Old Fashioned Cabbage Casserole

 

I found myself today with a small cabbage in the refrigerator that I wanted to use up.  I could have made coleslaw, of course, and I do love coleslaw, but I was wanting something hearty and filling.

It was too small to make cabbage rolls and I had some leftovers from yesterday that I wanted to use up as well, so I decided to make an old-fashioned cabbage casserole with it.

 

I do have a recipe on here for creamed cabbage, but I wanted something different. You know, sometimes you just fancy something different.

I found a recipe here for a cabbage casserole, but it used cream soup and mayonnaise, neither of which I wanted to use.

 

I decided to create a combination of my regular Creamed Cabbage casserole and the new recipe.  

I didn't want to boil the cabbage like I regularly do for my recipe. I liked the idea of cooking the cabbage and some onion in some butter in a skillet first.

I did however like the idea of a creamy sauce, but didn't want to use soup, so made a cream sauce from scratch. I also added two cheeses to the sauce, a good cheddar and some Parmesan because well, cheese always goes so well with cabbage.

 

Being and feeling rather lazy I decided to do the creamy cheese sauce right in the skillet along with the cabbage. I didn't feel like dirtying up a separate pot to make the sauce.

It worked beautifully.  Using a mix of milk and cream made for a deliciously rich sauce and grating in two cheeses added another lovely depth of flavor.  I was on to a winner here! 

 

I also added some cheese and cracker crumbs to the top. I think a casserole is always made better for having added a crunchy topping, don't you?

This was rich and delicious, the topping nice and crunchy. I could have quite easily munched on a whole plate of this and nothing else.

  

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE OLD FASHIONED CABBAGE CASSEROLE

I call this old fashioned because it used simple ordinary ingredients. Nothing out of a can here.

• 1 small head of cabbage, trimmed and chopped
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 TBS butter
• salt and black pepper to taste
• pinch sugar
• 2 TBS plain all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
• 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups (181g) grated strong cheddar cheese, divided
• 3 TBS Parmesan cheese, divided
• 15 Ritz crackers, coarsely crushed
• non-stick cooking spray

 

My cabbage was a very small one, only about six inches around. You will want to trim away the core and any bruised leaves, cut into thick shreds and then chop those up.  

You also want to chop the onion coarsely.  I grated both cheeses myself. I always prefer to do this if possible as they add things to grated cheeses to make them flow more easily out of the bag.  Always grate your own if you can.

 

HOW TO MAKE OLD FASHIONED CABBAGE CASSEROLE

Nothing could really be simpler. 

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 7 by 11 casserole dish. Set aside.

Trim and chop your vegetables. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Once it begins to foam add the vegetables and a pinch of sugar. Cook, stirring frequently over medium heat, until the cabbage and onion have begun to soften and turn golden brown in spots.

Sprinkle the flour over top of the vegetables. Stir it in to combine. Slowly stir in the milk and then the cream. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens.

Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Stir in 1 cup of the cheddar (120g) and 2 TBS of the Parmesan cheese. Cook and stir until the cheese melts. Pour into the prepared casserole dish, smoothing it out.

Sprinkle the remaining cheddar and Parmesan cheeses over top evenly. Crumble the crackers over top. Spritz the cracker crumbs with a tiny bit of cooking spray.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.

 

This really was lovely. Because the sauce is made right in the same pan as the cooked cabbage it is not watery because any cabbage juices are incorporated right into the sauce, adding even more flavor.

If you are a fan of cabbage dishes, I think you best prepare yourself to fall in love.  This is quite simply one of the most delicious cabbage dishes I have ever made.

Some other cabbage recipes in The English Kitchen you might enjoy are:

CABBAGE, CHEESE & MUSTARD GRATIN FOR TWO - Inspired by a recipe by Nigel Slater, this delicious dish has wedges of partially cooked cabbage napped with a cheese and mustard sauce, crumb topped and baked to perfection.  Gorgeous is one word to describe it.

CABBAGE ROLLS - An old family favorite.  A delicious combination of beef, rice, onions and bacon is shaped and then wrapped up in softened cabbage leaves, prior to being baked to perfection in a lush sweet/sour tomato sauce.  These are to die for.  They are always the first thing to disappear on the buffet table!

Yield: 4-6

Author: Marie Rayner

Old Fashioned Cabbage Casserole

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Rich and creamy with beautiful old-fashioned flavors. If you like cabbage, you will LOVE this simple casserole.

Ingredients

• 1 small head of cabbage, trimmed and chopped
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 TBS butter
• salt and black pepper to taste
• pinch sugar
• 2 TBS plain all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
• 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups (181g) grated strong cheddar cheese, divided
• 3 TBS Parmesan cheese, divided
• 15 Ritz crackers, coarsely crushed
• non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 7 by 11 casserole dish. Set aside.
2. Trim and chop your vegetables. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Once it begins to foam add the vegetables and a pinch of sugar. Cook, stirring frequently over medium heat, until the cabbage and onion have begun to soften and turn golden brown in spots.
3. Sprinkle the flour over top of the vegetables. Stir it in to combine. Slowly stir in the milk and then the cream. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens.
4. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Stir in 1 cup of the cheddar (120g) and 2 TBS of the Parmesan cheese. Cook and stir until the cheese melts. Pour into the prepared casserole dish, smoothing it out.
5. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar and Parmesan cheeses over top evenly. Crumble the crackers over top. Spritz the cracker crumbs with a tiny bit of cooking spray.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.

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