Pork-Cabbage Casserole

Published Feb. 15, 2023

Pork-Cabbage Casserole
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1½ hours
Rating
4(660)
Comments
Read comments

This hearty skillet meal is filled with layers of buttery, caramelized cabbage sandwiching a filling of herby pork and rice. A garlicky yogurt sauce, plus plenty of lemon juice and zest, keeps the dish bright and tangy, and the soft cabbage makes it especially warming on a cold winter day. This reheats perfectly, so make it ahead if you like (up to three days, store it in the fridge), then heat it up in a 350-degree oven until steaming.

Featured in: The Ideal Winter Dish? It’s This Cozy Cabbage Recipe

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1large white onion, diced
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • cup long-grain rice
  • cups chicken or vegetable stock, or water
  • cups chopped leafy herbs and tender stems, such as cilantro, dill, parsley, mint, preferably a combination, plus more for garnish
  • ¼cup chopped fresh oregano leaves
  • 3scallions, thinly sliced
  • ½teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus ¼ cup juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
  • ½cup plain Greek yogurt, plus more for serving
  • 3garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
  • 1pound ground pork or turkey
  • 1large egg
  • 3tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1(2-pound) savoy cabbage, thinly sliced (about 8 cups; see Tip)
  • 3tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

512 calories; 35 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 989 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium. Add onion and 1 teaspoon salt. Sauté until onions are pale gold at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer half of the onions to a small bowl and set aside for the cabbage.

  2. Step 2

    Add rice and 1 cup stock to the onions in the pan and bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is about halfway cooked (it should still be a bit firm), 8 to 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    In a large bowl, combine the herbs, scallions and lemon zest, and mix well. Transfer ¼ cup of the herb-lemon zest mixture to a small bowl and stir in the yogurt, ½ teaspoon garlic and a large pinch of salt; refrigerate until serving.

  4. Step 4

    When the rice is ready, add it to the bowl with the herbs and mix well. Add the pork, ½ teaspoon salt and remaining garlic, and gently mix to combine. Add the egg and mix to combine.

  5. Step 5

    In the same skillet (you don’t need to wash it), melt butter and heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium. Add the cabbage and reserved sautéed onions. (If it doesn’t all fit, you can let some of the cabbage wilt and shrink, then add the rest.) Season cabbage with 1 teaspoon salt and sauté until wilted, about 5 minutes. Cover and let cook until tender, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Uncover and cook until the cabbage starts to brown, about 3 to 5 minutes more.

  6. Step 6

    Transfer half of the softened cabbage to a medium bowl. Spread cabbage in the pan in an even layer. Dollop the pork mixture evenly on the cabbage.Top the pork with the remaining cabbage. Add remaining ½ cup stock and the lemon juice. Cover the pan and bake until the cabbage is very tender, about 1 hour.

  7. Step 7

    Remove the skillet from the oven and turn on the broiler. Uncover pan, sprinkle the cabbage with Parmesan, then broil until nicely browned on top, 1 to 3 minutes. Top cabbage with more herbs and serve with the yogurt sauce.

Tip
  • You can substitute green or red cabbage, just add 5 to 10 minutes to the cooking time in Step 5. The cabbage should be very soft before you add the pork.

Ratings

4 out of 5
660 user ratings
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Comments

Just double checking: while the recipe specifies cooking steps for the onions, the rice, and the cabbage in the pan, pork is NOT? Is that correct? That raw pork is mixed with the cooked rice? I keep thinking I missed something....but I can't find that step (browning the ground pork) in the recipe.

This was a hit, but I sped up the prep and reduced dishes considerably by doing the following: browned pork (I used italian sausage - delicious!) in the skillet. Added the onions and cooked until translucent. Added the cabbage & salt, and stirred until wilted. Added a cup of cooked rice (honestly, you could leave the rice out and not notice it). Stirred it all around to get acquainted then stuck the whole thing under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top. Served w/yogurt sauce. Winner!!

"A wonderful veggietarian protein replacement for the pork would be soaked soy curls marinated in olive oil, nutritional yeast, a touch of molasses and soy sauce/liquid aminos." The comment I copied from the orginal article in NYTs for this receipe. Looking forward to trying as it's even VEGAN a seemingly a great idea. I've used "Soy Curls" a wonderful ingerdient made by Butler Foods which is a simple & non 'processed' ingredient I've used much thta unless you are alergic to soy you love!

Delicious! I made this with ground turkey meat. I added 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to make up the fat from not using pork. Half of my herbs were dill, and it turned out perfectly. I also added a couple tablespoons more lemon juice. This was a huge hit. I’m definitely making it again.

I followed the recipe to the letter and found that it was way too much work for a "meh" meal.

I thought this was a tasty dish. However, it IS very time consuming.

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