Weeknight Caramelized Cabbage with Gnocchi
My current favorite way to eat cabbage is caramelized cabbage- it’s so soft, savory and sweet, and the perfect addition to any pasta. For this recipe we’re pairing it with store-bought gnocchi to make an easy weeknight dinner option. If you meal prep your cabbage ahead of time, you can get dinner done super quickly. Just reheat the cabbage and crisp up the gnocchi all at the same time. Enjoy!
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Don’t Sleep on Cabbage
I know that I often forget about cabbage when I’m trying to decide what vegetable to plan my meal around, but don’t fall into that trap! Cabbage is super versatile and can be used in lots of different dishes. There are tons of different types of cabbage, from napa cabbage to green cabbage to red (purple) cabbage. You can eat cabbage raw or cooked, hot or cold. It can be fermented and made into kimchi or sauerkraut. The leaves can be used as a wrap for other foods, both cooked and raw. It can be made into salads and slaws, or used as a crunchy topping. You can grill or roast cabbage in large chunks. It’s amazing as an accompaniment to vegan sausages, and works well in all sorts of stir-fries. Cabbage soup is also a huge win. If you’re looking to play with your food, red cabbage can even be boiled, and the water used as a homemade PH indicator. But my favorite way to eat cabbage these days is caramelized. By cooking your cabbage down slowly, it becomes soft and browned, rich, buttery, sweet, and savory. For this recipe I’m pairing it with crispy, store-bought gnocchi for a quick dinner option, but I also love pairing it with other pasta or just eating it alone.
Nutritionally speaking, cabbage is low in calories, contains now fat, and a small amount of protein. It has a lot of vitamin C and K, and smaller amounts of folate, manganese, vitamin B6, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Another benefit is that cabbage tends to be a really inexpensive vegetable, and will last for a long time in your fridge.
Looking for Cabbage Recipes? Try one of these!
- Vegan Stuffed Cabbage (Okara Recipe)
- Vegan Red Cabbage and Rhubarb Slaw
- Cold Weather Cabbage Soup with Butternut Squash and Turmeric
- Lazy Vegan Cabbage Rolls with Mung Beans
- Vegan Miso Napa Cabbage Slaw
- Wild Oyster Mushroom Tacos with Purple Cabbage Slaw
How to Make Caramelized Cabbage with Gnocchi
Really here, you’re making caramelized cabbage and throwing some gnocchi in at the end. To make this even more weeknight friendly, you can meal-prep the cabbage ahead of time and reheat it with the gnocchi when you’re ready to eat.
You need to start with half a cabbage, and remove the core. Chop it into rough chunks, and chop some onions and garlic to go with it. You’re going to heat the cabbage in a large skillet on a fairly low heat, stirring occasionally, and cooking it down. You want your cabbage to wilt, shrink, and then brown. If your cabbage starts cooking to quickly, lower the heat and add a tablespoon or two of water to help prevent any burning. Cook down for about an hour, making sure you’re stirring enough to prevent quick browning. By the end, the cabbage should have shrunk a lot in bulk and turned a rich brown color. If you like, you can put the cabbage away in the fridge until you’re ready to eat it or you can continue on.
To make this a full dinner you’re going to need a package of premade gnocchi- you can also make your own of course, but I’m keeping it simpler for this recipe. Store-bought gnocchi typically is vegan, but make sure you double check just in case. You can get gluten-free gnocchi too, but you have to search it out if that’s important to you. You don’t need to boil gnocchi first, you can just crisp them up in the skillet. Add a little more oil if your cabbage pan is looking dry, and throw in the gnocchi with the cabbage. Cook for around 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the gnocchi are soft and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Weeknight Caramelized Cabbage with Gnocchi
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ head green cabbage
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 3 gloves garlic
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 12-18 oz. package of gnocchi
Instructions
- Start by mincing your garlic, cutting the onions into thin slices, and coring the cabbage and chopping it roughly into 1-inch pieces.
- Heat your oil to a medium heat in a large skillet with high sides. Add the garlic, onions, and cabbage, along with a little bit of salt to help the cabbage release moisture. Cook down for one hour, lowering the heat as you go, and stirring every few minutes so the cabbage shrinks and caramelizes, without getting brown and crispy too fast. When the cabbage reaches the end of its cook time, season with salt and pepper to taste and add the nutmeg.
- To cook the gnocchi, simply add them to the hot skillet with the cooked cabbage, adding a little more oil or vegan butter if needed. Cook for around 10 minutes, or until the gnocchi are nice and crispy. Serve warm- you can top with some chopped parsley or red pepper flakes for a little more flavor or color if desired.
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