This vegan cabbage and noodles (or halušky/haluski) recipe is simple and delicious! It’s one of my favorite comfort meals. If you’re an American with Slovak (or Slavic) roots, you may be familiar with the beloved dish. In our household, it consisted of lots of butter, onions, cabbage, broad noodles, salt and lots of black pepper. And before my family went vegetarian, it sometimes included smoked sausage. I was excited for the chance to make it completely plant based, and share it with you!
This recipe makes ~4-6 servings.
Why is American halušky so different than Slovak versions?
Recently, I had a chance to attend a webinar hosted by Global Slovakia with Professor Rastislava Stoličná, an ethnologist and respected authority on Slovak culinary culture. The entire talk discussed many of the dishes beloved by Slovak Americans, whose ancestors arrived in the United States before WWII. For millions of Americans with Slovak roots, the foods our relatives have passed down are from folk cuisine recipes from 150 years ago+ and shaped by individual regions’ and families’ approaches. It is fascinating how the Slovak food culture has evolved both inside and outside of the homeland since that time.
As was revealed during the Global Slovakia webinar, in some parts of the mountainous regions of Slovakia, Slovaks ate halušky up to 5 times a week. That’s a lot of thick, soft noodles or potato dumplings! They would stir in different things on different days to jazz up the meal (sometimes soft cheeses, other times cabbage, etc). You can still see this habit of stirring in goodness in Slovakia today with halušky dishes like bryndzové halušky or strapačky.
In the late 19th century, Slovaks, who immigrated the U.S., did not have easy access to the iconic sheep cheese, bryndza, so they started leaning heavily on what was familiar and plentiful, cabbage. And thus, cabbage was stirred in with the halušky. And that is how the America’s version ended up different than Slovakia’s most well-known version of halušky!
A few things…
- In the U.S., Walmart has an excellent egg-free broad noodle. If this is hard for you to find, substitute in vegan dry pasta. It’ll do in a pinch, but isn’t quite the same.
- Allow the onions and cabbage to caramelize in the skillet. Some should turn a little golden brown, as you sauté. It’ll lend a sweeter, savory flavor to the dish.
- This vegan cabbage and noodles recipe has few ingredients. Don’t be shy with the vegan butter, salt or black pepper. Taste, and add more, if needed.
- Like many Slovak Americans, I absolutely love sauerkraut. I used to serve it on the side. Then, over decades of enjoying cabbage and noodles, the sauerkraut just started migrating into it from time-to-time. I highly recommend it.
- When I was a teenager in the 90’s, I started putting caraway seed in my vegan cabbage and noodles. It’s definitely one of my signature moves. Do it, if it sounds good to you! But it’s tasty with or without it.
- This pairs very well with Field Roast Smoked Apple and Sage Plant-Based Sausage (carried in the U.S. at many chain grocery stores) and additional sauerkraut on the side.
Check out more UVK recipes, like Slow Cooker Vegan Cabbage Rolls with Sauerkraut Tomato Sauce, Vegan Halušky with Stewed Sauerkraut and Tempeh Bacon, Asian Noodle Salad with Almond Sesame Dressing, Vegan Soba Noodle Salad, Vegan Cheesy Soy Curls Noodle Casserole, Roasted Cabbage Soup and more.
And please enjoy this tasty vegan cabbage and noodles dish 💚
Vegan Cabbage and Noodles
12 ounce package of wide egg-free ribbon noodles (I used Great Value Wide Egg-Free Ribbons)
1 cup onions, sliced
5 Tbsp vegan butter
1 tsp (+ more to taste) salt
4½ cups cabbage, chopped
1 tsp caraway seeds (see note above)
Black pepper, to taste, but be generous
½ cup+ sauerkraut, drained – optional
1. First, you’ll make the pasta for the vegan cabbage and noodles. Fill a large pot with water. Bring to a boil, and then, stir in the egg-free ribbon noodles. Boil for 7-8 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse thoroughly with water. Set aside.
2. Next, you’ll sauté the aromatics for the vegan cabbage and noodles. In a large skillet, add the onions, butter, and ½ tsp salt. Moving the onions around constantly, sauté over medium-high heat for ~5 minutes or until the onions are soft and golden.
3. Add the cabbage, caraway seeds and black pepper (to taste, but a good amount). Moving the cabbage around constantly, sauté over medium-high heat for ~5-7 minutes or until the cabbage has sweated out and some of the leaves have browned in the process.
4. Add the egg-free ribbon noodles and ½ tsp salt. Constantly stirring around the cabbage and noodles, sauté over medium-high heat for another 3-5 minutes or until all the flavors are melded. It adds to the flavor when the noodles get a little fried too.
5. If you would like to add the optional sauerkraut, stir it into the dish. And stir around over medium-high for another minute. Then, taste the cabbage and noodles, and adjust seasonings, if needed (more vegan butter? salt? black pepper? sauerkraut?). Serve.
