For all cabbage haters out there - try this!
Who would have thought: sautéd cabbage works surprisingly well as a base for pasta sauces of all kinds. Which is great news if you are trying to up your veggie intake and/or lower the refined carbs in your diet, but still crave a warming bowl of pasta.
I first came across the idea of using cabbage as a pasta replacement on the delicious Stonesoup blog. But once you catch onto the idea, you'll find that the internet is full of cabbage carbonara recipes!
This is my version (standing firmly by the principle of never boiling cabbage!)
YOU NEED
cabbage (any type, but white cabbage works great)
a large onion
garlic, a stick or two of celery, a bit of parsley
bacon (or Italian style pancetta)
eggs
plenty of grated parmesan (or other hard cheese)
black pepper
HOW TO
Finely shred the cabbage.
Chop or finely slice the onion and sauté in some olive oil until soft and translucent.
Add the cubed bacon.
Finely chop the garlic, celery and parsley, add to the pot and sauté for a few minutes longer.
Add the cabbage and cook until soft, stirring so it doesn't stick (and a bit of extra oil or a spoonful of water if necessary). Don't forget to season at this point. (Taste and season after adding the bacon to be sure the saltiness of the bacon is accounted for).
Meanwhile mix the eggs with half the grated parmesan.
Once the cabbage is cooked to your liking (I like it soft and almost caramelised), take off the heat and fold in the egg/cheese mixture. The eggs will cook in a couple of minutes in the residual heat.
Serve immediately with extra parmesan and fresh black pepper (a green salad goes really well here too). DE-LI-CI-OUS!
For a vegan version try using oat cream (or similar), vegan parmesan and 'tofu bacon' (fry up some cubed tofu with soy sauce and a touch of honey - or any other mock bacon if you prefer, but home-made is always best!). Add these at the last moment before serving.