Buttery Cabbage-And-Sausage Pasta — Photo:
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Shell Royster

Total Time:

1 hr

Servings:

6 servings

If comfort could be a recipe, it would be this pasta with mild Italian sausage and sweet, buttery cabbage. F&W recipe developer Anna Theoktisto begins by cooking pieces of sausage in a pan, then infuses the sausage drippings (and a generous quarter cup of butter) with aromatics and spices. That flavorful sausage dripping and butter blend is then used to cook finely shredded green cabbage to melting softness. Once the cabbage is done, it’s combined with plump noodles, sausage, and a velvety sauce of starchy pasta cooking liquid, more butter, and cheese, and lemon juice (which adds just the right amount of brightness to balance the richness of the other ingredients) to yield an incredibly satisfying sausage and cabbage pasta dish.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of pasta can I use in this dish?

This recipe is best with a short pasta, such as gemelli or rigatoni.

How much salt should I put in the pasta water?

The exact amount of salt for salting the cooking water will vary depending on what kind of salt you’re cooking with and how much water is in the pot, but a good rule of thumb is to hit the level of saltiness of a good chicken broth.

Why is pasta water in the recipe?

The pasta water leftover from making pasta is rich in starch, which helps the pan sauce to bind to the noodles.

Can I make this recipe in advance?

The cabbage can be cut and stored in an airtight container up to 1 day ahead. Drape with a damp paper towel before covering to help retain moisture.

What wine do I pair with sausage and cabbage?

“One of my favorite dishes is an Austrian dish called wurstnudeln — a meat and pasta recipe that’s super easy to make. A white Rioja or Blaufränkisch works great with it; you want something medium-body with some vibrance,” says Katja Scharnagl of Koloman in New York City. To go with this pasta dish, inspired by wurstnudeln, she recommends a medium-bodied, lively white, such as Hermanos Peciña Señorío de P. Peciña Cosecha Blanco.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Practicing good pan maintenance is important while you brown your cabbage mixture. Deglazing your fond helps meld all the flavors together by reincorporating them into the cabbage mixture, which continues to brown and take in flavor but avoids developing any bitter burned notes.

Be sure to cook the cabbage for as long as directed to make sure it fully softens.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound mild italian sausage, casings removed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 medium-size yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 2 1/4 cups)
4 medium garlic cloves
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more for garnish
1 small (2-pound) head green cabbage, quartered, cored, and finely shredded (about 8 packed cups)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Water, as needed
16 ounces uncooked gemelli pasta or other short pasta
3 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup), plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
Chopped fresh dill, for garnish

Directions

Heat oil in a 14-inch skillet over medium-high. Add sausage; cook, stirring occasionally to break up into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate; reserve drippings in skillet.
Add 1/4 cup butter to drippings in skillet; cook over medium-high, stirring often, until melted, about 30 seconds. Add onion, garlic, fennel seeds, and crushed red pepper; cook, scraping up any browned bits in skillet, until fragrant and slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in cabbage and salt. Cook, stirring often, until mixture is very soft and browned, about 20 minutes, adding water, 2 to 4 tablespoons at a time, as needed to deglaze and prevent browned bits from burning. During final 5 minutes of cook time, use a spatula to smash and break up pieces of cabbage.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Add pasta; cook according to package directions for al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
Add cooked pasta, reserved sausage, 1 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter to cabbage mixture in skillet. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until liquid thickens to lightly coat pasta, about 3 minutes. Add cheese and lemon juice; cook, stirring constantly, until saucy, 1 to 2 minutes, adding up to remaining 1 cup cooking liquid if needed to achieve desired sauce consistency. Spoon into 6 bowls. Garnish with dill, additional crushed red pepper, and additional cheese.