Kålpudding (Swedish cabbage and mince bake)
105 min · 36 g protein · 531 cals / serving
Sweden's favourite cabbage dish: white cabbage browned in butter and golden syrup until sweet and nutty, layered with soft, peppery mince and baked until the top caramelises. Served the classic way, with boiled potatoes, a creamy brown sauce and tart stirred lingonberries.
Ingredients
- 1 large head (about 2 2/3 lb) cabbage, cored, in 2 cm strips
- 2 tsp butter
- 1 tsp canola oil
- 1/2 tbsp light syrup (golden syrup)
- 1 pinch salt
Mince
- 12 oz ground beef (95% lean), 5 % fat
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
- scant 1/2 cup skimmed milk, 0.5% fat, fortified
- 1 medium onion, finely grated
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp light syrup (golden syrup), to drizzle on top
- scant 1/2 cup beef broth
To serve
- 5 medium potatoes, peeled
- 1 cup lingonberries, fresh or frozen
- 2 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
Sauce
- 1 1/4 cups beef broth
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (bleached)
- 3 tbsp cold water water
- 3 tbsp half fat creme fraiche
Steps
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Heat the butter and oil in your widest frying pan over medium-high heat and brown the cabbage in two or three batches, 6–8 minutes each, stirring now and then, until soft with golden-brown edges. Drizzle the 1/2 tablespoon of syrup over the last batch, let it caramelise for a minute, and season with the pinch of salt.
- Mix the beef, pork, egg, breadcrumbs, milk, grated onion, salt and white pepper into a smooth, soft mince.
- Spread half the cabbage in an ovenproof dish about 25 × 30 cm, press the mince over it in an even layer and cover with the rest of the cabbage. Drizzle the remaining syrup over the top and pour the broth in around the edges. Bake on the middle shelf for 50–60 minutes, until the top is dark golden and the mince reaches 160°F in the middle; cover with foil if the top darkens too fast.
- Meanwhile boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes, and drain. Stir the lingonberries with the sugar until it dissolves (rårörda lingon).
- For the sauce, tip the juices from the dish into a saucepan with the broth and bring to a boil. Whisk the flour into the cold water until smooth, whisk it into the pan and simmer for 3–4 minutes until smooth and thick. Take it off the heat, stir in the crème fraiche and taste for salt. Serve the kålpudding with the potatoes, sauce and lingonberries.
Good to know
Why brown the cabbage so long?
Browning is where kålpudding gets its sweet, nutty taste. Do it in batches in a wide pan so the cabbage fries rather than steams, and let the edges really colour.
Can I make it ahead?
Assemble it a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge; add 10 minutes to the baking time. Leftovers keep 3 days and reheat well.
Only beef mince?
Yes, use 500 g lean beef mince; it's about the same score. The pork makes the mince softer and juicier, which is why blandfärs is the classic choice.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 83
- Protein
- (28%)
- 6 g
- Fat
- (25%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (47%)
- 10 g
- of which sugar
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 194 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2126 kcal goes into the pot and 3143 g of ingredients comes out as about 2550 g of food: 83 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.