4 Ingredient Cabbage Gratin
With 4 simple ingredients you have an elegant, vegetable-forward dish that everyone will love. Humble cabbage gets its time to shine when it’s cooked in a bacon cream sauce smothered with nutty gruyere cheese. It’s just like the classic potato version without the carbs!
Ingredients
- 1 medium head green cabbage, medium sized
- 5 slices thick cut bacon, chopped (about 1 inch long pieces)
- 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups (95 g) freshly grated Gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- Wash cabbage and remove outer leaves from cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half and then cut each half into four equal wedges, cutting all the way through the core so that the wedges don’t fall apart. You should have 8 total wedges. Set aside.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet (between 10-12 inch skillet) over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Use a slotted spatula to remove the bacon from the skillet, leaving the bacon grease still in the pan.
- If desired, season cabbage with salt on both sides. Working in batches, add the cabbage to the skillet over medium high heat. Cook until charred on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Carefully remove from skillet then repeat with remaining wedges. I recommend using a turner or spatula to remove cabbage. Using tongs or something similar may cause the cabbage to fall apart. If needed, add oil when searing the second batch. I didn't need to add more oil but you could need it if your bacon didn't render enough fat.
- After all the cabbage wedges have been seared, add back into the skillet in a spiral/pinwheel shape. See photo in post for reference.
- Pour the heavy cream over the cabbage. The heavy cream should come up about 2/3 of the way up the cabbage wedges.
- Sprinkle the cooked bacon over the top followed by the gruyere cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the cabbage is tender and the cream has thickened and is bubbling.
Notes
- You will need between a 10-12 inch skillet to fit all the cabbage wedges. If you don't have a cast iron that big, you could just do the cooking of the bacon and searing of the cabbage in a smaller cast iron and then transfer to a different large skillet or dutch oven (one that is oven safe and between 10-12 inches) to finish cooking in the oven.
- We garnished with some thyme, but it is completely optional.
- It is also optional whether you want to salt your cabbage. The level of salt preference varies a lot per person. If you generally salt/season, then you can do so. The gratin sauce does have a lot of flavor and is salted from the cheese.
- Nutrition estimate assumes you consume an entire wedge and 1/8 of the sauce. Most likely you will leave some sauce behind on your plate so the nutrition information is likely not as high.
- Adapted from Uncomplicated Chef.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 265kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Sodium: 295mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, NET CARBS: 7
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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