Polish Lazanki
4.3
(6)
Intended to be a way to use up my family’s leftover pierogi filling, this recipe is a more straightforward version of a pasta I ate as a kid. Lazanki (pronounced wah-zun-key), is a comforting Polish-Italian hybrid dish consisting of noodles, cabbage, sauerkraut, mushrooms, and sausage—typically kielbasa—topped with sour cream. Growing up my family called it “messy golabki,” but as golabki is stuffed cabbage swimming in tomato sauce, I now know that title is a little…off base.
While we weren’t good at following the rules, we were good at making pierogi en masse. The familial pierogi assembly line was my first foray into not just cooking, but cooking with efficiency. The high of completing hundreds of pierogi and not having a single one sent back because the crease wasn’t sealed remains unmatched. After making them, any leftover ingredients used in the filling were often used to make this pasta.
My version of lazanki honors the classic while imparting my own personal spin. Dividing the shredded cabbage to be half pan-charred and half quick-soured provides a variety of textures and flavors. The combo of just-on-the-edge-of-burnt and mouth-puckering tang sends your taste buds on a hot chase, tempered by the rich cream sauce. Speaking of cream, that’s the other little tip: Infusing herbs or aromatics in your cooking liquid, then removing them, allows a brief idea of the flavor to linger without it punching you in the face. This is a great trick if you want just a whisper of garlic in a sauce, or are working with whole spices and need a fast fix to imbue flavor without grinding them down. Using broken lasagna sheets as the base is also worth noting. Classic lazanki is made with tiny squares of dried pasta; I turn to broken lasagna noodles to get the same texture without having to make a trip to a specialty foods store.
Read more: Have Cabbage and Pasta? Make Lazanki
What you’ll need
5.5 Quart Dutch Oven
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Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour
Yield
6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
If using fresh pasta, cut 8 oz. fresh lasagna sheets crosswise into sixths, then in half once or twice to create a rough square shape; set aside. If using dried pasta, snap 9 oz. dried lasagna noodles (about 11) into pieces of a similar size and shape; set aside.
Step 2
Place half (about 5 cups) of 1 small head of green cabbage (1½–2 lb.), thinly sliced, in a medium bowl and sprinkle 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt over. Massage salt into cabbage with your hands until cabbage begins to soften and wilt, about 4 minutes, depending on how aggressive your massage techniques are. Set aside.
Step 3
Toast 1 tsp. fennel seeds and 1 tsp. mustard seeds in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring often, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add 5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped, and 1 cup heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Immediately remove from heat and let sit until cream is infused with flavor, 5–7 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl; discard solids. Set infused cream aside.
Step 4
Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet or a medium Dutch oven over medium-high. Cook one 13-oz. link kielbasa, halved lengthwise, sliced into ¼"-thick half-moons, and cook until browned, 5–8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to another small bowl, leaving fat in pan.
Step 5
Arrange 1 lb. oyster mushrooms, torn into large irregular pieces, in pan in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until mushrooms start to take on a bit of color underneath, 7–9 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper and continue to cook, turning and pressing occasionally, until golden brown all over, 5–8 minutes more. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with kielbasa.
Step 6
Place remaining cabbage (about 5 cups) in same pan and season with a pinch salt; drizzle in more oil if pan looks dry. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is wilted and decreased in volume and browned around some of the edges, 12–15 minutes. Add reserved infused cream, half (about ½ cup) of 1 bunch dill, coarsely chopped, and reserved salted cabbage. Cook, stirring often, until combined and liquid reduces slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and return kielbasa and mushrooms to pan.
Step 7
Meanwhile, cook pasta squares in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 3 minutes if using fresh or according to package directions if using dried. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
Step 8
Transfer pasta to pan with kielbasa and mushrooms and toss, adding pasta cooking liquid a splash at a time, until combined and a glossy, thick sauce forms. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Step 9
Divide lazanki among shallow bowls and top each with a dollop of sour cream (if using) and remaining dill.
Recipe notes
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Have Cabbage and Pasta? Make Łazanki
This Polish recipe uses up a whole head of cabbage for a nourishing meal.
