Alison Roman is a celebrated food writer, chef and recipe developer. She’s come up with a wonderful weeknight pantry stunner that’s sure to please your taste buds and your overloaded schedule. This quick and simple recipe highlights the delicious combination of a few pantry staples. The best part—you can make it with super easy, minimal effort! From preheating the oven to those last minute touches, this dish is made for a rushed weekday dinner.
To start, cooks need to heat up the oven to 425 degrees. This straightforward technique creates the foundation for all of the delicious and complex flavors that will develop while the dish bakes. The recipe features a star ingredient: cabbage, which should be cut into 1-inch wedges. This thorough preparation ensures the scallops cook evenly and further improves the dish’s rich mouthfeel.
Sautéing the Cabbage and Shallots
The initial cooking stage consists of quickly browning the cabbage and shallots. To start, cooks want to heat 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. When the fat is hot, they can carefully place in the wedges of cabbage and one large shallot, thinly sliced. Cook the cabbage steaks for 8 to 10 minutes on each side. Continue to monitor it while cooking, looking for a deep, flavor-packed golden brown color to form. The shallots need a bit less time—5 to 7 minutes will get them a lovely brown hue with tenderness to match.
This step is very important as it begins layering in complex flavors to the dish. The caramelization of both the cabbage and shallots adds a deep, umami magic to everything that is just wonderful with the other ingredients. Once browned, these special vegetables should be placed in a baking dish.
Combining Ingredients for Baking
Along with the sautéed aromatics, this recipe calls for two 15-ounce cans of large white beans and canned tomatoes. If your cherry tomatoes are small, leave them whole, if they’re larger, cut them in half or even quarters. These elements bring heft and a sharp note to cut through the butter-braised cabbage and shallots.
Cooks just need to add one cup of hot water into the baking dish. Lastly, to finish off the meal, mix in one tablespoon of vinegar! This thick, tasty liquid with the layer of tomato will form the base for the delicious sauce as it simmers. Then mixed together, the casserole needs to be baked for 50 to 60 minutes. During this time, the liquid will evaporate – you’ll start with a lot – letting that top get all beautifully browned and crisp.
Preparing Ahead and Serving Suggestions
One of the best things about this recipe is how little of it is set in stone. You can make the beans in advance, up to two days before. Just bundle them up tight and keep them in the fridge for whenever you need a snack! This versatility makes it a great choice for batch cooking lovers who want to save time on hectic weeknights.
For anyone looking to perfect their dish even more, optional toppings are freshly grated Parm, ricotta or feta. These frosty, sugary embellishments pack a serious flavor punch. In addition to being luxuriously creamy, they provide the perfect counterpoint to the toothsome beans and crunchy veggies.
