Recipe: Cabbage, bacon and mascarpone penne

Cabbage, bacon and mascarpone penne. Photo / Brian Culy

Cabbage is one of those vegetables that is rather forgotten about. It is very good pan-fried with a little butter and bacon - hopefully this pasta dish will get you inspired to use it more.

Serves 2

2 cups savoy cabbage, cut into fine strips
2 cups red cabbage, cut into fine strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 rashers bacon, cut into pieces
¼ cup cream
½ cup mascarpone
4 cups cooked pasta
1 tablespoon finely ripped dill
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup grated Parmesan to serve

1 Put the savoy and red cabbage into a colander and pour boiling water over.

2 Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the bacon until crisp. Add the cabbage and cook slowly, stirring often, until it is just soft.

3 Add the cream and the mascarpone, and mix them in well. Let it all cook together for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Fold through the cooked pasta and the dill, and season with salt and pepper.

4 Serve with the grated Parmesan sprinkled over.