Are you on the hunt for a satisfying and flavorful meatless main dish? Look no further! My caramelized cabbage and mushroom pasta with cottage cheese is a recipe that deserves a spot on your weekly rotation. Imagine the incredible sweetness of deeply caramelized cabbage and onions perfectly complimenting the earthy flavor of sauteed mushrooms in a light olive oil sauce, yet light and superbly seasoned with aromatic caraway seeds and marjoram. The addition of creamy cottage cheese not only adds a delightful tang but also provides an extra boost of protein. This makes the caramelized cabbage and mushroom pasta a satisfying and flavorful meat-free meal, especially when combined with tender shell pasta. The taste is an explosion of deliciousness, where the vegetable sweetness carries the flavor to perfection, often needing little to no added salt.
Why You’ll Love This Caramelized Cabbage and Mushroom Pasta
Easy to Make: This cabbage and pasta recipe comes together relatively quickly with simple steps.
Meatless and Satisfying: A hearty and flavorful vegetarian option that won’t leave you feeling hungry.
Flavorful and Unique: The caramelized cabbage provides a sweetness you don’t often find in pasta dishes, beautifully paired with mushrooms. The caraway seeds and marjoram do wonders to enhance the taste.
Healthy-ish: Packed with vegetables and uses olive oil as the base. The cottage cheese adds an additional source of protein besides the mushrooms. This recipe tastes great even without salt for those that are on a sodium-restricted diet.
Versatile: You can easily customize this recipe with other vegetables or herbs you have on hand.
Inexpensive: This is not an expensive meal to make, which is always helpful especially with this current and crazy economy that we find ourselves in.
How to Make Caramelized Cabbage and Mushroom Pasta with Cottage Cheese
Yields: 4-6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35-40 minutes
Ingredients
9 cups of finely chopped cabbage
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of caraway seeds
1 package (8 ounces) of white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon of marjoram
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
3 cups of cooked shell pasta, drained (about 1 cup dry)
1 tablespoon of butter (optional, for extra richness)
1 cup of cottage cheese
1 teaspoon of salt (optional, adjust to taste)
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped cabbage. (Sprinkling it lightly with a pinch of salt at this stage can help draw out moisture and speed up the caramelization process). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is very tender and deeply golden brown – this will take about 20-25 minutes. Don’t rush this step; the caramelization is key to the flavor!
- Once the cabbage is nicely caramelized, you need to add the finely chopped onion to the pot. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and golden, about five to seven minutes.
- Add the sliced mushrooms to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and have released their moisture, about five minutes.
- Stir in the caraway seeds, marjoram, and black pepper. If you feel the dish needs it, you can also add the optional salt at this point. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Stir in the butter until melted. Then, add the cottage cheese and stir until it’s warmed through and slightly melted into the vegetable mixture.
- Add the drained cooked shell pasta to the pot and toss everything together until the pasta is well coated with the flavorful cabbage and cottage cheese sauce.
- Heat through for a minute or two more and then serve your delicious caramelized cabbage and mushroom pasta with cottage cheese immediately.
- ENJOY!
This caramelized cabbage and mushroom pasta with cottage cheese is a simple and yet comforting meatless meal that’s packed with flavor. The sweetness of the caramelized cabbage, the earthiness of the mushrooms, and the creamy tang of the cottage cheese create an exceptional and delicious pasta dish that you’ll want to make again and again. Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!
- 9 cups of finely chopped cabbage
- 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds
- 1 package 8 ounces of white mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon of marjoram
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 3 cups of cooked shell pasta drained (about 1 cup dry)
- 1 tablespoon of butter optional, for extra richness
- 1 cup of cottage cheese
- 1 teaspoon of salt optional, adjust to taste
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In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped cabbage. (Sprinkling it lightly with a pinch of salt at this stage can help draw out moisture and speed up the caramelization process). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is very tender and deeply golden brown – this will take about 20-25 minutes. Don’t rush this step; the caramelization is key to the flavor!
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Once the cabbage is nicely caramelized, you need to add the finely chopped onion to the pot. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and golden, about five to seven minutes.
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Add the sliced mushrooms to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and have released their moisture, about five minutes.
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Stir in the caraway seeds, marjoram, and black pepper. If you feel the dish needs it, you can also add the optional salt at this point. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
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Stir in the butter until melted. Then, add the cottage cheese and stir until it’s warmed through and slightly melted into the vegetable mixture.
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Add the drained cooked shell pasta to the pot and toss everything together until the pasta is well coated with the flavorful cabbage and cottage cheese sauce.
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Heat through for a minute or two more and then serve your delicious caramelized cabbage and mushroom pasta with cottage cheese immediately.
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ENJOY!
More of My Favorite Recipes with Cabbage
Here are just a few of my family’s most loved recipes using cabbage. You can find lots more such recipes in my search box.
Crockpot Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
