Variety is the spice of life.
Do I love pasta? Yes!
Can I eat pasta every day? No.
Unfortunately pasta is one of those carbs that really sticks to my hips. Even my properly prepared Sprouted Sourdough Pasta will weigh me down if I eat it all the time.
I developed this easy garlic butter cabbage noodles recipe for those times when I’m watching my carbohydrate intake. Loaded with garlic-buttery goodness, it does a really good job convincing me that I don’t need starchy pasta to feel satisfied.
Healthy Fat Is Where It’s At!
Butter and garlic are the stars of this carb-free noodle. The butter is packed with fat-soluble vitamins and it keeps me full and satiated. Don’t forget an extra generous serving of fresh shaved Parmesan to top these noodles off!
Easy Herbs and Spices
You wouldn’t know it, but this recipe has only eight real-food ingredients. Four of them are herbs and spices! The flavors of garlic, basil, oregano, and chili flakes come together to create a sophisticated taste that will please the most discerning palate.
A Cut Above
The next photos demonstrate exactly how to cut a head of cabbage to achieve long noodle-like strands:
Cut the cabbage head in half. Remove the core by cutting out a pyramid-shaped wedge.
Cut straight down the middle of the halves, creating four equal chunks.
Flip the sections over and slice them vertically (the same direction as the spine of the leaf). Make each slice about 1/2 inch thick.
Separate the cut pieces into noodle-like strands ready for cooking.
Complete the Dish
Here are a few ideas of interesting ingredients to add to these noodles!
- Bacon – Sauté some bacon along with the garlic to add flavor, fat, and protein.
- Sausage – Sauté some spicy homemade Italian sausage with the garlic.
- Meatballs – Make some homemade meatballs to serve alongside.
- Marinara – Prefer red sauce with your noodles? Make the easy, low-carb, homemade version in this recipe and add it in at the end of cooking.
Tell me how you complete the dish below in the comments!
Garlic Butter Cabbage Noodles
These easy, keto-friendly "noodles" are made from the humble cabbage. Humble no more, this dish elevates cabbage and makes it a star.
Ingredients
- 1 head green cabbage
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 bulb fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup Parmesan, shaved
Instructions
- Cut cabbage into long narrow strips about 1/2 inch thick. Set it aside.
- Peel and mince the garlic.
- In a large skillet melt the butter over medium-high heat.
- Once the butter is melted and bubbly add the garlic. Sauté the garlic just until it starts to brown. Add the herbs, salt, and chili flakes to the garlic and stir them in well.
- Add the cabbage and toss gently to coat. Cook the cabbage until it starts to wilt and becomes tender. You want it to be just cooked. If you cook it too long it will release too much juice. A good indicator that it is done is when it just starts to release some juices.
- Move the noodles to a serving bowl or plates and top them with shaved Parmesan!
Lela
Monday 8th of August 2022
Delicious! My first time trying the recipe exactly as written minus the red pepper flakes. It was yummy and we'll definitely have this again!
Butter For All
Thursday 11th of August 2022
Hi Lela!
I'm so happy you liked these cabbage noodles! They are a favorite around here too :)
Kara Jo
Saturday 6th of August 2022
Oh my goodness this was fabulous!!!!! I left out the red pepper flakes because I added hot Italian sausage and I don’t care for parm so I left that out too! This is a keeper in this house!!!! FABULOUS!!!
Butter For All
Thursday 11th of August 2022
Thanks, Kara Jo! I'm so happy to hear it :)
Barbara Duncan
Wednesday 27th of July 2022
I’m on a health and wellness journey so I don’t use any added fat. But this recipe sounds fabulous for when I reach my goal. In the interim I’ve sautéed some garlic in veggie broth then added the cabbage noodles (only had purple cabbage & had no idea how to cut it), cooked until just soft. I made a meat sauce, sautéed 3.5oz lean ground beef in beef broth with garlic and onion. Once browned I added 8oz organic tomato sauce, 2 cups chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp each dried basil, oregano and parsley, packet of truvia, a pinch of cayenne, s & p. Simmered 30 mins. Makes single serving. Poured on top of cabbage noodles and topped with sliced fresh basil! Who knew cabbage could taste so good! AND the best homemade quick sauce I’ve ever made. Can’t wait to make it again! Thank you for this recipe! It’s going in my recipe box for near future use!
Butter For All
Wednesday 3rd of August 2022
Hi Barbara!
Thank you so much for sharing your ideas! Your dish sounds delish!
Courtney
Tina L
Saturday 20th of March 2021
This is my go to when I make spaghetti and meatballs for my family. I actually like it better than spaghetti. I would rather have the garlic butter sauce than tomato sauce. A plate of this and a side of meatballs and I am happy as can be.
Butter For All
Monday 22nd of March 2021
Hi Tina!
I'm with you 100%! Easy, healthy, delicious! I'm so pleased you are enjoying them!
Va “Tedi” Rankin
Tuesday 9th of June 2020
Am I interpreting the ingredient list correctly ~ a whole “bulb” of garlic as opposed to just a “clove” of garlic?
Butter For All
Friday 12th of June 2020
Hi Tedi,
You are! I use one whole "bulb" of garlic... Perhaps I should change the recipe to "head of garlic", as that might be the more common phrase. Thanks for asking the question and helping me consider my phrasing!
Happy Cooking!
Courtney