Last Updated on March 28, 2021 by Chef Mireille
Milanese Cabbage Rice is a very simple comfort food homestyle bowl of food that has different versions throughout many parts of Italy – in Italian known as Virze Rise.
I have often said that I don’t know why cabbage gets treated like the forgotten step child. People find the smell offensive – I don’t know why. I love cabbage and use it often. It cooks quickly and is such a versatile vegetable.
I recently discovered this super simple Italian recipe. This is a very traditional homestyle Italian recipe and I imagine every house has a version of it. There are regional variations to this recipe as I discovered in Naples it is made without tomatoes where tomatoes are included in Milan. I went with the northern Italian version, with tomatoes. The tomatoes add a nice sweetness, which creates a great balance with the cheese.
With the cheese added at the end, a creamy almost porridge like consistency is the end result. However, if you would like it even creamier feel free to add more water or cheese as desired.
With just 5 ingredients, this is just an easy comfort food. A bowl of this on a cold winter day will just hit the spot.
With my exploration this week into traditional regional Italian cuisine, even I was amazed at how good the food was as my natural tendencies usually go to cuisines with more spices like Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. I think I have discovered the secret to why Italian food is so much beloved. All it needs is very simple ingredients, but not crowding any dish with too many ingredients. By using very few ingredients, the natural flavor in these is allowed to shine and you don’t need much to create really delicious food. Also, a good bit of good quality cheese – come on, we all know cheese makes everything better! I think that is the most important requirement. Don’t use that stuff that comes in the can that includes fillers. You want to use the natural cheese and adding this freshly shredded cheese makes all the difference in these simple recipes.
Want to see how easily this dish comes together? Here you go!
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Milanese Cabbage Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 very small onion thinly sliced
- 8 cups chopped cabbage
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1 cup crushed tomato
- a few sprigs of oregano
- 1 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmaggiano Reggiano cheese
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil.
- Add onion and saute until softened.
- Add cabbage and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened – about 5-8 minutes.
- Add rice and cook for about 2 minutes, while stirring to well coat the rice.
- Add tomatoes, 2 ½ cups water and oregano.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 20-25 minutes, until rice is soft.
- Add cheese and salt. Stir to combine.
Here are some more traditional Italian foods you might enjoy!
Italian Recipes
- Gubana
- Taralli
- Traditional Frittata
- Pesto Pasta alla Genovese
- Gelo di Melon – Watermelon Gelatin
- Panelle – Gluten Free Chickepea Snacks
- Fiorentini – Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies
- Sribisolona – Almond Cookie Cake
Don’t forget to visit the RECIPE INDEX with over 1000 recipes from around the world including lots of Vegetarian Recipes and Gluten Free Recipes!
Am sure this Milanese cabbage rice will definitely fill some hungry tummies quickly, definitely a comforting meal while the weather is chilled outside.
yes – it is definitely comfort food and I enjoyed it very much eating it as breakfast on a cold morning – even though is not typical for breakfast 🙂
Fritatas are always so versatile you can add any additional veg and spices and create a different version each time. They are perfect for lunch, brunch or dinner served with a salad.
I agree 100% – they are so costumizable
Wow! that is such a unique recipe, Mir. I agree that cabbage is mistreated as a rule :).
yes – I don’t understand why people always treat cabbage as a step child 🙁
I love cabbage so much. Even eaten raw, it is so yum. This Milanese rice looks so yum. With huge amount of cheese added, I can imagine the creaminess it would give to the dish.
glad to see there are some other cabbage lovers with me
I too love cabbage a lot. This milanese cabbage rice sounds simple and delicious. It looks so creamy, as it’s snowing outside, i would like to have a bowl of it. Yummy!!!
yes the perfect bowl of comfort food 🙂
Love the creamy cabbage rice. I love cabbage and this is so interesting to make. I am already looking forward to tasting this with all the cheese.
it is so creamy with the cheese an almost porridge like consistency. I am sure you will love it!
I love cabbage. But I have always made dry curries with it and kootu even. Never tried this way. This looks amazing. Got to try it definitely. Thanks for sharing these rare recipes.
I think you will like it. it’s pure comfort food
Mir you have tempted me with this rice recipe. I eat cabbage more often then cauliflower, no idea why but it is true. Love this milanese rice and really tempted to try.
I am sure you would love it. It is pure comfort food