Cabbage Pasta
Published Apr 20, 2026
Easy cabbage pasta recipe with slowly caramelized cabbage, garlic, red wine vinegar, and Parmesan. A simple weeknight dinner that comes together fast.
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cabbage pasta is soo good!
Cabbage in pasta is one of those ideas that sounds like it should not work, but it absolutely does! The cabbage cooks down slowly in butter with onion and garlic until it goes soft and slightly golden at the edges, and that becomes the base of the sauce. I then toss with fettuccine and Parmesan; the whole thing is soo good!
It is also just a practical, budget-friendly recipe. Cabbage is cheap, it keeps in the fridge for a while, and everything else is stuff I usually have. The red wine vinegar goes in at the end to cut through the butter. I make this easy cabbage pasta mostly on weeknights, but it’s also a solid potluck dish because it travels well and people always ask for it.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Cabbage Pasta Ingredients
- Fettuccine: Cook it until al dente since it finishes in the pan with the pasta water. Reserve more pasta water than you think you need. The starchy water is what helps the sauce cling to the noodles. Any wide, flat pasta works here if you don’t have fettuccine, like pappardelle or tagliatelle.
- Cabbage: I use a small head of green cabbage. Read my tips on how to slice cabbage. When you add it to the pan, you’ll season it with just salt and pepper. Green cabbage is standard here, but Savoy cabbage also works and is slightly more delicate. The cabbage reduces a lot in the pan, so don’t worry when you add it, and the skillet looks completely full.
- Butter and aromatics: Butter, onion, and minced garlic are the base of this cabbage pasta recipe. Slice the onion thinly so it melts into the cabbage rather than staying in separate pieces.
- Sauce finish: Parmesan, pasta water, and red wine vinegar pull the sauce together at the end. Grate the Parmesan fresh if you can. Pre-grated doesn’t melt as smoothly, and the sauce can turn grainy. White wine vinegar works in place of red wine vinegar in the same amount.
- Seasoning: Salt and black pepper. Since the Parmesan is already salty, taste before adding more salt at the end.
How to Make Cabbage Pasta
Cabbage Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fettuccine
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small head cabbage thinly sliced (about 6-7 cups)
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more for the pasta water
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 ½ cups of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and set aside.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for 10 minutes, until softened and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the cabbage, salt, and black pepper. Cook uncovered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and lightly caramelized. During the last few minutes of cooking, stir in the red wine vinegar to deglaze the pan.
- Add the cooked fettuccine and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet. Toss until the liquid coats the noodles, adding more pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
- Turn off the heat and sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese. Stir constantly for 2–3 minutes, until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens slightly and clings to the pasta.
- Serve immediately with extra Parmesan and black pepper on top, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Add protein. Stir in 1 cup of shredded chicken or crumbled cooked beef sausage when you add the pasta. Both pair well with the cabbage pasta.
- Add mushrooms. Cook 2 cups of sliced mushrooms in the butter before the onion goes in. They release moisture and cook down, adding a meatier texture to the dish.
- Make it creamy. Stir in ¼ cup of heavy cream after turning off the heat and before adding the Parmesan for a richer sauce.
- Add white beans. Drain and rinse 1 cup of white beans and stir them in with the pasta. They bulk the dish up without changing the flavor much.
Recipe Tips
- Fully cook the cabbage. It can seem bulky and plain at first, but as it softens, it gets sweeter and more flavorful. Let it wilt fully, and if you have time, keep cooking until some edges turn golden. That deeper color adds a lot!
- Turn the heat off before adding the Parmesan. If the pan is still hot, the cheese can seize and clump instead of melting smoothly into the sauce. Turn it off first, then add the cheese and stir steadily until it’s fully melted.
- Save the pasta water. This recipe has a light sauce, so the reserved pasta water really helps. It makes the sauce cling to the noodles and brings everything together. Add it a little at a time rather than all at once so the pasta doesn’t get too watery.
Serving Ideas
- Bread: I like having something to scoop up any sauce left in the bowl. Try my Garlic Cheese Bread, Rosemary Focaccia, or Homemade Dinner Rolls
- Salad: A simple Carrot Salad, Mixed Greens Salad, or Massaged Kale Salad works well.
- Roasted veggies: I almost always make some kind of roasted veggies with this cabbage pasta, just depending on what’s in my fridge, like Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Cauliflower, or Roasted Green Beans.
FAQs
It happens to us all! If you forgot, use a little hot water or hot vegetable broth in place of the pasta water, starting with just a few tablespoons at a time until the sauce loosens and coats the pasta. It won’t be quite as silky, since pasta water contains starch, but it will still work. You can also add a small pat of butter or an extra drizzle of olive oil when you toss everything together.
Tip: I like to put a glass measuring cup inside my colander, so I have to physically take it out before straining the pasta, which reminds me to get some pasta water first.
It likely needed more time. The cabbage needs a full 20 minutes over medium heat to become tender and develop some color. Stirring too often can slow the caramelization. Let it sit undisturbed for a few minutes between stirs.
