Braised Cabbage with Chorizo and White Beans
a very elusive under 10 ingredients, under 30 minutes, reasonably affordable, one pot meal?! Could it be...?
Hey friends! How are we all? Anyone else feel like daylight savings is extra weird this year? Also is December always feel absolutely out of control or just me? Let me know. I have a coupla things to say about this recipe. The first is that I’ve BEEN a bean girl, I’m not new to this I promise you. I even tried to start a ‘beans are cool’ series like 5 different times at my previous job and was told that the audience ‘hates beans’. Okay, I have to disagree? But moving on. In culinary school, we spent an entire day learning about how good beans are for us and the environment, not to mention budget and time friendly!! Yes homecooked beans are the better route but for a weeknight c’mon, we’re using the canned stuff. One day I might share how to make perfectly seasoned and digestion-friendly beans - would anyone be into that?
The second is I’ve also BEEN about cabbage!!! It’s one of my absolute favorite vegetables and I fold it into a lot of dishes. It’s an amazing bulker and it adds sweetness and hella nutrition to dishes. Have I shared my tahini caramelized cabbage on here yet? If not I should. It’s one of the best plant sources of glutamine, an important amino acid that supports gut health and protein synthesis. I love it most as it’s prepared in this dish, caramelized and braised, forget itttt.
It’s the holiday season and at the moment I’m pretty sure we’re all living off of primarily charcuterie boards and cookies until further notice. And while this dish is a tiny bit charcuterie vibes given that there’s chorizo in it, that’s okay, our friends beans & cabbage make up for it. Feel free to swap the chorizo out with sweet or hot Italian sausage or some soyrizo if that’s how you get down.
Onto the recipe!
braised cabbage with chorizo and white beans
serves 4
ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed
1 pound ground chorizo
1/2 of a medium green cabbage quartered and tough stems trimmed
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup dry white wine such as sauvignon blanc
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 14-ounce can great northern or navy beans, drained and rinsed
a handful of fresh parsley, optional for garnish
instructions
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed, high-walled skillet or braiser over medium-high heat until it feels warm when you hold your hand over it. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add in the chorizo and break it up into grape-sized pieces. Cook the chorizo for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is browned on all sides and cooked all the way through. Remove from the skillet and leave any drippings behind. If the pan looks dry add in another tablespoon of oil.
Season the cabbage wedges on both sides with kosher salt. Add to the skillet and sear for about 8 minutes on the first side and 6 minutes on the second side until deeply caramelized. If the pan begins to smoke, lower the heat to medium and carry on. Carefully remove the cabbage from the skillet and set aside.
While the cabbage is caramelizing combine the white wine, chicken stock, and tomato paste in a measuring cup and stir until the tomato paste is dissolved. Pour the mixture into the skillet to deglaze. Be sure to scrape up all of the flavor bits from the skillet with your spoon. Add the beans to the skillet along with the chorizo and stir to combine. Lower the heat to medium and nestle the cabbage into the beans and chorizo and cook for 10 minutes until the cabbage is fork-tender and the liquid has reduced by about a third.
Garnish with parsley if desired and enjoy!