This Agrodolce Cabbage with Chili Delicata Squash is the perfect mixture of charred, sweet, acidic and spicy. Consider it my welcome letter to fall – combining all of my favorite cozy vegetables in a way that really makes them sing. This is a vegetable-forward recipe, meaning it can be served as a side dish at a dinner party, as a component for a weeknight meal or as a full meal on its own! You know me, if I just add a protein to something, I can call it dinner.
But I don’t want to take away from how truly special this recipe is on its own. It utilizes agrodolce, which is a sweet, vinegary Italian condiment that quite literally translates to “sweet sour.” In this recipe, hearty cabbage is charred and soaks up all the sweet and sour goodness, while sweet delicata squash is there to naturally add spice.
This recipe is easy, it’s comforting, and it’s perfect for the cold weather season. I hope you’ll love it as much as I do, and then be hooked on agrodolce.
Table of contents
What is agrodolce?
Agrodolce is a traditional Italian condiment or sauce, its name comes from “agro” meaning “sour” and “dolce” meaning “sweet.” The sauce quite literally translates to its flavor profile (sweet and sour) and can be made in a variety of ways. It is usually made by reducing sweet elements and then adding sour elements, usually sugar or honey followed by vinegar. Additions and flavors are typically added, like vegetables, herbs, fruit, etc.
You can find agrodolce used on many things – from vegetables (as seen in this recipe) and pasta, to on its own with a spoon. Once you make your first batch of agrodolce, you’ll being to fully understand its magic.
Ingredients you’ll need for this agrodolce cabbage
What I do love about this recipe is it’s low on fussy ingredients but high on flavor. Here is everything you’ll need for this sage agrodolce cabbage:
- 1/2 small red cabbage
- 1 large delicata squash
- 1/2 small red onion
- 1 tablespoon Calabrian chili oil
- 4 large sage leaves
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Olive oil as needed
- Salt & pepper to taste
For toppings:
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
- Additional Calabrian chili oil as desired
Tips on how to prepare the vegetables
The vegetables in this recipe require a good chef’s knife and a bit of patience. I wanted to make this recipe achievable on one pan, so all the vegetables have to take turns.
Start by cutting the cabbage into thick 1″ slices, keeping the bottom intact so it doesn’t fall apart. Then cut the delicata into half-moons. Doing this first will make the cooking process a breeze.
I’ll have full info in the recipe box below, but what you are doing is essentially searing and charring both vegetables for about 3-4 minutes on each side. It might feel like some time, but the charr flavor and dark caramelization is completely worth it. Especially for the agrodolce cabbage.
How to make the sage agrodolce sauce
After everything, the agrodolce sauce is relatively quick to make! Just wipe out the pan and add another drizzle of olive oil. Put the pan on medium heat and add in the sage leaves. Let them sizzle for 1 minute to crisp up.
Then you’ll whisk together the honey and water and add this to the pan. Season with salt and let the honey thicken for about 1 minute. Then add in the vinegar. Stir occasionally and let the mixture reduce until it is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove the sage leaves and pour this over the red onion. Stir to combine to create your agrodolce!
How to bring this recipe together
Once everything is ready, assembly is easy. Chop up the cabbage into large pieces, and remove any tough chunks from the center. Toss this in with the agrodolce and mix to coat.
To plate, add the squash to the bottom of a bowl and pile high with the cabbage. Sprinkle pine nuts, hemp seeds and chili oil on top to finish!
Looking for similar recipes?
Here are some of my favorite vegetable-forward recipes from the site. They’re perfect for fall, or anytime, really.
And that’s everything for this Agrodolce Cabbage with Chili Delicata Squash!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Agrodolce Cabbage with Chili Delicata Squash
Equipment
- 1 stainless steel pan
- 1 chef's knife
Ingredients
- 1/2 small red cabbage
- 1 large delicata squash
- 1/2 small red onion
- 1 tablespoon Calabrian chili oil
- 4 large sage leaves
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Olive oil as needed
- Salt & pepper to taste
For toppings
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
- Additional Calabrian chili oil as desired
Instructions
- Begin with prepping your vegetables. Cut the cabbage into 1" thick "steaks," keeping most of the center intact so they stick together. Remove the seeds from the delicata squash and cut it into half-moon shapes. Thinly slice the red onion and set aside in a bowl.
- Next, drizzle the cabbage on each side with some olive oil and season with salt. Bring a pan to medium heat and sear the cabbage for 3-4 minutes on each side until nicely charred and cooked through. Set aside.
- Add a drizzle of oil to the pan and then add in the delicata squash, cooking for about 4 minutes on each side, or until golden. Season with salt and pepper and repeat until all the squash is cooked.
- Add the squash to a bowl with the Calabrian chili paste. Toss to coat and set aside.
- Wipe out the pan and add in another tiny drizzle of olive oil. Put the pan on medium heat and add in the sage leaves. Let them sizzle for 1 minutes to crisp up.
- Whisk together the honey and water and add this to the pan. Season with salt and let the honey thicken, about 1 minute. Then add in the vinegar. Stir occasionally and let the mixture reduce until it is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Remove the sage leaves and pour this over the red onion. Stir to combine to create your agrodolce.
- Chop up the cabbage into large pieces, removing any tough chunks from the center. Toss this in with the agrodolce and mix to coat.
- To plate, add the squash to the bottom of a bowl and pile high with the cabbage. Sprinkle pine nuts, hemp seeds and chili oil on top to finish!
Justine,
I have all ingredients staring at me…..do you think I can roast the squash and cabbage instead of pan searing?
Thanks,
Stacey
Absolutely! That might free up some time in the recipe too!
You have brought up a very great points, appreciate it for the post.
Oh my God! That is all I can say.
My husband and I LOVED this ssoooo much!
I am so thrilled you liked it!! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a review 🙂
Btw, I used acorn squash instead and it worked great!
Yay google is my queen assisted me to find this great internet site! .
Hi Justine,
Could butternut squash work for this recipe as well? I also can’t get Calabrian chili oil where I live, what would be a good substitute for that?
Hi there! Butternut is a denser squash, so I’d suggest roasting it as a substitute. Or if you pan fry it, make sure to slice it very thinly and remove the skin. For chili oil, you can substitute any other chili oil you prefer, as long as it packs some heat! The spice is there to contrast with the agrodolce 🙂
Loved the butter board idea!
We loved it! Never had delicata squash and it was delicious! (Agrodolce Cabbage with Chili Delicata Squash)
I’m so thrilled you liked it!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment – I really appreciate it!
fantastic issues altogether, you just won a brand new reader. What might you recommend in regards to your post that you made a few days ago? Any sure?
Would green cabbage work as a substitute for red cabbage? Or is there more sugar in a red cabbage that offsets the spice and sour?
It should work! The red cabbage is more for the textural difference, but the flavor should be similar.
I made this as the recipe stated and found it to be very sweet. I ended up adding far more vinegar to leftovers. Overall was a great starting point with lovely fall ingredients but I would half the amount of honey, most agrodolce I’ve made uses vinegar to honey 2:1.
OBSESSED WITH THIS RECIPE
I’m so glad!! Thank you for taking the time leave a comment – it means more than you know!
Excited to try this. Obsessed with your other roasted cabbage/agrodolce recipe so I’m sure this will also be a hit. Do you have any suggestions with what to serve this with for a meal?
Hello! I’m pescatarian so I love my crispy tofu recipe with this, but also a slow roasted salmon would be an ideal protein choice. Outside of adding proteins, it’s a relatively substantial meal in and of itself!
Made this tonight, soo good! Had no Calabrian so used fly by jing Sichuan instead, v yummy but def wanna try with the calabrian.
The agrodolce and onion is so good, I might even use a whole onion next time. We ate it with some garlic stuffed green olives and it was perfection. Thanks Justine!
I’m so thrilled you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice comment and review <3