Transform Bland Cabbage With One Creamy Sauce (It's Magic Every Time)

Cabbage is only as bland as you allow it to be. Oftentimes, it's only one or two ingredients away from becoming something everyone will be digging their forks into. Not just anything will do; you need a creamy sauce for this, and which sauce is better than the classic Alfredo? If you've tasted how good it is with fettuccine pasta and pan-seared chicken, then you can probably imagine it working a similar magic on the ordinary cabbage.

Given the opportunity, an easy recipe for Alfredo sauce can really surprise you. A simple blend of heavy cream, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and butter, its richness brings life to everything — including cabbage. Cascading over this veggie like a well-knit flavor blanket, it takes the taste profile from a plain earthiness to pure creamy luxury. The bitter undertone that often makes us shy away from cabbage is masked underneath the sauce's cheesy, nutty complexity, and perhaps even imbued with an aromatic hint from the garlic. In between the nooks and crannies of the cabbage, this luscious sauce turns crispy leaves tender and smooth. Half chewy, half soft, and utterly rich in flavor, Alfredo sauce is how you make cabbage phenomenally toothsome.

Alfredo sauce is nothing if not versatile so feel free to add it to all those cabbage recipes you've been wanting to spruce up. In a pan of sautéed cabbage, this sauce is a wonderful way to tie the veggie to other components, from mushrooms and bell peppers to tiny bacon bits. You can even use it as a pasta substitute, simply by shredding it into flat, thin strips. Will it taste or feel exactly like fettuccine? Of course not, but it's worth the consideration if you've been looking for a low-carb alternative to the traditional dish.

Roasted cabbage wedges are another excellent way to make use of your Alfredo sauce. Those charred edges and hints of caramelized depth only get better when they're draped with the sauce's tangy, garlicky notes. And you can even top them off with a few extra toppings, such as chopped nuts, sautéed scallions, or better yet, gremolata — an Italian condiment consisting of parsley, lemon juice, and pinches of garlic. In the oven, cabbage and Alfredo sauce can also make for one scrumptious casserole when you layer them with melty cheese and a hearty protein and top it off with breadcrumbs. Serve it with toasted bread or mashed potatoes, and you've just discovered a way to make cabbage not only edible, but also the star of an extremely enjoyable meal.