Miso Caramelized Cabbage Butter “Sauce”

For several years now, we’ve been making some variation of Smitten Kitchen’s zucchini butter spaghetti all summer long. But when we get to fall, we take the same idea and pivot to cabbage. Both of these versions are delicious, get a big serving of vegetables in, and easy enough for a weeknight dinner. Essentially, all you do is cook down the cabbage in butter until it’s soft and a little caramelized and use it in lieu of sauce to top whatever pasta you want. I often make this a little differently, maybe with more or less spices or other add-ins, but I think I’ve decided that this very simple miso version is my favorite.

Cabbage cooked in butter is obviously also a common side dish on its own. I like it a little extra buttery here, at least moreso than I personally would for a side dish, to make it “sauce.”

Miso Caramelized Cabbage Pasta “Sauce”

Ingredients: 

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp miso paste (I use red, but any variation could be used)
• 1 head of green cabbage, coarsely chopped/core discarded
• Black pepper

Instructions:

1. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a large pan over medium-low heat. Once melted, stir in the miso paste. Stir until combined.
2. Add the cabbage to the pan and top with the remaining tbsp of butter. Cover and cook for 25-35 minutes. (Depending upon the size of your pan, it’ll be really crowded at first.) Lift the lid and stir occasionally. You can stop when the cabbage is soft or keep going until it starts to caramelize.
3. Grind a bit of black pepper on top before serving over whatever pasta you choose.

Serving Size 2-4