Cabbage & Onion Tart

A few weekends ago, Abby was home from college for a mini-break, and right before dinner one night, she came into the kitchen to tell me her friend Alex was going to stop by. It’s dinnertime, I said. Will he be eating with us? She (somewhat annoyingly) couldn’t confirm one way or the other, but I decided to be prepared just in case — you know how I panic when feeding The Species Known As Teenage Boys — and an extra helping of what I was making (tofu with greens!) somehow didn’t seem like it was going to do the job. So I did a quick scan of the fridge. Here is what I pulled out:

Mustard, onions, shredded cheddar, 1/2 Napa cabbage, frozen pie dough, thyme. Nothing very fancy, right? And yet, this was the result:

I ended up cooking down the onions and cabbage and wrapping it all up in the pie dough. It feeds about 3 people (maybe 2 teenage-boy people), and the crust is pretty rich, so just a simple green salad rounds it out for a meal. Alex ended up not staying for dinner, but I ended up eating it for lunch the next day (like all galettes it’s better at room temperature) and it only took 30 minutes of my life anyway.

Cabbage-and-Onion Tart with Cheddar & Mustard

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
7 ounces cabbage (Napa or Savoy), sliced
1 9-inch store-bought pie dough (or this one if you want a homemade option)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1-2 ounces shredded sharp cheddar (you can omit to cut back on richness or swap with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast)
1 egg, whisked
fresh thyme, for serving

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Add olive oil to a large deep skillet set over medium heat. Add onions, salt, and pepper and cook until onions soften and start caramelizing, about 10-12 minutes. Add cabbage, turn up heat, and continue cooking until the cabbage browns a bit and onions are softened. (It doesn’t have to complete cook down since it’s going in the oven.)

Meanwhile, place pie dough on a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet and spread the middle with mustard, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle on cheddar, then add onion-cabbage mixture, flattening slightly with a spoon. Wrap edges of the dough around the filling as shown. Brush the exposed dough with egg wash.

Bake for 18-20 minutes until crust is golden. Let cool slightly (makes it easier to slice), and serve with fresh thyme leaves.

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