Creamy Caramelized Cabbage Pasta Recipe Is Beyond Delicious (8 Ingredients, 30 Minutes) by Donna John

Cabbage is said to be a trending food in 2026. The health benefits of cabbage alone are enough to eat it, but this healthy vegetable is also delicious and super versatile. From cole slaw to fried cabbage to scalloped cabbage to cabbage patties to cabbage steaks, there's a cabbage recipe for everyone. Now there's a cabbage pasta! This dish is inspired by a recipe from EatingWell. After making a few tweaks, I found a vegetarian pasta recipe I will make over and over again. It's so easy and tastes amazing.

This creamy caramelized cabbage pasta recipe is simple and just works. The cabbage is shredded fine and cooks down until it's soft, creamy and caramelized, which adds not only flavor but texture to the pasta recipe. And you don't need a lot of ingredients to make it! Here is your shopping list so you can try this dish tonight: whole-wheat spaghetti noodles, butter, cabbage (learn about the surprising health benefits of cabbage), green onions, dried thyme, sherry cooking wine or vinegar, Parmesan cheese and heavy cream. In about 30 minutes you will have a can't-stop-eating-it dinner on the table.

Cooking Tips

• Next time I'll add the whole head of cabbage. The cabbage is so delicious and I wanted a bit more in my pasta.

• Use a sharp knife and slice the cabbage as thinly as you can. This helps it cook faster and become soft, caramelized and creamy.
  

• The original recipe did not call for green onions. Green onions can be used in most dishes, in my opinion, so I added them for color and flavor.

• The original recipe called for fresh thyme. It's winter and my thyme was looking rough, so I chose to go with dried thyme.

Serve this cabbage pasta as a vegetarian main dish or as a side dish with your favorite protein. While I would have been fine eating this as a vegetarian meal, my husband needs his protein so I served it as a side with shrimp and a salad.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
• 3 tablespoons butter (divided)
• 1/2 small head green cabbage, sliced thin 
• 2 - 3 green onions, chopped (optional)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• dried thyme, to taste
• 2 tablespoons sherry cooking wine or sherry vinegar (I used sherry cooking wine)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or evaporated milk

Here's how to make it: 

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta. Set aside. (If you don't like or have whole-wheat pasta, use regular pasta. You can even use gluten-free pasta.)
   
2. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cabbage, green onions and garlic. Season with salt, to taste.
   
3. Cook, stirring often, until the cabbages is soft and caramelized, about 10 minutes.
   
4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, thyme, to taste, and black pepper, to taste. Cook for 30 seconds.
   
5. Add the sherry cooking wine or vinegar and cook about 30 seconds or until most has evaporated.
   
6. Add the 1/2 cup of pasta water, Parmesan cheese and cream.
   
7. Stir in the spaghetti. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, about 1 minute.
   
8. Serve with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in the microwave. (When I reheated some for lunch the next day, I thought it would be dry and need added cream or milk to loosen it up. It was still creamy, so I didn't add any additional cream.)
   

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