So Many Dishes

I mentioned, a few months ago, that I’d read that 2026 is the year of the cabbage, given its popularity in new recipes. I found the recipe I made last night in an article in the Washington Post last December. Cabbage, sausage, and white bean casserole was featured in The Best Ways to Cook Cabbage. If this recipe is any indication, I need to check out some of the other recipes listed there.

All the rich food we ate on our cruise, and not being able to be as active as usual because of the surgery took a toll that showed up in recent bloodwork. The PA at the cardiologist’s office said I could redeem myself when they repeat the tests in three months. I’m going to try cutting back on carbs, which I know makes a big difference for me. With cabbage and beans, this was definitely a start. It was pretty tasty, too. I could make it more diet conscious by choosing turkey Italian sausage instead of pork sausage, but that’s for next time.

I did make a couple of changes. I used mild rather than hot Italian sausage. Ken was pretty well recovered from a mild stomach bug he’d dealt with last week, but I wasn’t about to push it. And, since most of the flavor comes from the sausage, I upped the quantity, from 8 ounces to a full pound. It probably would have been fine with just a half pound, but we both really like Italian sausage. Since I hadn’t used the hot sausage, I added a generous teaspoon of Italian seasoning: Penzey’s frozen pizza seasoning, to be precise. Penzey’s has three Italian blends that a I know of, and this is my favorite. One last change was to substitute half-and-half for heavy cream. We always have half-and-half around, and I can’t imagine it would have been any better with the cream.

This was an easy dish to prepare. Including the time to slice the cabbage and onions, my total cook time was about an hour. I made it in my enameled cast iron skillet, so I could just transfer the pan to the oven for the final baking step. Otherwise, you will need to transfer the mixture to a casserole dish before topping and baking.

Cabbage, Sausage, and White Bean Casserole

• 8 ounces loose Italian sausage, hot or mild (I increased to 1 pound)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small head green cabbage (about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds), quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 (15.5 ounce) can white beans, such as cannellini, great Northern, or navy, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup packed finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Chopped parsley leaves, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large skillet , preferably cast iron, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking the meat apart, until the fat has been rendered and the sausage is no longer pink, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate, leaving the fat in the skillet.

Add the sliced cabbage and onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 15 minutes.

Add the beans, cream, and the reserved sausage to the skillet and stir to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper, if desired. (I didn’t need to add any.) Transfer to a casserole dish if not using an oven-safe skillet.

In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Sprinkle evenly over the cabbage mixture.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until bubbling and lightly golden on top. Let cool slightly. Sprinkle with the parsley, if using. Makes 4 to 6 generous servings.

We really liked this, and I’m sure we’ll make it again. I’ll probably cut the recipe in half, however. To say the portions are generous is definitely an understatement. We ate leftovers for lunch today, and there was still quite a bit left. While the recipe says four to six servings, for us it was more like six to eight.

Happy eating!