Sardinian dumplings (little gnocchi) are combined with leaf cabbage-and-bean sauce.
This is a simple recipe but very tasty. It's a typical recipe we are used to make in autumn and winter when it's easy to find leaf cabbage.
You will need a good-quality short pasta. We choose Sardinian dumplings or malloreddus but you can use the short pasta you prefer even wholegrain pasta. The other main ingredients are: leaf cabbage, white beans and good-quality olive oil. Prefer extra virgin olive oil as you have to add it at the end of cooking. "A crudo" we are used to say in Italy.
To flavor your pasta dish you will need some aromatic herbs (chives, marjoram and bay leaves), little onions, tomato flesh and a bit of white wine.
Here's the recipe as we are used to make at home!

Prepare the leaf cabbage. Clean, wash and boil the leaf cabbage in abundant salt water. Drain it very well, let it cool for some minutes and then cut into thin strips.

Prepare the sauce. Put the leaf cabbage strips in a non-stick frying pan together with the white wine, tomatoes, aromatic herbs, onions and beans (well drained from their preservation juice). Season to taste with salt and flavour all the ingredients for about 10 minutes over a medium heat, stirring now and then.
Don't let the mixture become too dry.

Cook the pasta. Meanwhile cook the Sardinian little dumplings until al dente stage. Follow the directions on the package but if you want to know more read our tips for cooking well Italian pasta.
If the sauce is too dry take a ladle of boiling water and pour it into the mixture of beans and leaf cabbage.

The last step. Drain the pasta very well and transfer in the pan with the sauce. Finish cooking the pasta in the pan over high heat for a minute. Stir with a wooden spoon now and then. Switch off the gas, add the olive oil and stir.
Serve at once. If you want, accompany the pasta with grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese in a little bowl.

Note

• - Naturally you can use dried beans (120 g - 4 1/4oz). In this case you have to soak them for almost 12 hours and then boil for about 90 minutes or until they are soft. You need much more time but it's necessary if you have to eat without salt (canned beans are full of salt). Rememebr: all our recipes can be made without salt because they are rich in aromatic herbs.
• - You can prepare this first course with fresh Sardinian little dumplings. In this case you have to cook 500 g (1,1 lb) pasta. But obviously you can use the short pasta you prefer.
• - You can also boil the leaf cabbage 1 day ahead.
• - This is an healthy recipe according to the Mediterranean diet for the chosen ingredients and the cooking technique. As you have just read we don't sauté the onion in the olive oil and we add olive oil only at the end.
• - Malloreddus with beans and leaf cabbage is the best choice for your fall and winter weekly menu. If you'd like to serve it to your friends be sure they like cabbage leaf!

Healthy eating

• - Daily menu. Sardinian dumplings with leaf cabbage and white beans is a typical vegetarian dish but it's ideal for people who like healthy eating too. This dish is full of ingredients and so we are used to cook only 60 g (2 oz) of pasta per head. If you have it for lunch you can complete your meal with fresh fruit. If you cook the usual amount of pasta (80 g - about 3 oz) you have to choose between wine and fruit. If you are still hungry scrunch some raw seasonal vegetables. Don't add meat or fish as beans have a the right amount of protein.
  We remember pasta should be eaten preferably at lunch and the calories eaten at lunch should be 500 - 700 (30 - 35% of energy needs for an adult if his daily needs are about 2000 calories and he correctly divides his calories into 5 micro-meals).
  Here are the doses per head: 60 g (2 1/4oz) pasta, 100 g (3 1/2oz) cabbage leaf, 2 tablespoons canned beans, aromatic herbs and tomatoes in the amount you want (they don't increase significantly the nutrition facts), a bit of white wine and one tablespoon olive oil.
• - Special occasion menu. Don't worry about fat, calories, sugars ... it happens rarely, doesn't it?
• - If you want to drink a glass of wine remember you have to add 80-85 kCal per 100 ml.
• - If you want to know more about Italian pasta and its nutrition value read this page.
• - We remember you our original home recipes can be made without salt; there is a combination of flavours that substitutes salt. Other no salt recipes ...

What's the right wine for " Malloreddus with leaf cabbage and white beans " ?

Our suggestion is: Cannonau di Sardegna rosato