rigatoni with roasted red cabbage ragù
a better way to eat more vegetables
Here’s a weeknight-ready meal that strikes that happy balance between nourishing and comforting, packed with good-for-you vegetables without sacrificing deliciousness. Because I’m a sucker for alliteration, the idea of a “roasted red cabbage ragù” has been stuck in the back of my mind for a long time, but then I started to see similar recipes crop up elsewhere and so I decided to come back to it at a later date. Today is that later date.
January can be a challenging month, a guilt-ridden tug-of-war between what we should be and what we actually are. Perhaps we should be eating better and exercising more and journaling our worries away. But what we are is cold and tired and trying to catch up after three months of holiday fanfare. I’m not one for resolutions, but I am one for looking ahead, and after much trial and error I’ve landed somewhere in between, aiming for small changes when and where I can—refreshing instead of reinventing.
In that vein, today I offer you a refreshing take on the humble, hearty cabbage, a vegetable I reach for regularly in all its forms and that I cook in all the ways—roasting, braising, frying, shredding raw into slaws. I’m calling it a “ragù” because it sounds poetic, even if it’s not entirely accurate (let’s say “sugo” for the traditionalists); still, although vegetables are doing the heavy lifting, the combination of multiple cooking techniques and flavorful pantry staples teases out a deep savoriness that, I’d wager, would satisfy even the most ardent meat-eaters among us. Not to mention the absolutely stunning color of this dish—a treasure trove of amethyst and garnet and ruby hues—makes eating those vegetables feel more like a privilege than a chore. I’ve topped it all off with a crunchy walnut and herb crumble for extra texture and a much-needed pop of freshness in these frigid depths of winter. Needless to say, there were no leftovers.
And, if you’re looking for more vegetable-forward pasta recipes, here are a few favorites from the archive:
Rigatoni with Roasted Red Cabbage Ragù
Serves 4 to 6