Creamed Napa Cabbage Casserole tastes juicy delicious in winter. This Chinese cabbage casserole is economical and easy to make. There are two versions for Paleo/Whole30 and Keto users.
4oz.shredded mozzarellaoptional for cheesy casserole. Omit for whole30
Chopped chives or green scallionsgarnish
Instructions
Dice the Napa cabbage stems to 1 to 1.25-inch in width. Dice the cabbage leaves to 2-inch in width. Rinse and set aside to drain.
Dice bacon or ham to bite sizes and finely mince garlic.
In a well-heated wok or Dutch oven, melt ghee and add the bacon. Saute for about 1 minute over medium heat.
Add garlic and saute for 10-15 seconds or until you can smell the fragrance.
Add Napa cabbage. Turn high heat and season with Takii mushroom powder or salt. Saute for about 3 minutes, then cover it with a lid. Lower the heat to medium and cook for about 4 minutes additional or until the cabbage stems turn softer but not mushy.
Stir-in the coconut cream and turn heat to medium-high. Once the cream is melted and starts bubbling, sprinkle in thichner of choice 1 tsp a time (Cassava, arrowroot, or xanthan gum). Keep stirring and tossing to mix the thickener with the sauce. The sauce should become thicker in about 1-2 minutes.
Off heat. Taste and adjust with more salt and black pepper if desired. Sprinkle chives or scallions.Serve warm.
If adding cheese to make a casserole dish. Preheat oven to 400F for convection oven or 425F for regular oven (without the fan). Pour the cabbage into a medium size casserole dish and sprinkle the cheese evenly on top. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top is golden brown color. Serve hot or warm.
Notes
You can also use Virginia ham or Southern country ham to replace bacon. If no meat, season with more salt to taste.
In my experiment, cassava flour lands the most delicious cream sauce flavor if you are okay with a bit higher carb count.
I recommend using a 6-quart Dutch oven or an oven safe wok pan that’s large enough to hold the cabbage volume until it cooks down a bit.
The nutritional label is calculated with cassava flour.