Hungarian Cabbage With Noodles (Káposztás Tészta)

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/22/23
Tested by
Diana Andrews
Headshot of Diana Andrews
Tested by Diana Andrews
Diana earned her B.A. in Fine Art at Queens College and her culinary certification from the Institute of Culinary Education. Diana has served as head recipe developer and editor for Emmy-nominated PBS series Moveable Feast, food editor and test kitchen manager at Fine Cooking Magazine, and recipe developer, and product tester at Food Network.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Hungarian Cabbage With Noodles (Káposztás Tészta) in a pot with a black serving spoon

The Spruce Eats / Ashlae Warner

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
391 Calories
32g Fat
23g Carbs
4g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 391
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 32g 41%
Saturated Fat 19g 97%
Cholesterol 103mg 34%
Sodium 107mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 23g 8%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 10mg 52%
Calcium 35mg 3%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 124mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This Hungarian comfort-food dish known as kaposztás tészta is a simple recipe to make, consisting of cabbage, onion, butter, egg noodles, salt, and pepper.

Cabbage with noodles is a popular and easy dish common throughout Eastern Europe. In Poland, it's called kluski z kapusta or hałuski. In the Czech Republic, it's known as nudle s zelí, and Slovaks call it haluski (without the accent on the "L" as in Polish).

This can be a strictly vegetarian dish, sometimes with added sautéed mushrooms, or it can be enhanced with bacon or other smoked meat, and it makes a terrific side dish or main-course offering that holds up well on a buffet table. If this recipe doesn't tickle your fancy, there are many more Eastern European cabbage recipes to choose from.

"This was so simple to prepare and so delicious. It's the perfect comforting noodle dish after a long day when all you need is a nurturing meal and a hug. Caramelizing the onion and cabbage in butter takes some time, but it's worth it since the process makes them sweet and fragrant." —Diana Andrews

Hungarian Cabbage with Noodles
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter

  • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped

  • 1 large head cabbage, about 2 1/2 pounds, cored and shredded

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 pound medium Hungarian egg noodles, cooked

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Hungarian cabbage noodles

    The Spruce Eats / Ashlae Warner

  2. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot over medium heat. Add the onion and a few large handfuls of cabbage. Increase the heat to medium-high. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage begins to wilt. Continue adding handfuls of cabbage, cooking until it wilts, before adding more. Cook until golden brown and tender, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

    Sautéing cabbage with onion and butter in a pan with a wooden spoon on the burner

    The Spruce Eats / Ashlae Warner

  3. Remove from the heat, add the cooked noodles, and toss to coat in the buttered onion-cabbage mixture. Adjust seasonings and rewarm on low heat if necessary. Divide between bowls and serve hot.

    Hungarian Cabbage With Noodles (Káposztás Tészta) in a pan with a wooden spoon on a burner

    The Spruce Eats / Ashlae Warner

Recipe Variations

  • Add 1 cup sliced button, cremini, or other mushrooms to the pot with the cabbage and onion and cook until they are all golden brown and tender.
  • Before serving, add 1 cup cooked, crumbled, or diced bacon to the cabbage, onion, and noodles mixture.
  • After mixing the cabbage and onion with the noodles, add 1 cup chopped ham, combining well, and rewarm to serve hot.

How to Store Hungarian Cabbage With Noodles

  • While best eaten the same day it's made, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to two days.

More About Hungarian Noodles

Hungarian egg noodles, known as Magyar tojásos tészta (MAHG-yahr toy-YAH-shohss TESS-tah) or metélt (MEH-telt), come in a staggering number of varieties, rivaled possibly only by Italian pasta.

Hungarians roll them, cut them, pinch them, grate them, and drop them. There's a noodle for every dish and a dish for every noodle. Tészta is actually the Hungarian word for "dough," and metélt means "noodles," but they are used interchangeably.

When the word tojásos is added, we're talking about egg noodles, the pride of Hungarian cuisine. They are made with three simple ingredients—flour, eggs, and salt—and, in some kitchens, not even any salt. 

No water or oil is added to authentic Hungarian noodle recipes because many cooks feel the addition of water creates longer drying times and increases the potential for the noodles to mold when stored.