Cabbage Pie

Showcasing my Ukrainian roots with a good-old cabbage pie recipe with sour cream dill sauce. Made in a skillet, this casserole-like dish is budget-friendly, healthy and easy to make and can be served as a main or a side dish. Gluten-free, vegetarian, low-carb friendly.

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What Is A Cabbage Pie?

A cabbage pie is an Eastern European recipe made with shredded cabbage, eggs and flour (often other fillings can be used), which are tossed and pressed into a pancake-like shape in a skillet and cooked on both sides until golden brown. It’s similar to a cabbage casserole.

It has a great texture: softened cabbage on the inside and crispy crust on the outside. The flavour is very nice yet mild and you can give it more punch with herbs, spices, cheese, capers, olives or sun-dried tomatoes. It reminds me of a Spanish tortilla.

There are some cabbage pie recipes that use a pastry on the outside but this one is the very easy skillet or frying pan version, which is also much healthier.

I love serving it with regular sour cream or Greek yoghurt or you can make my creamy dill sauce. This can also be a dairy-free, mayonnaise-based aioli.

If you have leftover cabbage and need the inspiration to use it, make sure to try this delicious cabbage pie!

Cabbage Pie Ingredients

This recipe for cabbage pie is very simple and budget-friendly. You might have most of the ingredients on hand already:

• Cabbage – regular, white/green cabbage is traditionally used in this recipe. You will need about half a kilo (1 pound), which is usually half of a medium cabbage head.
• Eggs – help to bind the shredded cabbage filling. I haven’t tried making an egg-free version.
• Flour – I use store-bought gluten-free flour (1:1 ratio to regular flour) but you could try tapioca/cassava flour for a grain-free version. I think that if you use finely grated cheese, you could potentially get away with no flour if you want to make a keto-friendly version of his pie (although haven’t tried this yet!)
• Onions – you can use green onions or finely chopped yellow/white onion. Chopped leeks might also be nice here.
• Other bits – Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and baking powder.
• For the sauce – fresh dill, sour cream and mayonnaise are whisked together.

How To Make Cabbage Pie

Step 1. Shred the cabbage thinly and chop the onions. With the cabbage, I recommend cutting the longer pieces in halves once shredded, so run the knife across the shredded pieces to make them a bit shorter. Makes it easier to cut the pie once it is cooked.

Step 2. Add cabbage and onions to a large bowl.

Step 3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over the cabbage and toss through to incorporate.

Step 4. Sprinkle with flour and baking powder and toss through to combine.

Step 5. In a large skillet/frying pan (about 9-10-inches ideally), heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Transfer the cabbage mixture into the pan and spread evenly, patting it down with a spatula. Then turn down to low-medium heat. Cover the pan with a lid or some foil and cook for about 15 minutes, until you get a golden-brown crust on the bottom.

Step 6. Use a spatula to make sure the cabbage pancake (pie) is loose enough to remove from the pan.  Put a large plate or a chopping board over the pan and flip it upside down. Add another tablespoon or two of oil into the pan and swirl it around.

Then slide the cabbage pie back into the pan uncooked side down. Cook for 10-15 minutes uncovered to form a golden crust on the other side. If using cheese, sprinkle it all over the top once you flip the pie and let it melt into the crust. 

Step 7. Let it cool slightly before serving and cutting. Garnish with chopped green onions or dill and a side of dill sauce.

Step 8. To make the dill sauce, simply combine and whisk the ingredients in a bowl. Serve a dollop of dill cream over the sliced cabbage pie. 

Serve the shrimp on a platter or a wooden board with the sauce, some of it drizzled over. Garnish with some herbs (cilantro/coriander or chopped green onions). Or, you can assemble grilled shrimp bowls.

Tips For Making Skillet Cabbage Pie

• Make sure the cabbage is shredded quite thinly. The longer strips of cabbage should be cut in halves. This will make the pie easier to cut and will ensure the cabbage is cooked through well. 
• The cabbage is cooked in a medium-large skillet or frying pan. The thickness of the pie will depend on the size of the pan. If the pan is too small, the pie will be too thick/tall and might not cook through on the inside, so go for a medium pan or skillet. 
• While you don’t need as much oil for cooking this cabbage pie as you would for a potato tortilla, you still need a little fat to prevent the pie from burning and to give it the best crispy crust. If it starts to get a little dry through cooking, drizzle a little more oil around the edges and swirl the pan around.
• You can fill the pie with all kinds of vegetables, meats, sausages, shredded chicken and mushrooms. Sometimes I add shredded carrot or sweet potato, grated cheese or feta.

Nutrition Notes

This Spanish cauliflower rice dish is high in protein and fibre, satiating yet not heavy, and balanced in most essential nutrients. In fact, I would call it nutrient-dense, especially high in B-vitamins, magnesium, zinc, iron, and antioxidant-potent vitamins C and E. It’s grain-free, gluten-free, low-carb, paleo, and Whole30 friendly.

Nutrition Macros

Per serve: 499 calories, 19.9 g total carbs, 6.1 g fibre (13.8 g net carbs), 38.4 g protein, 28.7 g fat.

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