Sautéed cabbage is a simple vegetable side dish with more flavor than you’d imagine. Sliced cabbage is sautéed with garlic and onions, then caramelized until golden and naturally sweet. It’s absolutely delicious and I guarantee you’ll go back for seconds.
Why You’ll Love This Sautéed Cabbage
Cabbage has long been one of my favorite vegetables to cook with. It adds a delicious crunch to salads like coleslaw, becomes meltingly tender in cabbage soup, and caramelizes beautifully when it’s sautéed. The best part? This sautéed cabbage recipe only takes about 20 minutes! Making it a side dish winner. Here’s what else you’ll love about my recipe:
- It’s budget-friendly. Cabbage is a “bang for your buck” veggie, since it’s fairly inexpensive yet provides a generous amount of food.
- It can easily be jazzed up. Whether it’s adding a rainbow of sliced vegetables, crispy bacon, or other protein options, I love treating this recipe as a blank canvas. I’ll share more ideas below!
- It’s a holiday favorite. You can feed quite a few people with one head of cabbage! That makes this recipe a favorite for gatherings like Easter and St. Patrick’s Day.
Sautéed Cabbage Ingredients
- Cabbage: Grab a head of green cabbage that feels heavy in size with tightly packed leaves.
When cooked through, green cabbage becomes beautifully caramelized and naturally sweet. - Onion and Garlic: A yellow onion and a few garlic cloves add to the savory-sweet flavor.
- Ghee: My favorite method is cooking the cabbage with ghee. If you sauté too long with butter it can easily burn and olive oil doesn’t have as sweet a flavor. You can do a combination of butter and oil (the higher smoke point of the oil prevents the butter from burning). But at that point, I say just use ghee. Ghee has a high smoke point, won’t burn, and you’ll get that delicious buttery flavor.
How To Sauté Cabbage
- Cook the onions and garlic. Add the ghee to a large skillet (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat, and sauté the onions for a minute, until softened. Then, add the garlic, and stir again until fragrant.
- Add the cabbage. Add the cabbage to the skillet and sauté for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until it becomes soft and beautifully caramelized.
- Season to taste. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then toss to combine before serving! Note: If you’d like to see step-by-step photos, scroll below to the recipe card.
Sautéed Cabbage Variations
- Add savory flavor. Turn this into fried cabbage by adding stone ground mustard and crispy bacon bits—my personal favorite!
- Add earthy flavor. A dash of turmeric and red chili powder gives this a deliciously spiced and earthy twist.
- Mix more vegetables in. Create a more robust dish with grated carrots, sliced bell peppers, or both!
Sautéed Cabbage (Easy, Quick & Healthy)
Sautéed cabbage is a simple side dish that's full of flavor. Sliced cabbage is tossed in garlic, butter and onions, then caramelized into a golden brown.
Equipment
- Le Creuset Braiser One of my favorite cast iron stovetop p
Ingredients
- 1 small green cabbage
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons ghee, or a blend of butter and olive oilans!
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Slice the cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half, then into quarters. Remove the core from each piece and chop across into thin slices. Slice the onion in half and across into into thin slices.
- Cook the onions. Melt the ghee in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté the onions for a minute or until just starting to soften. Then add in the minced garlic and stir again.
- Cook the cabbage. Add the cabbage and saute for about 12 to 15 minutes. During this time, stir the cabbage occasionally until the cabbage becomes soft and caramelized.
- Serve. Before serving, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
PRO TIPS
- Storage tips: Let the cabbage cool completely before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze it in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Just keep in mind that it may soften when reheated from frozen.
- Because the cabbage may take up most of your pan, it’s easiest to stir the cabbage with tongs. You could also saute the cabbage in batches if your pan isn’t big enough. But cabbage, similar to spinach, will wilt down once it cooks.
Nutrition
- Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 229mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 117IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg
Notes
Step 1) Slice the cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half, then into quarters. Remove the core from each piece and chop across into thin slices. Slice the onion in half and across into into thin slices.
Step 2) Cook the onions. Melt the ghee in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté the onions for a minute or until just starting to soften. Then add in the minced garlic and stir again.
Step 3) Cook the cabbage. Add the cabbage and saute for about 12 to 15 minutes. During this time, stir the cabbage occasionally until the cabbage becomes soft and caramelized.
Step 4) Serve. Before serving, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
Enjoy!
Step 2) Cook the onions. Melt the ghee in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté the onions for a minute or until just starting to soften. Then add in the minced garlic and stir again.
Step 3) Cook the cabbage. Add the cabbage and saute for about 12 to 15 minutes. During this time, stir the cabbage occasionally until the cabbage becomes soft and caramelized.
Step 4) Serve. Before serving, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
Enjoy!
