Forget steaming up your kitchen with a boiled cabbage side dish or slogging through wilty, bland coleslaw. This is so easy, you’ll be wondering why you never made it before.   This has now become my favorite way to serve cabbage.  It is a slight variation on the recipe for Cavolo E Pancetta Soppresa  in Cucina Simpatica (Johanne Killeen and George Germon).  Usually, I use Napa or Savoy cabbage, but I used Early Flat Dutch cabbage (like the regular ones  in the grocery store) from our garden in the picture (below)  for this post.

Serves 4

Butter a 1-2 quart baking dish.  (Don’t worry if the mixture is mounded up really high when you put it in–it will cook down.)

Preheat oven to 425 F.

• ½ head of cabbage  chopped into long julienne pieces (don’t mince it up, you want long shreds) (about 3-4 C)
• ¼ C blue cheese salad dressing, the chunkier the better
• ¼ C grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ C shredded Italian cheese (asiago, romano, even provolone)
• ¼  C half & half
• red pepper flakes (to taste)
• salt (Don’t oversalt.  The cheeses and pancetta are already quite salty.)
• 4 slices of pancetta

Mix cabbage, cheeses, and half & half in a large mixing bowl.  Season with red pepper flakes and salt to taste.  Pour into buttered dish and top with pancetta rounds.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and cooked down.

Great with Fresh and Simple Cod and Tomato, sausages, creamy tomato soup, or pork chops.