Baked Italian Savoy Cabbage and Sausage Casserole

This is a really filling, really tasty, comforting dish that almost satisfies a lasagna craving! Incredibly flavorful and hearty.

Ingredients:

2 lb. savoy cabbage, sliced into 1/2 inch ribbons
1 T. olive oil, plus more as needed
4 sweet Italian sausages, removed from casings and crumbled
1/2 cup diced tomatoes in juice (or more, depending on your taste)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (I used a little more)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (you can do this while preparing the dish).

Bring a large pot of water to boil, and prepare an ice bath (cold water + ice) in a large bowl. Add cabbage to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (or drain in a strainer) and add immediately to the ice bath to stop the cooking. Allow to cool, then drain well. Using a salad spinner, dry the cabbage well.


In a medium skillet, heat 1 T. oil over medium heat. (I actually didn't find the oil necessary, as I had normal pork sausage, which is fatty enough.) Add crumbled sausage and cook until done through. Stir in the tomatoes, and season with salt & pepper to taste (I didn't find salt to be necessary). Allow the water from the juices to cook off.

Oil a medium-sized casserole dish (my Le Creuset was too large...a 2.5 quart round casserole dish would have been way better).

Place 1/3 of the cabbage into the bottom of the dish. Season generously with salt and pepper. Top with half the mozzarella and sauce. Repeat this layer. Top with the last third of the cabbage and all the parmesan cheese.

Pour the cream over the top and bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until browned and bubbly.


Serve in shallow bowls (there will probably be some liquid) with a lovely glass of wine! And bread, if you're not doing low-carb :D.


(Once more, excuse my dumb cell phone pictures.)