Another JAH Original! What is Cabasta? It is sliced Cabbage like Spaghetti Pasta, Italian Sausage, Meatballs, or any other form of Meat and a Tomato-Based Sauce.
For this Recipe, JAH Quick Tomato Sauce is used with Italian Sausages. Cooked and then Sliced and Pan Fried. The Cabbage is mixed with the Other vegetables and salted. The Juices squeezed out and then steamed. You can also keep it Keto with a Tomato based Sauce served instead of the Quick Tomato Sauce.
Cabasta Ingredients
Made with Sliced Salted Cabbage, Various Meats and Tomato Based Sauce.
Cabbage
A substitute for Spaghetti Pasta. Sliced as thick or thin as you want. Optionally add Sauerkraut to it as well. This will have the added effect of adding Tang to the Sauce. 2 % Salt of the Total Cabbage weight is added to the Cabbage to mix and squeeze in. This will remove any bitter taste, as well as extract the juices and soften the Cabbage.
Salted Cabbage
However much Cabbage you use, weigh it out to get the total grams, and times that by 2% to calculate how much Salt to add. Example; 400g of Sliced Cabbage, (400 * .02 = 8g of Sea Salt).
Cooking the Sliced Cabbage
For Cooking the Cabbage, there are a couple of options as well.
- Boil the Cabbage Mix until tender with a dash of cream of tartar.
- Sauté the Cabbage Mix with some butter until tender
- Steam the Cabbage Mix with a dash of cream of tartar in the water.
- Optionally add Sauerkraut.
What to do with leftover cabbage
If you have extra Cabbage leftover, you can use this for Coleslaw or Sauerkraut or Tear the Cabbage into bite size pieces and salt and then freeze to make Fried Cabbage at a later time.
Cabasta Meat
Adding meat is optional. You can keep this dish completely meatless. I always serve it with Sausages. But Meatballs works too.
Sausage
A quick way of adding some meat is to use Sausage. Any kind you like. You can Cook the Sausage, Slice, and then sauté to include with this Cabasta Dish. Or peel the Skin off and Shape meatballs.
Meatballs
If you want to make the filling, then one options is to use Italian Sausage Meatballs or any other Meatball Recipe. Both the Sauce and Meatballs can be used here for this dish or for Cabbage Rolls.
Other Meats
Corned Beef can be used here as well. Either by itself or mixed in with your choice of meat filling. Bacon is another nice addition as well as Seasoned Sliced Meats like Steak or Pork.
Tomato Based Sauce
Here we are looking for a high note Tomato-Based Sauce, usually with the addition of acid in some form or other.
Sauerkraut added with the Cabbage is perfect for this. Sauerkraut is a Fermented Soured Cabbage. Which offers acidity.
The Base Pizza Sauce, Quick Tomato Sauce or just Crushed Tomatoes with some added ingredients will work here.
Preparing Cabasta
Start by coring and slicing the Cabbage. Then Salt the Cabbage and mix well, set aside to soften.
Prepare the JAH Quick Tomato Sauce and set this aside.
Prepare and Cook the Meat you choose to use, whether that be Sausages, Meatballs, or any other form of meat. You can also skip the meat and have this as a Meatless Monday meal.
To add more Color add in some additional vegetables. Like Peppers, Radish, Carrots. For aromatics, add Onion, Garlic. I find that Green Bell Peppers and Onions work really well with this dish.
For this post, I Salted the Cabbage along with everything else. The Onion, Garlic, Green Peppers, and Carrots. Squeezed out all the Juice and Steamed it until tender.
Plating Cabasta
Once you have the Cabbage, Sauce, and Meat Ready. Plate with Cabbage Mix tossed with the Meat. Top off with sauce. Serve this with a side of Garlic bread and you’re good to go.
Ingredients
- 1 portion Quick Tomato Sauce Recipe
- 4 Sausages
- 1 small Cabbage - Cored, Quartered and Sliced
- 1 Tbl Kosher Salt - for Salting the Vegetables
- 1 Onion Sliced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper - Sliced
- 1 Carrot - Shredded
- 2 cloves Garlic - Minced
- optional Sauerkraut as desired
Instructions
- Peel the outer leaves off the Cabbage, Cut the Cabbage in 4 Quarters and Core. Slice the Cabbage to desired size. Prepare the Other Vegetables and add them to the Cabbage. Salt the Mixture with 1 Tbl Kosher Salt, mix and squeeze. Let sit until you are done with everything else.
- Prepare the Quick Tomato Sauce. Adjust the seasoning. Set aside and keep warm.
- Steam the Cabbage Mixture to desired tenderness. About 5–8 minutes. With 1/2 tsp cream of tartar in the water.
- Slice and Pan Sear the Sausages or cook your choice of meat while the cabbage is steaming. When done leave the meat in the pan to add the Cabbage Mixture to toss, when it is done steaming. This will pick up the extra oil and flavor on the bottom of the pan from the meat.
- Plate the Cabbage Mixture with meat and Top with Quick Tomato Sauce. Serve with Garlic Bread.