Caramelized Cabbage and Bacon Pasta

Transform humble cabbage into pure pasta magic with this irresistibly rich and comforting caramelized cabbage and bacon pasta. This dish will have you rethinking everything you know about weeknight dinners, in the best possible way.

Watch how to make this

Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Caramelized Cabbage and Bacon Pasta

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pasta

Servings: 6

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bacon chopped
• ½ head green cabbage thinly sliced
• 2 shallots thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
• ⅓ cup white wine
• 12 ounces rigatoni
• ½ cup grated parmesan
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• salt and pepper
• ¼ cup chopped chives

Instructions

• Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until browned and crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat.
• Add sliced cabbage and shallots to the pan, tossing to coat in the bacon fat. Season with salt and cook until caramelized, about 30-35 minutes. If the pan gets too dry, add a splash of water.
• Add sliced garlic and red chili flakes and saute for 1 minute. Add white wine and bring to a boil. Continue to simmer until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.
• Meanwhile, cook rigatoni according to directions on the package. Drain rigatoni, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
• Add parmesan, heavy cream, lemon zest, and ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water to the caramelized cabbage. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the cheese melts. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
• Add rigatoni and bacon to the pan, stirring until well combined. Simmer for 1-2 minutes or until rigatoni is well coated in the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add more pasta cooking water. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
• Portion pasta into bowls and sprinkle a generous amount of chives on top. Finish with extra grated parmesan and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes

You can use any type of short-cut pasta, such as penne, fusilli, or cavatappi.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Cook bacon

I love this caramelized cabbage and bacon pasta because you only need a few ingredients to create the dish. But don't skimp on the quality; since we're only relying on a few ingredients, we need the best ones.

As soon as I entered the culinary world and worked as a cook at a restaurant in Los Angeles, this was engraved in my head. Since then, I have always grabbed the best quality ingredients whenever possible. For this dish, opt for high-quality Parmesan and bacon if you can.

To make this recipe, start by cooking the bacon. Add chopped bacon to a large saute pan over medium-high heat until it's deeply golden and properly crispy.

You want it not just cooked, but actually crispy. This usually takes about 6-8 minutes, and you'll hear the sizzling slow down as the fat renders out.

Once browned, remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside. Leave about 2 tablespoons of that beautiful bacon fat in the pan, discarding the rest (or save it for future use!).

That bacon fat is going to be what gives your cabbage that incredible depth of flavor and helps it caramelize to perfection. No, it's not the healthiest, but we're opting for flavor here.

Step 2: Caramelize cabbage

Now comes the part that requires a little patience, but trust me, it's so worth it. I'm a bit of a caramelized vegetable fanatic, and for good reason. French onion galette, ribeye sandwich with caramelized onions, caramelized shallot cheesy bread - all of these dishes taste amazing because of the caramelized vegetables. So let's add another one to the list!

Toss your thinly sliced cabbage and shallots into that bacon fat, making sure everything gets coated. Season with salt right away-this helps draw out moisture and speeds up the caramelization process.

The cabbage will first release a lot of water and wilt. Then, it'll start to shrink down significantly, and finally, it'll begin to turn golden brown and smell absolutely incredible.

The key to perfect caramelization is patience and the occasional splash of water if things start looking too dry or if you see any dark spots forming too quickly.

Stir it every 5-7 minutes, but don't constantly mess with it; let it do its thing. When it's done, it should be about a quarter of its original volume and taste sweet, rich, and complex.

Step 3: Add pasta

Once your cabbage is beautifully caramelized, it's time to build the sauce. Add your sliced garlic and red chili flakes and let them sizzle for just about a minute, long enough to release their aroma but not so long that the garlic burns.

Pour in that white wine and let it simmer. The wine will pick up all those golden caramelized bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and add them back to the sauce. Let it simmer until most of the liquid evaporates.

Meanwhile, your pasta should be cooking in well-salted water according to package directions. Save a full cup of that starchy pasta water before draining.

When you add the parmesan, heavy cream, lemon zest, and pasta water to your caramelized cabbage, everything will come together into this silky, glossy sauce that coats every piece of pasta perfectly.

Toss in your cooked rigatoni and that crispy bacon, give everything a good stir, and let it simmer for just a minute or two so the pasta can absorb some of that incredible sauce.

If it looks too thick, add more pasta water bit by bit until you get that perfect, glossy consistency.

Portion the caramelized cabbage and bacon pasta into bowls and finish with extra grated parmesan, plenty of chopped chives, and freshly cracked black pepper. I highly, highly recommend these garnishes; they complete the pasta!

The final result is a dish that proves you don't need expensive ingredients to create something truly special. All you need is a little technique, some patience, and the confidence to let simple ingredients shine.

Make-ahead and storage tips

• Make-ahead: You can make the pasta sauce ahead of time and reheat it before adding the pasta. You can also cook the pasta ahead of time, reserving the pasta cooking water.
• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refridgerator for up to 3 days.

More easy pasta recipes

Looking for more easy pasta ideas? Try these: