How to use cabbage and cauliflower leaves, cavolo nero and all leafy green vegetables.
In the kitchen nothing is thrown away — here are easy, surprising recipes with multiple uses.
Every time we buy these vegetables they come full of leaves and stems that often end up in the trash.
Not today: I’ll explain in simple steps how to use the leaves of cabbage and cauliflower, broccoli, chard and all leafy greens.
Together we’ll see how to make a velouté (cream soup) that you can also use to dress pasta and grains, a side dish that can also be used to dress pasta (and combined with cheese), a pesto to dress pasta or accompany meats, and finally another side dish combined with potatoes or celeriac for those who cannot eat potatoes — great to accompany any protein.
We start from a base recipe and then split it into the other recipes.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very affordable
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Pressure cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 332.61 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 24.93 (g) of which sugars 7.93 (g)
- Proteins 13.03 (g)
- Fat 21.24 (g) of which saturated 6.44 (g)of which unsaturated 2.76 (g)
- Fibers 5.71 (g)
- Sodium 147.70 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
How to use cabbage and cauliflower leaves
- 1.1 lb cabbage leaves (including cauliflower leaves, cavolo nero (black kale) and other leafy greens)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 chili pepper chili pepper (if you like)
- 2 oz onion (in chunks)
- 2.5 cups extra virgin olive oil
- 10.6 oz potatoes (or celeriac, cut into pieces)
- 3 oz grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Pecorino)
- 1 oz peeled almonds (or pine nuts)
- 3/4 cup milk
Tools
what we need
- 1 Pot
- 1 Immersion blender
- 1 Knife
Steps
Let’s prepare the vegetables
To use the leaves of cabbage, cauliflower and chard, first detach them from the stem and wash them under running water.
You can also use the central part of cavolo nero (black cabbage).
Or the ends of chard
For the stems of cabbages, remove the outer skin and keep only the tender central part.
Wash everything thoroughly under running water several times, then cut the leaves into pieces and let them drain
Now take a large pot — a pressure cooker works too and will shorten cooking time.
Pour the oil into the pot, add the garlic, the chili if you like, and the coarsely chopped onion.
Sauté a few minutes to infuse the oil, then add the chopped vegetables, season with salt and stir.
If you want to make the side dish with potatoes or the velouté, now add the potato or celeriac pieces as well.
Pour 300 g of water (about 1 1/4 cups / 300 ml) and close the lid. Cook in a regular pot for at least 40 minutes, adding more water if necessary.
If instead you are using a pressure cooker, cook for 15 minutes after it starts to whistle.
If you want the simple side dish (the one without potatoes), just remove the vegetables from the pot and serve.
To make the pesto, once this side dish has cooled, add the cheese, the pine nuts or almonds, a little cooking water, and blend everything.
Remove the vegetables from the pot, add the milk and blend; if you want you can also add grated cheese or cream.
Here is the velouté ready
You will have cooked the potatoes/celeriac with the leaves — it is ready to be served as is or combined with pasta or grains.
How to use cabbage and cauliflower leaves.
All preparations can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The pesto, the velouté and the side dish without potatoes can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How to use cabbage and cauliflower leaves
Can I add other vegetable scraps?
Yes, of course — as many as you like.
