart cabbage (approximately 500 g, other white or green cabbages like pointed or regular white cabbage also work well).
- Pasta: 400g of square-shaped pasta (about 0.5-1 inch wide). Look for pasta labeled "quadrucci," "maltagliati," or simply "square pasta" in the pasta aisle of most supermarkets. This quantity is enough for three generous servings.
Can't find square pasta? No problem! Farfalle or lasagna sheets, broken into approximately 0.5-1 inch pieces, will also work well.
Beyond the cabbage and pasta, the remaining ingredients for seasoning, play crucial supporting roles in this recipe:
- Caraway Seeds: lends a distinctive warm and slightly peppery aroma and flavour that is characteristic of many Eastern European dishes, adding a layer of complexity.
- Sugar: seemingly unexpected, helps to subtly balance the savoury notes and enhance the natural sweetness of the cabbage as it cooks.
- Salt and Pepper: are essential for bringing all the flavours together, seasoning the dish to perfection and adding depth.
Preparing the Cabbage
To ensure the best texture in this dish, the cabbage needs to be finely chopped. My preferred method is to first cut the cabbage in half and then use a grater to achieve the desired consistency.
With our ingredients prepped, it's time to move on to the cooking process.
How to Make the Vegan Cabbage and Pasta Recipe?
Soak the Cabbage
In a soup pot, I heated 50 ml of sunflower oil, in which we fried a spoonful of caraway seeds for about a minute.
I added three tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoons of sea salt and mixed with a wooden spoon until browning began.
Now, add the chopped cabbage to the pot. Fry it, stirring often, until it begins to turn slightly yellow. Pour in about 100 ml of hot water, then cover and simmer for around 30 minutes, or until the cabbage is cooked through.
Boil the Pasta
Cook the pasta in salted water for one minute less than the package directions. This ensures it finishes cooking at the same time as the cabbage.
We undercook it by a minute because it will continue to cook when combined with the hot cabbage, resulting in perfectly al dente pasta. Once cooked, drain the pasta in a strainer and add it directly to the cabbage.
Finishing the Cabbage Recipe
Give it a gentle stir, then season with a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Let it cook over low heat for 1 minute, and it's ready to serve!
Well, there you have it! Cooking this vegan cabbage and pasta was a breeze, wasn't it?
Cabbage Variations
This vegan cabbage and pasta recipe is quite versatile! Here are some cabbage variations you can make to customize it to your taste and what you have on hand:
- Savoy Cabbage: Offers a milder, sweeter flavour and more tender texture. Its leaves are also more loosely packed.
- Napa Cabbage: Has a delicate, slightly sweet flavour and a softer texture. It cooks down quickly.
- Red Cabbage: Adds a beautiful colour and a slightly peppery flavour. Keep in mind it might slightly tint the pasta. A splash of vinegar or lemon juice can help retain its colour and prevent it from turning blueish during cooking.
- Pointed Cabbage: Similar to white cabbage but with a sweeter and more tender quality.
Serving
This vegan cabbage and pasta is best served warm on a flat plate. For an extra touch, consider a sprinkle of fresh herbs like parsley or dill, in addition to the freshly ground black pepper.
How to Store This Vegan Dish?
Allow the cooked dish to cool down to room temperature as quickly as possible, ideally within a couple of hours. Don't leave it out at room temperature for extended periods.
Transfer the leftover cabbage and pasta to airtight containers. This will prevent it from drying out and absorbing odors from other foods in the refrigerator.
Properly stored vegan cabbage and pasta will generally last for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. It's always best to use your senses – if it looks or smells off, discard it.
While freezing is an option to extend the storage time, the texture of the cooked cabbage and pasta can change upon thawing. The cabbage might become softer, and the pasta could become a bit mushy.
If you liked this vegan cabbage and pasta recipe, on our blog, you would find other tasty recipes from cabbage, such as:
- Best Cabbage Soup Recipe
- Sauerkraut Sausage Soup Recipe
- Cabbage Soup With Pork Meat
- Frankfurter Soup With Savoy Cabbage and Potatoes
- Best Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe
- Delicious Cabbage Casserole Recipe
- Best Sauteed Savoy Cabbage Recipe
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Vegan Cabbage And Pasta Recipe
Equipment
- 2 Soup Pot
Ingredients
- 1 pc sweetheart cabbage medium, 500 g
- 400 g square pasta
- 50 ml sunflower oil or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 3 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon sea salt kosher
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper freshly ground
- 100 ml water warm
Instructions
- Cut the cabbage in half and then grate it.
- In a soup pot, I heated the sunflower oil, in which we fried a spoonful of caraway seeds for about a minute.
- Add the sugar and the sea salt and mixed with a wooden spoon until browning began.
- Add the chopped cabbage to the pot. Fry it, stirring often, until it begins to turn slightly yellow.
- Pour in about 100 ml of hot water, then cover and simmer for around 30 minutes, or until the cabbage is cooked through.
- Cook the pasta in salted water for one minute less than the package directions.
- Drain the pasta in a strainer and add it directly to the cabbage.
- Give it a gentle stir, then season with a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Let it cook over low heat for 1 minute
- This delicious dish is served simply, on a flat plate sprinkled with more freshly ground pepper on top.
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