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The humble cabbage is transformed into a beautiful buttery, tender side dish. Fry until just a little golden around the edges for a tasty, sweet & savoury flavour.
Nicky’s Notes
Apparently cabbage is the ‘in thing’ at the moment.
Well it’s always been the in thing in my book. I love it steamed, raw, mixed with mashed potato (hello bubble & squeak!), and of course, sautéed with garlic and butter.
What makes this so good:
- It’s an easy recipe – yes it takes a little time to reach that slightly charred result, but it’s mostly hands-off time, with just the occasional stir.
- It’s cheap and easily serves 6 people.
- Cabbage lasts for ages in the fridge, so it’s a great way to use up that half a cabbage that’s been sitting in the vegetable drawer for a couple of weeks.
- It goes with so many things! Roast dinners (give me all the sauteed cabbage and gravy), sausage and mash, pork chops, casseroles and even fish.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients for Sautéed Cabbage
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
What’s the best cabbage for sauteed cabbage?
You can use white cabbage, sweetheart cabbage or savoy cabbage. White cabbage gives a slightly firmer, sweeter result, sweetheart cabbage cooks quickly and feels a little softer, while savoy cabbage has those crinkly leaves that catch the butter beautifully. My personal favourite is savoy cabbage.
Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Slice and core the cabbage, then fry onion in oil and butter until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cabbage, seasoning and water, cover and steam-fry for 5 minutes, then uncover and fry for 7–10 minutes until tender and golden at the edges.
Recipe Tips
- Slice the cabbage fairly evenly. Try to keep the shreds a similar thickness so they cook at the same rate.
- Use a large pan. Cabbage needs room to cook properly. If it’s crammed into a small pan, it will steam and turn soft before it has a chance to get those lovely golden edges.
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Pin ItLeftovers Guide
- Leftover sauteed cabbage can be cooled quickly and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1-2 days. Don’t freeze – it goes watery.
- Reheat it in a frying pan over a medium heat with a small knob of butter or splash of water to loosen it up. You can also microwave it, but frying gives a better texture.
- Serve the cabbage as a side as-is, or:
- Fry up with mashed potato for bubble & squeak
- Add crispy bacon for extra richness
- Add to noodles, omelettes, fried rice or soups
Sautéed Cabbage Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 head of green cabbage (about 1kg or 2.2lbs) – I like savoy cabbage, but sweetheart
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 onion peeled and finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp water
Instructions
- Slice the cabbage in half, remove the hard core in the middle and slice the cabbage into thin strips.1 head of green cabbage (about 1kg or 2.2lbs)
- Heat the oil and butter in a large pan over a medium heat.1 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Add the onion and fry, stirring often for 3-4 minutes, until softened.1 onion
- Add the garlic and fry for a further minute, stirring constantly.2 cloves garlic
- Add the cabbage, salt and pepper, stir together and pour over the water.1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 4 tbsp water
- Place a lid on the pan and let it steam-fry for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and continue to fry for a further 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is soft and tender. Then serve.
- Optional – If you want it a little more caramelized, turn up the heat to medium-high and fry for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
🍲 More fantastic side dishes
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