Polish Cabbage and Noodles (Lazanki)

I am so excited to share one of my Polish heritage dishes with you.
Polish Łazanki was, and still is, my favorite, favorite pasta dish.
I remember how excited I was, when Łazanki was served at School for lunch.
Back then in Poland lunches were prepared at school from scratch, so you can only imagine flavors and delicious smells of mushrooms and onions lingering in the school building 😋😋.
Łazanki is made with just a few ingredients and is very flavorful and delicious .

This dish is an ultimate comfort dish.

Ingredients :

• 1 onion

• 1 Tbl olive oil

• 1 small cabbage, sliced thin

• 1 cup mushrooms ( I use shiitake ), chopped

• 5 slices of bacon ( for non-vegetarian version ), cut into small pieces

• 1 bag egg noodles

• 2 cups of broth or water

• salt, pepper

• dash of nutmeg

• 1 bay leaf

Instant Pot Method:

1. Turn on Instant Pot and select Sauté function. Add olive oil and if making non - vegetarian version add bacon at this step. Cook for a few minutes and add onions. If you are not using bacon just add onions. Cook until onion is translucent, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally .

2. Add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes. Add cabbage and cook for additional 5-10 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning. Mushrooms and cabbage mixture should be very fragrant.

3. Add broth or water ( if not using broth). I would highly recommend using broth, it adds a lot of additional flavor.

4. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and add bay leaf. Stir to combine.

5. Add noodles and mix well.

6. Close the lid and select High Pressure function and select Manual 5 minutes.

7. Allow Instant Pot to release pressure before you open the lid.

8. You can serve your Lazanki at this point, but I like to transfer them to oven proof container and bake in preheated to 350F oven (covered), for about 30 minutes. That step adds additional flavor and also allows all the flavors to mix together.

Stove Top Method:

1. Place cabbage in a large pot and fill with enough water to cover cabbage. Add salt, pepper, bay leaf and cook for about 25 minutes with a lid on, until cabbage is soft.

2. In the meantime cook your noodles according to the manufacture’s directions.

3. In the large skillet add olive oil and bacon ( if using ). If you are making vegetarian version, add onions and cook for about 2 minutes, until onions are cooked. Add mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes.

4. After cabbage is cooked, drain the water and add cooked cabbage to the onion and mushroom mixture and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

5. Cook together for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage mixture is very fragrant.

6. After your noodles are cooked add them to the cabbage mixture and gently stir everything together. Taste and season more if needed.

7. You can serve your Lazanki at this point, but I like to transfer them to oven proof container and bake in preheated to 350F oven (covered), for about 30 minutes. That step adds additional flavor and also allows all the flavors to mix together.