The Abridged version:
- Food media outlets are declaring 2026 “the year of cabbage.”
- Zoe B. Soderstrom’s first Cooking In Season recipe of the year calls for caramelizing the vegetable and serving it with miso butter noodles.
- Finish with Parmesan cheese, chili crunch or a protein of your choice.
This is Cooking In Season, a biweekly series from local recipe developer Zoe B. Soderstrom using seasonal produce available at Sacramento-area farmers markets.
My Instagram feed was recently flooded with headlines from various food media companies proclaiming 2026 as “the year of cabbage.” As a longtime devotee, I’m always happy to see any positive press for my favorite vegetable.
Cabbage earns its “superfood” status: It’s rich in vitamins and minerals, low in calories, a solid source of antioxidants and fiber. Plus, it contains small amounts of protein — an impressive feat for a vegetable.
When I finally spotted savoy cabbage at the farmers market from Natural Trading Co., an organic farm in Newcastle, I felt almost giddy at the endless possibilities. Over the years, I’ve cooked (and eaten) more heads of cabbage than I’d like to admit, and I’ve learned something along the way. If you take the time to cook the vegetable down, until it ever-so-slightly caramelizes — and reduces significantly — and pair it with a few complementary ingredients, it becomes quite easy (and delicious) to eat an entire head of cabbage.
So, that’s exactly what this recipe is.
CARAMELIZED CABBAGE & MISO BUTTER NOODLES
Yield: 6 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
This recipe features one whole head of cabbage (6 cups when thinly sliced) which might sound audacious. However, similar to spinach or arugula, cabbage can substantially reduce in size as it cooks; unlike spinach and arugula, though, it transforms into something sweet, tender and lightly savory.
In this case, with the addition of aromatics like shallot and garlic and egg noodles — a chewier, more tender noodle than most — you’re greeted with an unexpectedly craveable bowl. Add your choice of protein, like shredded rotisserie chicken or cooked shrimp, for a complete meal, or finish the dish with chili crunch or Parmesan cheese to make it your own.
Ingredients
6 tablespoons salted butter, divided
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 small head savoy cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (about 6 cups tightly packed)
½ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more to taste
4 cups egg noodles
1 tablespoon white miso paste
¼ cup reserved pasta water
Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish
Instructions
Step 1
In a large sauté pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 to 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add cabbage and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has reduced by half and is soft and slightly caramelized, about 20 to 22 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water up to a rolling boil and generously season with a few pinches of salt. Cook the egg noodles 1 minute less than the package instructions. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water. Strain (do not rinse) and transfer the noodles to the cabbage.
Step 3
In a small mixing bowl, combine the miso paste and reserved pasta water and whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture over the cabbage and noodles and reduce the heat to low. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cook, stirring frequently, until the butter is melted and the noodles are glossy, about 2 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt, if needed.
Step 4
Plate the noodles and garnish with freshly ground black pepper before serving.
Zoe B. Soderstrom is the writer and recipe developer behind Cooking In Season, a biweekly column featuring recipes made from the Sacramento region’s seasonal produce. She runs the popular Substack page Restaurant Dropout and previously worked in Bay Area restaurants after graduating from culinary school.