Bacon & Savoy cabbage pasta
The inspiration here is the far north of Italy, where you’ll find hearty winter flavours and sauerkraut-like cabbage dishes that seem more typically Germanic or Central European than Italian. Buckwheat pasta is traditional there, too – but ordinary pasta will work just as well.
- Serves4
- CourseMain meal
- Prepare10 mins
- Cook20 mins
- Total time30 mins
Ingredients
- 350g Freee Buckwheat Penne Pasta
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve (optional)
- 200g smoked bacon lardons (or sliced strips of smoked streaky bacon)
- 2 onions
- 2 clove/s garlic, crushed
- 2 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 pinch chilli flakes
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 large Savoy cabbage, cored, leaves finely shredded
- 250ml dry white wine
- 250ml crème fraîche or double cream
- 75g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Method
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to pack instructions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes until the fat renders and the bacon starts to brown. Stir in the onions, garlic, caraway seeds, chilli flakes and salt. Cook over a gentle heat for 7-8 minutes, until the onion has softened.
Add the cabbage and stir for 5 minutes until it starts to wilt. Pour in the wine and bubble away until it has mostly reduced. Stir through the crème fraîche or cream and ⅔ of the grated cheese. Remove from the heat.
Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water, and stir into the sauce. Loosen with just enough of the pasta water to coat. Season if needed. Pile into pasta bowls, add a trickle more olive oil if liked, then finish with the remaining grated cheese.
And to drink...
Fief Guérin, Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu Sur Lie, France. The crisp citrus notes here balance the rich pasta elegantly.
Nutritional
Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe
Energy | 3,492kJ/ 835kcals |
|---|---|
Fat | 37g |
Saturated Fat | 16g |
Carbohydrates | 77g |
Sugars | 16g |
Fibre | 13g |
Protein | 31g |
Salt | 2.6g |