German Cabbage and Noodles
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This German Cabbage and Noodles recipe with sausage is a one pot meal with tender, sweet cabbage, apples, the pungent flavor of caraway, and soft noodles tossed with a delicious mustard sauce.
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Cabbage
Cabbage has been one of my favorite ingredients for as long as I can remember. It must be the sweet flavors and subtle crunch.
It’s perfect when cooked or served raw. And not only is it delicious, but it’s healthy too! I love cabbage in German strudel, but also in a soup like my cabbage roll soup, or served with cabbage and rice, or crunchy coleslaw too!
Origins of Cabbage and Noodles (aka Halupsy)
Cabbage and Noodles, also known as Haluskie or, in my German family, Halupsy, is a favorite Slavic dish with many variations. In fact, in one of my Germans From Russia cookbooks, recipe notes for halupsy discuss the wide range of family variations of this dish.
In some recipes, fresh cabbage is used but is either steamed or “fried,” in others, sauerkraut is used instead. Some feature sausage (always a favorite), but others use ground meats or none at all.
This cabbage and noodles recipe is my take on this utterly delicious comfort food meal, which is perfect any day but one I especially love during Oktoberfest!
What makes this dish utterly delicious is the flavorful mustard sauce that first appeared in my German bratwurst recipe. Drizzling over the noodles makes this simple meal scrumptious!
Regardless of the varied origins of this dish, cabbage and noodles are a perfect way to enjoy sweet cabbage, savory sausage, and delicious flavors any night of the week!
Ingredients for Cabbage and Noodles
Here is a quick list of what you need to make this oh-so-simple recipe. Ingredient measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Noodles: Any noodles you like work in this recipe. I always love a wide egg noodle.
- Smoked Sausages: Bratwurst is often sold as a fresh sausage. To make this meal quick and easy, look for smoked sausages (or cooked sausage). My market carries smoked Bratwurst, which I’m using in this recipe. Kielbasa is a delicious smoked sausage alternative.
- Apple: I love the flavor an apple brings to this dish. Use your favorite variety, either tart or sweet.
- Olive oil and butter for browning the sausage and sauteing the cabbage
- Seasonings: salt, pepper, caraway seeds, and red pepper flakes. Caraway seeds are common in German recipes. They have an earthy, anise, or dill-like flavor, and the red pepper flakes bring a subtle but savory flavor. Both of these can be eliminated if preferred.
- Onion: Sweet onions are especially delicious, but yellow onions work great, too.
- Chopped cabbage: Green cabbage is typical, but I love to mix in purple or red cabbage, too. Because red cabbage tends to bleed color into the noodles, when using, I will often saute it separately and mix it into the dish at the end.
- Minced garlic brings a delicious, traditional flavor to this dish.
For the mustard sauce, you will need Dijon mustard, maple syrup for a natural sweetener, red wine vinegar for a flavor balance, and olive oil.
How to Make Cabbage and Noodles
Here’s how to make this simple German-inspired dish:
- Cook the noodles according to package directions and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet (I use a 12-inch cast iron skillet) and lightly brown sausages.
- Add remaining olive oil, butter, caraway seeds, red pepper flakes, onions and apples and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cabbage and garlic and continue to cook until tender, about another 10 minutes.
- Add the noodles to the skillet, heat until warmed through and serve.
Recipe Tips
Taste before serving. Salt and pepper are your best friends with this dish. Be generous with the seasoning.
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German Cabbage and Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces wide egg noodles measured dry
- 12 ounces bratwurst (kielbasa or any smoked sausage) sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional or to taste
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 large apple chopped (peeled or unpeeled)
- 6 cups chopped cabbage (see notes)
- 2 clove garlic minced or pressed
- salt and black pepper to taste
Mustard Sauce
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet (I use a 12-inch cast iron skillet) and lightly brown the sliced sausages.
- Add the remaining olive oil, butter, caraway seeds, red pepper flakes, chopped onions, and apples to the skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cabbage and garlic and continue to cook until tender, about another 10 minutes. Then, stir in the noodles and cook until heated through.
Mustard Sauce
- While the cabbage is cooking, prepare the mustard sauce by whisking the ingredients in a small bowl.
To Serve
- Spoon cabbage and noodles and generous amounts of sausage onto serving plates and garnish with drizzles of Mustard Sauce.
Notes
- Cabbage: I like to slice and chop the cabbage similarly to the noodle’s width. You can use all green cabbage or, as I’ve done here, a combination of green and red cabbage. The red cabbage color does tend to bleed into the noodles, so I will often saute it in a small skillet and add it to the dish at the end.
- Mustard Sauce: This mustard sauce makes enough to drizzle over individual portions. If you want to toss the cabbage and noodles in the sauce, I recommend making a double portion.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.