If you’re looking for a comforting dish, look no further than Scottish rumbledethumps. Not only is it easy to make, but it’s incredibly versatile, allowing you to customize it with your favorite ingredients. Whip up the tasty dish and serve it as is or alongside savory meals like pot roast or beef stew.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The savory cabbage side dish combines simple pantry ingredients.
- It’s easily customizable with other staples.
- The meal is ready in under an hour.
- Rumbledethumps is a great way to use leftover mashed potatoes.
What is Rumbledethumps?
Like Irish colcannon and English bubble and squeak, rumbledethumps is brimming with vegetables like creamy potatoes, cabbage, and onions baked in the oven with bubbly shredded cheese.
A History of Rumbledethumps
The term rumbledethumps first appeared in print in the early 1700s. Long before that, rural Scottish communities made something similar to repurpose leftover produce and stretch more expensive ingredients into a filling and comforting meal.
Here is an appearance of an original recipe in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, October 1825:
“Take a peck of purtatoes, and put them into a boyne — at them with a beetle — a dab of butter — the beetle again — anither dab — then cabbage — purtato — beetle and dab — saut meanwhile — and a shake o’ common black pepper — feenally, cabbage and purtato throughither — pree, and you’ll find ’em decent rumbledethumps.”
The same quote appears in the Noctes Ambrosian,̆ Volume 2 by Hogg, Wilson, and MacKenzie.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Potatoes: I recommend using starchy potatoes like russet or Yukon Gold to make creamy cottage pie.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream adds a smooth and velvety consistency to the potatoes.
- Butter: Saute the onions and cabbage in butter and use it to flavor the mashed potatoes.
- Cabbage: Shredded green cabbage is the base for rumbledethumps, but feel free to include other greens like purple cabbage, shredded kale, or Brussels sprouts.
- Onion: White or yellow onions work best in this recipe, but you can also use leeks.
- Cheese: I use shredded cheddar cheese to finish the meal, but sharp or white cheddar works too. You can also use crowdie, a soft Scottish cheese.
Additions and Substitutions
Since rumbledethumps came about out of necessity as a way to use leftover crops, some regional variations developed over time. In some areas, people use rutabaga or turnip instead of potato, and so can you. Or consider trying mashed cauliflower for a low-carb variation.
To make it a complete meal, cook the onions and cabbage with bacon, ground beef, kielbasa, or chicken sausage.
How to Make Rumbledethumps
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Wash the potatoes and add them to a stockpot with a teaspoon of salt and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Then, reduce the heat and cook at a rolling boil for 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and set them aside.
Step 2: Add heavy cream and butter to the potatoes and mash them with a hand mixer or potato masher until they reach the desired consistency.
Step 3: While the potatoes cook, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Then, warm 4 tablespoons of butter in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
Add the onions and cabbage. Saute until the onions become translucent and the cabbage softens, for about 10 minutes.
Step 4: Stir in the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Step 5: Then, top the cabbage with the reserved mashed potatoes.
Step 6: Cover with a layer of cheddar cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese melts. Garnish with chopped chives to serve, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Cut the potatoes the same size to ensure they cook at the same rate.
- Thinly slice the cabbage and onions to help them soften in the skillet.
- If your oven runs hot, I recommend covering the dish with foil before baking to ensure the cheese doesn’t burn; this happened a few times before I got a new oven.
If you enjoy the meal, pair it with one of these tasty dinner favorites!
Serving Suggestions
On its own, rumbledethumps is a filling meal, or serve it alongside a savory meal like roast or stew.
- Beef: Haggis, Roast Beef, Braised Short Rib, Beef Ribs
- Lamb: Boneless Leg of Lamb Recipe,
- Pork: Baked Ham, Baked Beans with Hamburger
- Bread: Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread, Dinner Rolls
- Seafood: Smoked Fish Soup
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Reheat: Microwave the individual servings or reheat the whole casserole in the oven at 350°F (176°C).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the name rumbledethumps come from?
It’s fun to say – there’s no doubt about that! The quirky name allegedly comes from the noise cabbage and potatoes make while cooking.
What are the traditional ingredients in the Scottish dish rumbledethumps?
In the traditional preparation of this tasty meal, potatoes (tatties), turnips (swedes), and cabbage or kale combine with cheddar cheese and are baked to perfection.
Whats the difference between rumbledethumps and colcannon?
While the Irish colcannon and Scottish rumbledethumps are hearty potato and cabbage dishes, there are some differences. Rumbledethumps has a thicker, more rustic texture, while colcannon is creamier.
More Vegetable Side Dishes:
Scottish Rumbledethumps
- 2-3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 4 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- ½ head green cabbage, finely shredded
- 2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, coarse ground
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- chives, thinly sliced, for garnish
- Wash the potatoes and add them to a stockpot with a teaspoon of salt and water.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Then, reduce the heat and cook at a rolling boil for 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and set them aside.
- Add heavy cream and butter to the potatoes and mash them with a hand mixer or potato masher until they reach the desired consistency.
- While the potatoes cook, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Then, warm 4 tablespoons of butter in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cabbage. Saute until the onions become translucent and the cabbage softens, for about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Then, top the cabbage with the reserved mashed potatoes.
- Cover with a layer of cheddar cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese melts. Garnish with chopped chives to serve, and enjoy!
- Cut the potatoes the same size to ensure they cook at the same rate.
- Thinly slice the cabbage and onions to help them soften in the skillet.
- If your oven runs hot, I suggest covering the dish with foil to ensure the cheese doesn’t burn.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.
Mary Neck
Sunday 2nd of March 2025
We enjoyed it so much the first time we fixed it that we agreed that it was going on our repeat list.
Tressa Jamil
Thursday 13th of March 2025
I’m so glad you loved rumbledethumps!Thanks for making it and for sharing—this comment with me. You completely made my day!
Christine
Thursday 4th of April 2024
Is it 2-3 pounds of poratoes? This sounds delicious!
Tressa Jamil
Thursday 4th of April 2024
Nope, all you need are 2-3 large Russet potatoes.
Jenifer
Tuesday 21st of February 2023
Easy and so tasty!