Simple Kohlrabi with Pistachios and Sage
I am so excited to see what you think of this simple-as-can-be Kohlrabi recipe. The kohlrabi is first peeled and diced, then sautéed in butter with garlic and sage, then sprinkled with pistachios. It’s low-carb and under 100 calories per serving!
Why We Love This Recipe for Sautéed Kohlrabi
If you have yet to discover Kohlrabi, I have the perfect gateway recipe for you today!
Sometimes simple is best when it comes to cooking vegetables. In the case of kohlrabi, the crunchy sweetness really can be lost if it’s covered up with too much fuss. I love the way the nutty garlicky butter just highlights the natural flavors in this vegetable side dish.
If you don’t know what to eat with kohlrabi, don’t worry. Kohlrabi recipes make great side dishes for when you’re planning on also cooking seafood, chicken, or beef (you can also always enjoy it by itself!). Rice and quinoa also are great to serve with kohlrabi.
The best part about this dish is you won’t need any fancy equipment. All you need is a sharp knife, a cutting board, a skillet with a lid, and something to stir with. That’s it! Nothing fancy and no plugging anything into the wall. No extra dishes. Nada!
For even more cool info, don’t miss my ULTIMATE GUIDE TO KOHLRABI to learn more about how to grow it, how to store it and how to prepare it.
Ingredients to Make This Kohlrabi Recipe
Peeled Kohlrabi
I know a lot of you are probably unfamiliar with kohlrabi, so I wanted to keep the recipe short and sweet, in hopes that it would make it seem very doable and you would make it. Because kohlrabi is so under-appreciated. It is really healthy and it is an awesome storing vegetable.
Salted roasted pistachios
If you don’t love pistachios, feel free to use another nut (or seed) such as walnuts or almonds. Or you can skip the nuts all together!
Fresh sage
If sage isn’t your thing either, try another herb such as thyme (I’d use about 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme since thyme is more potent than sage).
Other Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- Freshly ground black or white pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons water, or more as needed
Step by Step Instructions to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Sautee the Kohlrabi in Garlic Butter
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, kohlrabi, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often until the garlic starts to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 2: Steam kohlrabi
Add water, cover and allow to steam. Cook removing lid occasionally to stir the kohlrabi and adding water as necessary until the kohlrabi is crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes longer.
Step 3: Add sage
Remove lid, stir in sage and cook, stirring until the sage is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle pistachios over top. Serve hot.
FAQs and Expert Tips
All parts of the kohlrabi can be eaten, and the best way to eat it is steamed, sautéed, roasted, creamed in a soup or purée, stuffed, or even raw with a side dip.
Kohlrabi can taste different depending on its size. Be sure to grab ones on the smaller size, as they’ll have more flavor and be more tender. Larger ones often taste peppery. In general, it tastes similar to broccoli stems, but with a little more bitterness/pepperiness.
To keep your kohlrabi nice and fresh, remove any outer leaves, wrap in a damp paper towel (or place it in a plastic bag), and store it in the fridge until it’s ready to be used.
Yes. The bulb is most commonly used, but you can steam or cook the leaves as you would kale.
Additional Kohlrabi Recipes
- This Easy Kohlrabi Slaw is truly as easy as it sounds.
- These Meal Prep Power Salads have julienne kohlrabi added to them.
- I love this Crispy Apple and Kohlrabi Salad from Cookie and Katie
- You can’t go wrong with this Roasted Potato and Kohlrabi Salad from Sweet Phi
- This Thai Kohlrabi Noodle Salad from Running to the Kitchen is great.
- Try these Kohlrabi Fritters with Garlic Herb Cashew Cream Sauce from Naturally Ella.
At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie
PrintSimple Kohlrabi with Pistachios and Sage
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
Description
I am so excited to see what you think of this simple-as-can-be Kohlrabi recipe. It’s peeled and diced and then sautéed in butter with garlic and sage and sprinkled with pistachios.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 pounds kohlrabi, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 5 cups cubes)
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- Freshly ground black or white pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons water, or more as needed
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 3 tablespoons chopped salted roasted pistachios
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, kohlrabi, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often until the garlic starts to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add water, cover and allow to steam. Cook removing lid occasionally to stir the kohlrabi and adding water as necessary until the kohlrabi is crisp tender, 8 to 10 minutes longer.
- Remove lid, stir in sage and cook, stirring until the sage is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle pistachios over top. Serve hot.
Notes
Taste of Kohlrabi:
Kohlrabi can taste different depending on its size. Be sure to grab ones on the smaller size, as they’ll have more flavor and be more tender. Larger ones often taste peppery. In general, it tastes similar to broccoli stems, but with a little more bitterness/pepperiness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2/3 cup
- Calories: 97
- Fat: 6 grams
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 6 grams
- Protein: 4 grams
Hi my name Paul a neighbor gave me 1 for the first time and we both didn’t know what it was but I piled it and cook the whole thing the outside in 1 pot and the cube slices in another that was my first time cooking that vegetable but I hit it out of the park my neighbor loved it
This was a really yummy dish! I love the flavors and texture, delicious!
I love trying new recipes! This one was delicious!
I really love the combination of flavors!! This is amazing!
My husband and I love this! It’s so delicious and has a lot of flavor!
This is so delicious and simple to make! Love it!
Extremely bland. Kohlrabi is not easy to get ready to dice or cut into pieces so it took waaaaay longer to make this recipe than it said it would. Had to put a lot more pistachios on to give it any flavor.
I have always used kohlrabi raw, but just recently threw a leftover bulb in with other veggies I was roasting, and it was nice. This sounds like a very good way to have a different vegetable for dinner.
Hi…Kaite ! ohh nice this is one the best recipe till now. this looks sooo yummy & delicious. i will trying to making this recipe…! Thanks for sharing…!
I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with kohlrabi but this looks so good I need to change that.
Oh, good! I hope I inspired you Ayngelina. That is music to my ears!
The colour of purple kohlrabi just makes me happy. Love the pairing with pistachio and sage, Katie.
I was so thrilled to find it the day I was taking these photos. The green kohlrabi is just as yummy, but not nearly as beautiful!
How is it I have lived to the age of 55 without knowing about kohlrabi!? Now I have to try it!
For sure! I was introduced to it through our CSA Farm Share. Otherwise, I may have passed it by too. If you’ve ever peeled and eaten broccoli stems, it’s a lot like that.
I can’t believe it’s been years since I ate a kohlrabi!Would have never thought of pairing it with pistachios and sage but I love the idea!
The sweetness of the kohlrabi really came through. I was so pleased with the way it came out. So thank you. I really appreciate it!
Such a wonderful use for kohlrabi! This looks like an incredibly flavored side dish for the holiday season and so unique too. I don’t come across kohlrabi recipes nearly enough.
Kohlrabi is one of those veggies, that looks so odd at the market, but once you cut into it, and peel away the skin, it is just delicious!
I love this combination of ingredients! Your photos are absolutely gorgeous. I would love to make this.
Thank you so much Brandi. That is so sweet of you.