In large pan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove from pan, cut into bacon bits, and set aside. Keep some of the bacon fat in the pan for extra bacon flavour.
Add in onions and 1-2 tablespoons of butter and cook down for around 10 minutes until they start to caramelize.
Once the onions have a head start on caramelization, add in cabbage, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook another 20 – 25 minutes until all the vegetables are dark brown. You can add another tablespoon of butter if needed. (If you find one pan isn’t large enough to start, you can cook down the cabbage in a separate pan until it has reduced down enough to cook all together).
Meanwhile, cook your pasta as the vegetables are nearing done.
Once the vegetables have caramelized, add the pasta to the pan with the cabbage, ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, some of the pasta water, and of course the bacon bites. Toss to combine and adjust seasoning or pasta water as needed. Garnish with chives and more parmesan if desired.
