Kate Schenk, a Certified Nutritionist, prepares her signature fall dish: Caraway Cabbage Pasta.
Courtesy Maximo Swanson
This time of year, I start the welcome transition from light meals with the last of summer’s produce to cozy dishes with brawnier ingredients. This Caraway Cabbage Pasta, which has been in my repertoire for years, fits the bill perfectly.
Growing up, my mom often made this as a quick weekday meal. The smell of onions sizzling in butter always transfixed me, signaling that good things were on the way. She’d then add thinly sliced cabbage along with the secret ingredient — caraway seeds — to give it that signature flavor, before tossing everything with hot noodles. The resulting dish: comforting and nutritious, a winning combo for harried, hungry families.
Thanks to a few humble ingredients, this dish is also affordable — a welcome reprieve from Seattle’s restaurant scene, which is now one of the most expensive in the nation. Plus, cabbage and onions are hardy vegetables that can last for months, so keeping them on hand ensures a satisfying meal that can be whipped up with little planning. We can all use more of those recipes in our arsenal.
View the below as a guideline with limitless variations. My mom liked to start by frying a bit of chopped bacon until crisp and adding it back in at the end. She also preferred a high ratio of cabbage to pasta, but the amounts can easily be adjusted to taste. I like to serve it as is, but freshly grated parmesan or a dollop of sour cream on top certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Courtesy of Kate Schenk
Caraway Cabbage: this simple and delicious fall meal can be made to accommodate many dietary restrictions and preferences.
Caraway Cabbage Pasta
The beauty of this dish is that there are no hard-and-fast rules. Use an entire pound of pasta if that’s your jam, try it with crumbled Italian sausage instead of pancetta, or keep it vegetarian by skipping the meat altogether. Leftovers taste great with a fried egg on top.
Serves 4-6 as a main course
▶ 4-6 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped (optional)
▶ 3 tablespoons butter
▶ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▶ 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
▶ 1 small head green cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly sliced (about 8 cups)
▶ Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
▶ 1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
▶ 12 ounces egg noodles or other short pasta (my mom always used bowtie but any shape will do)
Courtesy of Kate Schenk
Ingredients for Caraway Cabbage: this simple and delicious fall meal can be made to accommodate many dietary restrictions and preferences.
Set a large pot of salted water on to boil.
If using meat, add bacon or pancetta to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the fat is rendered and the meat is crisp. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. The drippings can either be discarded (continue with recipe as written) or left in the pan (simply adjust the amount of added butter accordingly).
Add the butter and olive oil to the same skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the shredded cabbage, a few good pinches of salt, lots of freshly ground black pepper and the caraway seeds. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender, 8-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the salted water until al dente; drain. When the cabbage is tender, add the cooked pasta and reserved pancetta/bacon, if using, and toss well. Taste a final time for salt and adjust if necessary. Serve with more black pepper on top and watch it disappear.
Kate Schenk is a Certified Nutritionist, recipe developer and family meals enthusiast, who has lived in Queen Anne for 13 years. When she’s not working, she enjoys neighborhood walks with a good podcast and watching movies with her family.