Zuppa alla Valpellinese, Cheese and Cabbage Casserole

Zuppa alla Valpellinese is a rich and hearty casserole made with layers of crusty rye bread, cabbage, Fontina cheese, beef stock and cinnamon. A rustic and comforting dish that's easy to make and full of flavour. The solid dish to keep you cosy!

The Aosta Valley is famous for its cosy and hearty dishes and Zuppa alla Valpellinese is the solid example.

It's a hearty and rustic dish made with layers of crusty bread, cabbage and fontina cheese and finished with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon. It's baked in beef broth which the bread soaks up giving it so much good flavour.

The word 'zuppa' may make you think of soup but in Italy, zuppa is more of a casserole or stew in consistency which is exactly what this dish is…it's not brothy.

Use stale bread for this recipe, it's a great way to use up leftover bread or buy the bread in advance, cut it into slices and let it dry out for a couple of days.

We tested this recipe with different types of bread. Traditional wheat-free rye bread is dense with a crummy texture (see the sliced bread below). We did not like the results using this bread for both flavour and texture so we do not recommend using it.

Instead, use a crusty loaf that's a mix of rye and wheat. If you can't find this then use brown or wholemeal crusty bread instead. We also tested this with wholemeal and it works well.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Beef stock – reduced salt beef stock is a must. The flavour is too intense otherwise. We used a beef jelly stock pot dissolved in water. We did try liquid store-bought beef stock which is better quality but it's too strong in flavour. If you use this use half stock and half water.
• cabbage – you can use savoy cabbage or green cabbage.
• Fontina – a good alternative is gruyere cheese.

Visual walk-though of the recipe

This is a visual guide to help you with each step. For the full written recipe, ingredient amounts and tips scroll to the recipe card below.

1. Prep the cabbage – cut the cabbage into strips making sure to remove the core then wash it thoroughly in cold running water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Boil the cabbage for around 5 minutes then drain and let it sit (photos 1 and 2).

1. Layer bread – grease your baking dish with butter then lay one layer of sliced crusty bread (1/2 inch thick slices) (photo 3).
2. Add cabbage and cheese – follow with a layer of cabbage and a layer of cheese (use under half of the cheese keeping more for the top) (photos 4 and 5).

1. Finish and bake – repeat with one more layer finishing with the rest of the cheese. Pour over the beef stock then top the casserole with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon (we used under 1/4 teaspoon). Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden (photos 6-8).

More recipes from the Aosta Valley

Italian Cookies

Tegole Valdostane (Hazelnut and Almond Cookies)

Mains

Costoletta alla Valdostana (Stuffed Breaded Veal)

Risotto

Risotto alla Valdostana (Fontina Cheese Risotto)

Sides

Creamy Polenta (Italian Cornmeal)

Ingredients

Makes 6 - 8 servings

• 1 savoy cabbage
• 700 ml (3 cups/23.5 fl oz) beef stock (reduced salt)
• 600 g (1.4 lbs) stale rye and wheat crusty bread ((or wholemeal crusty bread))
• 400 g (14 oz) Fontina cheese ((4.5 cups grated))
• Butter for greasing
• Generous pinch of ground cinnamon ((just under 1/4 teaspoon))

Equipment

• 11.5x7.5 inch baking dish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃ (350℉). Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well.

2. Keep the beef stock warm but don't let it simmer or boil. Turn it off if it does.

3. Remove the core from the cabbage and cut it into strips. Wash it well in cold running water then add to the salted boiling water. Boil the cabbage for 5 minutes then drain and let it sit.

4. Cut the bread into ½ inch thick slices and grate the cheese.

5. Grease your baking dish and add a layer of bread at the bottom. Cover the bread with a layer of cabbage followed by a layer of cheese (use just under half of the cheese keeping slightly more for the top).

6. Add another layer of bread and cabbage and top with the remaining cheese. Pour over the beef stock then sprinkle over some ground cinnamon (we used just under ¼ teaspoon).

7. Bake in the oven, uncovered for 30-35 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Remove and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Kitchen notes

• Salt even though this recipe uses reduced salt beef stock there's no need to add any more seasoning other than the water for boiling the cabbage. The cheese, bread and stock add enough flavour on their own.
• Bread do not use traditional wheat-free rye bread as it doesn't absorb enough liquid. We used a wheat and rye crusty loaf but wholemeal or brown crusty bread will also work.
• Cheese fontina can be replaced with gruyere or another Alpine cheese.
• Leftovers Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days and reheated in the oven (covered) until piping hot. The dish is at its best texture-wise on the same day it's made