Quick and Easy

Pasta with Cabbage, Winter Squash and Walnuts

by:
December 17, 2018
4
25 Ratings
Pasta with Cabbage, Winter Squash and Walnuts
Photo by Ellen Silverstein
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 25 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Excerpted with permission from Dorie Greenspan's Everyday Dorie:

Some dishes take days of planning and some just pop into your head while you’re fretting that there’s nothing in the house for dinner. This was such a dish. I’d left planning to well after the last minute, so I had to scramble and make do with whatever I could forage in the fridge. It turned out there were hunks of cabbage and squash and a piece of Parmesan. Since there’s always pasta, there was dinner, a scrambler’s dinner that turned into a dish worthy of being made “on purpose.”

This is a good dish to prep with a mandoline, like a Benriner, or the slicing blade of a food processor, although you can cut the cabbage into shreds by hand and, if you’d like, you can cut the squash into small cubes instead of slicing it. I’ve given you measurements, but there’s no need to be precise — a little more or a little less doesn’t matter. As for the pasta, go with what you’ve got.

The secret to the dish’s flavor is the vinegar. Cider vinegar is best, but again, this is a pickup dinner, so pick up what you’ve got. Just make sure to cook it down so that you get its flavor, not its bite. Oh, and there’s another surprise ingredient: dried cranberries — there for tartness, color and chew. —Dorie Greenspan

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: 3 Surprising Pantry Ingredients Dorie Greenspan Uses to Upgrade Wintry Pasta —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/2 pound (227 grams) winter squash, such as Delicata, Kabocha, acorn or butternut, scrubbed or peeled, as you like
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, or a little more
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/2 pound (227 grams) linguine or other long pasta
  • 1/4 cup (30 grams) dried cranberries
  • 1/2 pound (227 grams) green cabbage, trimmed, cored and shredded (about 2 lightly packed cups)
  • 1/4 cup (30 grams) walnut pieces, toasted, if you’d like
  • 1 handful freshly grated Parmesan, for sprinkling
Directions
  1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut the squash in half and remove the seeds and strings (discard the seeds or clean and roast).
  2. Thinly slice or cut into cubes (see headnote). You’ll have about 2 lightly packed cups.
  3. Warm 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large high-sided skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. Toss in the squash, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until it is almost tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the vinegar and cook until it is absorbed by the squash — this is quick. Add the honey and stir to coat, then scrape the squash into a bowl and set aside.
  4. Cook the pasta according to package directions. About a minute before the pasta is ready, toss the dried cranberries into the pot. When the pasta is cooked, scoop out 1/4 cup of the cooking water and set aside, then drain the pasta, leaving a little water clinging to the strands.
  5. Return the skillet to medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, toss in the cabbage and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for a minute or two, then add the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar and cook, stirring, until it is absorbed. Pour in the reserved pasta water and cook for a minute, then add the pasta and cranberries and stir it all around. Mix in the squash and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Taste for salt and pepper and see if you want to add a bit more oil.
  6. Transfer to a warm bowl or leave the pasta in the skillet to serve, topped with the walnuts and Parmesan.
  7. STORING: The dish is really best served as soon as it’s made.
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Dorie Greenspan
With the publication her 14th book, Baking with Dorie, New York Times bestselling author Dorie Greenspan marks her thirtieth anniversary as a cookbook author. She has won five James Beard Awards for her cookbooks and journalism and was inducted into the Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. A columnist for the New York Times Magazine and the author of the xoxoDorie newsletter on Bulletin, Dorie was recently awarded an Order of Agricultural Merit from the French government for her outstanding writing on the foods of that country. She lives in New York City, Westbrook, Connecticut, and Paris. You can find Dorie on Instagram, Facebook, Bulletin and her website,

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10 Reviews

NXL
NXL October 5, 2022
Made this a second time without the pasta. Fantastic side dish for salmon! In fact, I love it even more without pasta.
 
Sharon B.
Sharon B. October 2, 2022
Loved this pasta. I made it just for myself since my husband does not like butternut squash. I used dried tart cherries and added a dab of habenero salsa
(Rick. Bayless). I also roasted the squash tossed in olive oil salt and pepper. I roasted it on parchment paper which helped with the clean upand stuck it back in the oven for a few mins after adding the vinegar and oven.
 
NXL
NXL September 24, 2022
Love this recipe! The only thing I might do in future is add more squash and cabbage.
 
Cheryl
Cheryl February 2, 2019
Still loving my leftovers! Cubed the butternut squash and doubled it. Quadrupled the cabbage (it was delicious!). Omitted the honey and didn't miss it. Subbed currants for the cranberries because that's what I had and I wasn't looking forward to the sharpness of the cranberries. First night, I only had hazelnuts, so used those and they were great, but I think the nod goes to the walnuts, which I bought subsequently. Using vegan Parm made it a vegan meal for me. Will definitely make again. Thank you Dorie!
 
Sharon B.
Sharon B. January 8, 2023
Try the tart cherries from Trader Joe’s
 
Martin
Martin December 30, 2018
I've mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, the different ingredients and textures are complimentary; on the other, I didn't really like it. My wife really liked it, but my son did not. So I'd say it depends on the person. One thing to note, though, is that I only used 3 tablespoons of oil altogether and it tasted too oily for me.
 
Sharon B.
Sharon B. October 2, 2022
think this is a dish for us ladies. I knew my husband would not like it,so I made himMarinara.
I did add just a dab ofTick Baykess habenero salsa that I had made earlier. You might like it with a little heat.
 
Sharon B.
Sharon B. October 2, 2022
Rick Bayless
 
Clover88
Clover88 December 24, 2018
Made this for Christmas Eve dinner. Easy to make and great flavors!
 
anne7hall
anne7hall December 20, 2018
Made this last night and it was DELICIOUS! It was so good. The cider vinegar was brilliant. I forgot to add the walnuts and the honey (oops), but it was fine. Although, the texture of the walnuts would have been nice. Definitely making this one again and again. Loved it!