Charred Cabbage with Sausage and White Beans

Cabbage gets a bad rap but it's one of my favourite vegetables. I love how you can spend $2 on something and yield enough for 2-3 dinners. That's exactly what I did with this one-pot charred cabbage, sausage and white bean dinner. Charring the cabbage at the beginning brings a smoky, roasted flavour that pairs nicely with its natural sweetness. It gets tender by finishing on a bed of sausage and white beans cooked in a garlicky, slightly spicy, white wine sauce that is amazing with a good piece of bread and sprinkling of parmesan. For night two, I like to turn the whole thing into a light pasta with just a few extra ingredients.

Equipment

• large dutch oven or braiser
• chef's knife
• cutting board
• microplane or cheese grater
• large pot (for pasta, if making)
• spider or colander (for pasta, if making)

Get the full ingredients list and instructions below!

Cooking Tips

1. If you don't have white wine, you can sub for 2 tablespoon lemon juice, plus 1 teaspoon sugar. Add both, followed by a splash of water to help loosen the fond at the bottom of the pan, scraping as needed to get all that extra flavour. This combo won't be exactly the same as using white wine, but you'll get a bit of acidity and sugar, which is what we're looking for!
2. I love reaching for broth, or stock, pastes when I don't have homemade on hand (which is often!). They're great for recipes like this that only call for a small amount, and honestly taste just as good, 90% of the time. Most pastes will last opened in the fridge for months, and bring that added flavour needed for a little simmer situation. That said, if you don't have either available, water will always work — just adjust the seasoning accordingly (pastes are made with sodium, while water needs salt to bring out more flavour in all the other ingredients) to make sure it's tasting great.

Cook once, eat twice!

I’m calling it a 2-for-1 dinner — follow the recipe below on night one, then for night two, either reheat the leftovers, or turn them into a delicious pasta with just a few extra ingredients:

• 400g rigatoni, or similar, pasta
• 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ½ cup grated parmesan

To make the pasta, bring a large pot of salty water to boil. While you wait, remove the leftover cabbage and chop into bite-sized pieces. Add the chopped cabbage, and remaining sausage, beans and broth to a medium pot and heat on low while the pasta cooks. When the pasta is al dente (about 2 minutes less than the cook time outlined on the box) use a spider to transfer it to the medium pot along with 1 cup reserved pasta water and 4 tablespoon butter. Stir until a glossy sauce forms and coats all of the noodles, then mix in ¼ cup grated parmesan and cracked black pepper. Serve immediately topped with remaining parmesan!

Charred Cabbage with Sausage and White Beans

5 from 1 vote

My favourite way to eat cabbage

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 small savoy cabbage
• 4 mild Italian sausages about 500g
• 1 540mL can cannellini beans
• 3 cloves garlic
• 5 parsley stems
• 1 cup broth like chicken or vegetable (see note)
• ⅓ cup white wine or the juice of ½ lemon + 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ tablespoon red chili pepper flakes
• ¼ cup grated parmesan
• olive oil
• salt I'm using Diamond Crystal Kosher
• cracked black pepper
• crusty bread for serving

Method

 

1. Heat a large braiser, or dutch oven, on medium-high. While you wait for it to get hot, cut 1 small savoy cabbage into 6-8 wedges. Drizzle each piece with a bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt, then use your hands to rub it all over. When the pan is hot, almost smoking, add a light layer of olive oil, about 1-2 tbsp, followed by your cabbage wedges. Sear each side until dark brown and slightly charred, about 3-5 minutes per side.
2. Meanwhile, remove and discard the sausage casing (see note). Thinly slice 3 cloves of garlic and pull 5 parsley stems from the bunch. Transfer the cabbage wedges to a clean plate, reduce heat to medium and add a bit more oil to the bottom of the pan. Break the sausages into bite-sized pieces and transfer to the hot pan. Cook until brown on one side, then flip and use a wooden spoon, or spatula, to break into smaller, dime-sized pieces. Continue cooking until ⅓ is brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes.
3. Add sliced garlic, 1 tablespoon red chili pepper flakes and parsley stems. Cook on medium until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Deglaze with ⅓ cup white wine, scraping any fond from the bottom of the pan as you go. Add in 1 540mL can cannellini beans (liquid and all), 1 cup broth, ½ cup water, a generous pinch of salt and lots of cracked black pepper. Bring to a simmer, add the cabbage on top, cover and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and finish cooking for 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. You'll know the cabbage is ready when you can easily slide a knife into the core of each wedge.
4. Remove from heat and finish with a generous grating of parmesan, about ¼ cup, and more cracked black pepper. I love serving this with a piece of crusty bread for soaking up all that delicious bean-y broth.

Notes

If you don't have broth, water will also work in a pinch! Just bear in mind you might need to add a bit more salt to get the seasoning just right. Taste and adjust as you go to make sure it's to your liking!

To remove the sausage casing, use a sharp knife to cut a slit lengthwise through each sausage. Peel back the thin outer layer (this is the casing) and discard. You'll be left with the internal meat of the sausage that can be easily broken up in a pan, similar to ground pork.