Hungry for Italian Sausage and Cabbage

Submitted by PaulaG

"This is an Italian twist on the ever popular Hungarian dish using cabbage and noodles. This is a delicious one dish meal bursting with flavor. Created for RSC #14."

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 (9 ounce) package cheese tortellini
• 3 sweet Italian sausages
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 6 cups napa cabbage, coarsely chopped
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1⁄8 cup diced pimento, drained
• 1⁄2 cup creme fraiche
• salt and pepper
• grated parmesan cheese

directions

1. Cook the tortellini as per package directions, drain reserving 3 tablespoons cooking liquid.
2. Place the sausages in boiling water and cook until firm, remove and cool until cool enough to handle. Thinly slice the sausage.
3. Over medium heat, melt the butter and add olive oil, cook sausages through until nicely browned; stir in onions, minced garlic and cabbage.
4. Saute for 5 minutes or until cabbage is crisp tender; stir in drained cooked tortellini, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes and pimentos. Season with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper to taste.
5. Lower the heat to low, add the crème fraiche and reserved pasta cooking liquid; cook just until warmed through.
6. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and crusty Italian bread.

Reviews

[Chuck_Roast]

This is excellent - so good in fact it may end up in the weekly rotation. I did use about half a small onion and half a fresh red bell pepper, both sliced and diced fine, instead of green onion and pimento - and Greek yogurt and sour cream in place of cr?me fresh. But good recipes are resilient.

 

[Crafty Lady 13]

Wow...soooooo good! I couldn't find a good head of napa cabbage so I used a small regular head of cabbage. I also had to use frozen tortellini. The Italian sausage, cabbage and tortellini was a great combination. The store I went to doesn't carry creme fraiche, so I had to make my own. The creme fraiche was the perfect touch to this dish. My MIL was out of town so I made this dish for my FIL and myself. He had three helpings, so I knew he loved the dish too! This will be made often in my house. Thanks for creating such a wonderful recipe, Paula. Made for Jan. 2011 Aus/NZ Swap.

 

[Karen Elizabeth]

So good! To my dismay I found I didn't have tortellini, despite being sure I still had a packet .. probably find it tonight! So I used smallish pasta shells. Otherwise I stuck to recipe, this was just so good, I was eating the cabbage as it cooked, good thing I was generous with my quantities! I'm not crazy about the anise taste of fennel, but DH loved it, and I was quite generous with my red pepper flakes as well. This is a highly-flavoured deliciously creamy dish, only DH and I were home to enjoy it, so I got to bring the rest to my office for lunch today, yum, just as good the next day!!! Paula, just marvellous, thanks for this, loved it! Made for Aus/NZ swap#33

 

[Rita1652]

Enjoyed by all of us. I did use chicken sausage. I used olive oil and smart balance butter. I hate how fattening this is but it did serve 6 as a side so it wasn`t as bad. Skipped the cheese. Thanks for the good eats!

 

[Susie D]

This was an easy supper and turned out to be one of our favorite contest entries. I normally use ground turkey seasoned with Penzey's Italian Sausage Seasoning and did so here by simply browning it in a skillet. I honestly wasn't expecting such powerful flavors, but this dish really delivers & every ingredient is well placed. I will be making this again & not changing anything. Good luck in the contest!