Simple Sautéed Cabbage

This sautéed cabbage recipe is an incredibly flavorful low-carb side dish that’s easy to make from a handful of ingredients. 

This recipe came about when I was making my kielbasa soup. It was very spur-of-the-moment. I had more than half a head of cabbage left, so I figured that I should really do something with it then and there. This doesn’t always happen when I am cooking, mind you. 😛 The motivation was there that day.

My chicken and cabbage stir fry and my cabbage and kielbasa recipes continue to go strong, so I took inspiration from them. This cabbage recipe has the same cooking technique and similar ingredients, but it does not contain any meat. It could even work as a meatless main course if you want to serve it over rice or with noodles or something. Or, if you’re on a low-carb/keto diet, this could quite easily become a staple since it’s just that yummy. 

It’s hard for me to describe just how tasty sautéed cabbage is. You basically just have to try it. Growing up with a Czech mom, I definitely ate my fair share of cabbage when I was little. The lightly browned onion imparts a delicious flavor into this dish. And the butter and smoked paprika take it up another notch. Oh, and this recipe did pass my mom’s taste test. 🙂 

You can easily control how crisp the cabbage remains in this recipe depending on your personal preferences. I like mine to be slightly softer than tender-crisp, but you can cook it even longer (or less) if you prefer. 

How to make sautéed cabbage

1. Prep your ingredients. Slice the cabbage into thin-ish strips (you don’t need to be too precise);
2. Sauté the onion in the olive oil + butter for 3 minutes;
3. Add the cabbage to the skillet and cook for 10-15 minutes (toss occasionally) until it’s tender-crisp;
4. Add in the paprika and garlic;
5. Season with salt & pepper and enjoy!

(full instructions are in the recipe card below). 

What kind of cabbage to use?

I just use a regular green cabbage (also sometimes called “cannonball” cabbage). Red cabbage or savoy cabbage would work too, but the red cabbage will discolor a bit when you cook it, so keep that in mind. 

What size of cabbage to use? 

Size-wise I usually just eyeball it, but to give you an idea of weight, a small-to-medium cabbage for this recipe weighs around 3 pounds. You don’t have to worry about being too exact. If you’re using a much smaller cabbage, you might want to cut the butter to 1 tablespoon. 

Love cabbage? Try my stuffed cabbage roll soup or this Crockpot cabbage soup. 

Will you give this easy cabbage side dish recipe a try? Do you cook cabbage often?

Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions.