Casarecce Pasta with Braised Cabbage

This simple Casarecce pasta recipe is flavored with braised red cabbage, bacon, and caramelized onions for hearty & delicious meal.

What is Casarecce?

Casarecce pasta (pronounced ka-sa-ret-cheh) translates literally as "homemade" in Italian. It is a loosely twisted pasta that resembles a scroll, and is made by wrapping small pieces of dough around a metal rod. The loosely twisted scroll shapes form an "s" shape with is make them great for holding sauces and other ingredients (like cabbage!).

This colorful pasta dish is near and dear to our hearts. It is inspired by a local favorite, haluski, which we never tire of. So when our friends and Barilla sent us a goodie bag full of pasta and asked us to create a dish which represented our region, we both agreed on a red cabbage pasta recipe. Just like our famous Pierogi Pizza recipe, this dish reminds us of home.

Ingredients

• CASARECCE PASTA: 10 ounces, dry
• RED CABBAGE: 2 quarts, chopped
• BACON: 6 slices
• ONION: 1 large
• BUTTER: 6 tablespoons
• OLIVE OIL: ¼ cup
• BALSAMIC VINEGAR: ½ cup
• SUGAR: 2 tablespoons
• CARAWAY SEEDS: 1 teaspoon (optional)
• SALT: 1 tablespoon
• PEPPER: to taste.
• BUTTER LETTUCE: ½ cup, shredded (for garnish)

How to make this recipe:

1. Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain and allow to cool.
2. Bring a large stock pot filled with water to a boil. Add cabbage and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Drain cabbage and set aside.
4. In the same stockpot, add the olive oil and dice bacon into ¼" pieces. Add to pot.
5. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
6. Julienne onions, add to pot and cook together with bacon over medium high heat until bacon is cooked through and onions are a caramel color (about 10 minutes).
7. Add red cabbage and cook an additional 10 minutes until cabbage has wilted and is slightly browned.
8. Add pasta to pot and stir to combine. Now add butter and balsamic vinegar and cook while stirring for 5 minutes.
9. Add caraway seeds and salt and pepper.
10. Serve with butter lettuce sprinkled over top.

One Pot Pasta

We're all about one pot pasta dishes, and this is a good one. Just like our Linguine Pasta Pomodoro, One Pot Lasagne Soup, and Classic Pasta Carbonara, this recipe can be ready quickly without a lot of mess to clean up.

Even though Jackie and I have lived in several regions, we are always drawn back to our Midwestern roots, where Eastern European cooking is a mainstay. My mom made a simple variation of this dish when I was a kid, and I have tried to develop its complexity over the years.

Variations

• ADD PROTEIN: want something even more filling? Grilled chicken, shredded pork, or tofu make a great addition to this dish.
• VEGETARIAN: just omit the bacon in this recipe. It's just as good!
• MAKE IT SPICY: red pepper flakes or slices of hot pepper will do the trick.

More red cabbage recipes

• Braised Short Rib Tacos
• Colorful Veggie Slaw
• Steel City Grilled Cheese
• Beer Battered Fish Sandwich

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