Garlic Sautéed Cabbage

This is one of our favorite cabbage recipes! Our recipe with fresh lemon and garlic is simple, quick, and absolutely delicious.

I love this easy and healthy way to cook cabbage. If you have never tried quickly sautéing cabbage before, you need to start. As it cooks in the pan, it wilts, turns tender, and becomes sweet.

Cabbage may sound like a boring side, but this is one of our favorite side dishes. We also love roasting cabbage, steaming cabbage, turning it into sauerkraut, and use it for this hearty cabbage soup.

Key Ingredients

• Cabbage: Cabbage is so underrated! It’s flavorful, hearty, healthy, and cooks down beautifully. You can sauté most varieties, but I especially love white (or green) cabbage for this.
• Olive oil: We usually make this with olive oil, but butter or nut oils like walnut are really delicious. For extra flavor, try cooking a few slices of bacon first and using the rendered bacon fat, like we do for this fried cabbage.
• Garlic: I use a tablespoon of minced garlic and love it.
• Salt and red pepper flakes: Salt seasons the cabbage, and red pepper flakes add a hint of spice. If you are sensitive to spice, substitute for black pepper.
• Lemon: Just before serving, squeeze over a bit of fresh lemon juice. It brightens the flavors and adds the perfect finishing touch.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make My Favorite Cabbage Recipe

Tip 1: Shred the cabbage. I love shredding the cabbage for this. It cooks quickly and evenly and looks beautiful once sautéed. You can use a sharp knife (as shown in the photos below), a mandoline, or a food processor equipped with a shredding attachment.

Remove any tattered or bruised outer leaves, then cut the head into quarters and slice out the core. Next, thinly slice each quarter into shreds.

Tip 2: Cooking the cabbage. Add the shredded cabbage, minced garlic, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it is wilted, tender, and slightly sweet. I use this same simple method for our sautéed zucchini and sautéed Brussels sprouts.

Serving Suggestions

This really is one of my go-to vegetable sides so I make it a lot. I especially love it with baked pork chops, pan-roasted chicken breasts, and sausages like bratwurst and beer brats. It’s also lovely with lighter dishes like poached salmon and simple baked tofu.

You can also serve it with other easy veggie sides like our roasted carrots and mashed potatoes. Or try with a bowl of buttered noodles!