This is the sort of dish my aunt would slip into the oven before chores and pull out when the house was full and everyone’s coats were piled on the bed. She kept the recipe folded in her apron pocket, though I suspect she knew it by heart. It’s nothing fancy—just pork, cabbage, potatoes, and a bit of butter—but it bakes up into tender layers that taste like the kind of comfort you only get in a farmhouse kitchen. It stretches to feed a crowd for just a few dollars, and the leftovers reheat like a dream. If you grew up in the rural Midwest, this will feel like something you’ve eaten around a big table on a cold night, even if it’s your first time making it.
Serve this scalloped pork and cabbage straight from the hot casserole dish with a big spoon, making sure everyone gets some of the buttery juices from the bottom. It pairs nicely with simple sides like applesauce, pickled beets, or a basic green salad to cut the richness. Warm dinner rolls, biscuits, or plain buttered bread are perfect for soaking up the pan juices. A side of peas, green beans, or carrots—fresh, frozen, or canned—keeps things true to its farmhouse roots. For dessert, something homey like apple crisp or a pan of brownies keeps the meal feeling like Sunday supper at Grandma’s.
Oven-Baked Scalloped Pork and CabbageServings: 6-8
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork steaks, thinly sliced
1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), cored and cut into thick wedges
2 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted, plus a little extra for greasing the dish
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste
1/2 cup water
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously butter a deep 9x13-inch casserole dish or similar baking dish. This helps keep the potatoes from sticking and adds flavor.
Prepare the vegetables and pork. Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, so they cook through and get tender. Core the cabbage and cut it into thick wedges, about 6 to 8 pieces, keeping a bit of the core on each wedge so they hold together. Trim any excess fat from the pork if you like, then slice the pork into thin pieces, about 1/4 inch thick.
Season the melted butter. In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir the salt and pepper into the melted butter so the seasoning spreads evenly throughout the dish. Keep the 1/2 cup water handy; you’ll add it later.
Build the first layer. Lay half of the sliced potatoes in the bottom of the buttered casserole dish, overlapping them slightly like shingles on a roof. Drizzle about a quarter of the seasoned melted butter over the potatoes.
Add the pork layer. Arrange all of the sliced pork in an even layer over the potatoes. If the pieces are small, just scatter them so the potatoes are mostly covered. Drizzle another quarter of the seasoned melted butter over the pork.
Add the cabbage wedges. Nestle the cabbage wedges snugly over the pork, cut sides down if possible, so they stand up and fill the dish. Tuck smaller pieces into gaps. Drizzle another quarter of the seasoned melted butter over and around the cabbage wedges.
Top with remaining potatoes and butter. Arrange the remaining sliced potatoes over and around the cabbage, filling in spaces and making a loose top layer. Drizzle the last of the seasoned melted butter over the top. Pour the 1/2 cup water into one corner of the dish so it runs under the layers without washing the butter off the top.
Cover and bake. Cover the dish tightly with foil to trap the steam. Place the casserole on the middle rack and bake for about 1 1/2 hours. The steam will soften the cabbage and potatoes while the pork turns tender.
Uncover to finish. After 1 1/2 hours, carefully remove the foil. Check for doneness by piercing the potatoes and cabbage with a fork; they should be quite tender, and the pork should pull apart easily. Return the uncovered dish to the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the top potatoes have a few golden edges and the juices are bubbling. If the top seems dry at any point, you can dot with a little extra butter.
Rest and serve. Remove the casserole from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes so the juices settle a bit. To serve, scoop down through all the layers so each portion has tender pork, soft cabbage, potatoes, and plenty of buttery juices from the bottom of the dish. It may not slice into neat squares, but it will taste like home.
Variations & Tips
To keep this true to its apron-pocket roots, the base stays at four essentials: pork, cabbage, potatoes, and butter. From there, you can nudge it to suit your pantry. If you prefer, use bone-in pork chops instead of sliced shoulder; just nestle them between the potato layers and add a few extra minutes of baking time. For a slightly richer dish, replace part of the water with milk or evaporated milk, or whisk a spoonful of flour into the melted butter for a lightly thickened sauce. A sprinkle of dried thyme, marjoram, or caraway over the layers adds a hint of old-country flavor without complicating things. If your cabbage head is small, add a couple of sliced onions or a handful of shredded carrots to stretch the pan. You can also prepare this earlier in the day, keep it covered in the refrigerator, and add an extra 10–15 minutes to the covered baking time. Leftovers reheat well in a covered dish in the oven or in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water or broth to loosen the juices.
