Simple Sautéed Napa Cabbage Recipe
by Katie Webster
August 27, 2021 (updated 1/10/23) Jump To Recipe
I know that you love an easy veggie side dish with only a few basic ingredients, so I am popping in here today to share my latest obsession: Simple Sautéed Napa Cabbage with garlic, ginger and scallions. It takes 15 minutes to make and uses 8 cups of one of the best year-round seasonal veggies: Napa cabbage!
Table of contents
Why We Love This Napa Cabbage Recipe
This Napa Cabbage recipe is a great one to try if Napa cabbage is a new veggie for you. The cooking technique is so easy and the flavors (ginger and garlic) are easy to incorporate into a variety of meals. Try it alongside sesame noodles or peanut noodles. Or you can serve it with Ginger Lime Black Cod or Maple Tahini Glazed Salmon.
What is Napa Cabbage?
Napa Cabbage (Brassica rapa pekinensis) is a common type of Chinese cabbage originating in China. It was first cultivated in the 15th century in the Yangtze river basin in China and later spread to Japan and Korea. By the 19th century, it was brought to other parts of the world including America.
In Mandarin, its name is translated to mean “large white vegetable.”
It is pale lime green in color with wide flat white ribs running the length of its densely packed but delicate leaves.
While it is harvested in the summer it is an excellent storing vegetable and great year-round.
Ingredients For This Stir-Fried Napa Cabbage
Napa Cabbage
Heads of napa cabbage vary by size from about 2 1/2 pounds to up to 6 pounds each. It can be found in the produce section of large supermarkets, health food stores and farmers’ markets. It is sometimes called simply “Chinese Cabbage.” Store it in plastic to prevent it from wilting. Remove any outer leaves that show signs of insect damage.
For this recipe, you will need 8 cups of chopped napa cabbage. Here’s how to cut cabbage.
How To Cut The Cabbage
- Cut the head of cabbage in half lengthwise (as in the photo above) and then again into quarters.
- Remove the core.
- Cut each quarter into long 1-inch wide lengths.
- Cut crosswise into 1-inch square pieces.
Garlic and Ginger
To season this dish, you will need minced ginger and garlic. Remove the peel and chop with a chef’s knife.
Tip: To easily remove the skin of the ginger, scrape it with the edge of a soup spoon. It peels right off without sacrificing any of the ginger root.
Oil
I usually recommend using certified Organic canola oil or avocado oil for high heat cooking. But you are welcome to use your preferred neutral cooking oil.
Salt
A little goes a long way in this recipe because the Napa really cooks down a lot. One-quarter of a teaspoon of table salt is plenty. You can use kosher salt instead, but make sure you read here why you may need to double the amount.
Dry Sherry
To deglaze the skillet and to steam (and wilt) the cabbage, you will need a small amount of dry sherry. If you do not have sherry or prefer to omit the alcohol, you can substitute 3 tablespoons vegetable broth plus 1 teaspoon rice vinegar.
Make sure you are using unseasoned sherry, not sherry cooking wine, which has additional sodium added to it.
Scallions and Sesame Seeds
To add additional flavor and add color and freshness you’ll need two sliced scallions to add at the end. We also liked the way that a sprinkling of sesame seeds tasted on top. Toasted sesame seeds are even better!
Step By Step Instructions For Making This Easy Napa Cabbage Recipe
Step 1: Cook the Garlic and Ginger
Heat the oil over high heat in a large skillet. (Do not use non-stick skillets for high heat cooking!) Add garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant and starting to brown, about 30 seconds.
Step 2: Stir-fry the Napa Cabbage
To coat the cabbage with the ginger and garlic, add the Napa into the skillet, and stir it well. The skillet will seem very full. This is normal, and it will cook down in the next step.
Step 3: Deglaze and Steam the Cabbage
Next, pour in the sherry to quickly stop any browning and add moisture to the skillet. Cover the skillet with a large well-fitting lid and let the Napa cabbage wilt for about 2 minutes. This will help make the amount of napa in the skillet more manageable to sauté.
Step 4: Finish Cooking
Remove the lid. Sprinkle on the salt, and stir-fry the cabbage until it is just tender but not completely limp. This only takes 1 to 2 minutes. Do not overcook it or it will become watery.
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the scallions. Sprinkle on the sesame seeds before serving.
Expert Tips and FAQs
Napa cabbage is a type of Chinese cabbage originating from the Bejing area. Translated from Chinese, its name is roughly “big white vegetable.” Napa cabbage is best grown in the cooler part of the growing season when days are more mild and short. It can be kept in cold storage for several months and is a great year-round vegetable. It can be eating raw in salads or slaws or cooked.
This recipe is best when made just before serving. The Napa cabbage can be cut and the garlic, scallions and ginger chopped in advance. Cook it just before serving. Leftovers can be enjoyed cold, as reheating makes the sauté too watery.
Yes! You can use red pepper flakes or Korean red chili flakes to taste. Add them into the saute in step two with the cabbage.
Instead of using ginger, scallions and sesame try a different flavor profile. Saute the garlic with two chopped anchovies in step one. Deglaze with 3 tablespoons broth plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Once it comes off the heat in step 4, add on shaved Asiago cheese and black pepper on top.
Yes regular cabbage works, however, green cabbage takes longer to cook than Napa cabbage. In step 3 add more liquid (up to 3 more tablespoons) and more cooking time (about 5 minutes total) to ensure that the cabbage wilts before proceeding to step 4.
Variations To Try
- Use olive oil or butter instead of neutral cooking oil.
- Omit the sherry and use vegetable stock or chicken broth instead.
- Instead of seasoning with ginger, scallions and sesame seeds, simply finsih with a splash of lemon juice, rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar and chopped fresh herbs such as dill.
More Recipes With Napa Cabbage
- This recipe for Broiled Flank Steak with minty napa cabbage slaw is a great lower-carb meal to try in the months when it is too cold to grill.
- This Easy Napa Cabbage Slaw with pomegranate seeds is easy and pretty for the holidays.
- This Slow Cooker Thai Chicken and Coconut Soup has Napa cabbage added in for extra vegetable servings.
- Use Napa as a base for these meal prep power salads with wasabi glazed salmon.
- This Cucumber and Napa Cabbage coleslaw has always been a fan favorite here.
- If you love caesar salads, try our creamy and zesty Napa Cabbage Caesar salad for something a little different!
More Simple Veggie Side Dish Recipes
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. 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
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Simple Sauteed Napa Cabbage
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3 1/2 cups 1x
Description
This recipe for Simple Sauteed Napa Cabbage with garlic, ginger and scallions is an easy low-calorie side dish featuring Napa cabbage and it only takes 15 minutes to make!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil such as avocado
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger root
8 cups napa cabbage, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons dry sherry (or 3 tablespoons vegetable broth plush 1 teaspoon rice vinegar)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 scallions, chopped
Sesame seeds, preferably toasted, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Heat oil over high heat in a large skillet (not non-stick.) Add garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant and starting to brown, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in Napa cabbage (the skillet will be full.)
- Add dry sherry and cover with a well-fitting lid. Let cook about 2 minutes to allow the Napa to wilt.
- Remove lid and sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring often until the cabbage is tender, but not completely limp, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in scallions and remove from the heat. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Notes
How To Cut Napa Cabbage Cabbage
- Cut the head of cabbage in half lengthwise and then again into quarters.
- Remove the core.
- Cut each quarter into long 1-inch wide lengths.
- Cut crosswise into 1-inch square pieces.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3/4 cup each
- Calories: 104
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 171 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 3 g
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.
It’s delicious! Thanks a lot for sharing recipe
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
Such a delicious way to enjoy napa cabbage! I love the flavors.
So simple and delish with our dinner last night! Hubby a spicy lover (and I’m not) so I pulled my serving out of the skillet first before stirring in some red pepper flakes for his, like you suggested!
I love what the dry sherry adds to this dish. I forget to use ingredients like that to add depth to the flavors. So yummy! Love this with fresh fish.