This Southern stewed cabbage recipe (sometimes called buttered cabbage!) has just a few ingredients and is so simple to make! I love this on a weeknight for a quick gluten free veggie side dish with some grilled maple chicken, but we've made this for Thanksgiving and everyone loves it as a holiday side dish as well!
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Oh hey! Let's talk about cabbage. Imo it is a VERY underutilized vegetable and is very, very delicious, cheap, and readily available.
There are gazillions of ways to use cabbage (cabbage roll soup, looking at you!), but this is by far my favorite: a simple stewed cabbage recipe, lots of butter and black pepper, done and done.
This version is a pretty classic southern recipe, and everyone has their own version of it, but the short and sweet is that you chop up cabbage, cook it down in some flavorful liquid, and when it's super tender and flavorful douse it with flavor from the salt, pepper, and butter.
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Ingredients and Ingredient Variations
- Chicken broth for the stewing. Vegetable stock is also a delicious choice.
- Cabbage, obviously. I think half a medium-to-large head of regular green cabbage is perfect for 4 servings, but make a whole head if you're super into cabbage.
- Butter, or vegan butter. I use regular salted butter for every single recipe on this site and it is delicious every single time.
- Onion, for tons of flavor - it cooks down and gets very mild and sweet, so don't stress if you don't like onions that much - they add flavor, but this isn't an onion-y dish at all.
See the recipe card below for full ingredient list and quantities.
Dietary Variations (Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free)
- As written, this recipe is gluten free.
- Make the recipe vegan with vegetable stock and vegan butter, or omit the butter.
- If you'd like to make this vegetarian, use veggie stock instead of chicken stock.
Step By Step Instructions
- Prep: Thinly slice the onion and chop the cabbage into 1-inch or so chunks. Add the veggies to a skillet over medium heat with half of the butter.
- Add the stock, salt, and pepper to the cabbage and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the cabbage simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or so until the liquid is nearly all reduced and the cabbage is very tender. If the skillet becomes to dry, add more stock or water until the cabbage has finished cooking.
- When the cabbage is cooked through, stir in the rest of the butter and taste for seasoning.
- Different types of stock can taste more or less salty or peppery, so don't be shy adding more pinches of salt and pepper as you cook this recipe - the end should taste really yummy.
Stewed Cabbage FAQ
That's a personal question! Some people like very soft cabbage, some prefer it a little less cooked with a bit of bite or crunch left. I personally like stewed cabbage to be nice and soft for that lovely comfort food feeling, so I let this recipe cook for a good while which reminds me of classic Southern cooking. That said, after the cabbage reaches a nice soft stage it will eventually start to fall apart, so turn it off before that happens.
Short answer: don't overcook it! I find that cooking this stewed cabbage uncovered allows the stock to evaporate around the same time the cabbage is soft but not falling apart; usually 15-20 minutes of simmering time depending on the heat of your stove and how large the pieces of cabbage are.
Sure, but it will get a little mushy as it thaws. Instead, I'd prep this in advance and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days, then serve from the fridge with your favorite dinner.
What to Serve with Stewed Cabbage
Here are some other dishes that I love with this cabbage!
- Sliced Steak with Shallots
- Homemade Bread
- Pesto Rice
- Hibachi Vegetables - sauteed zucchini and onions cook super fast!
- Vidalia Onion Casserole - seriously so, so good.
- Asparagus Casserole - Because, um, duh.
- Tiny Steamed Potatoes - buttery, salty, crispy.
Make Ahead and Leftover Storage
- I actually love making this in advance because the dish is DELICIOUS microwaved - feel free to make the whole dish during meal prep and serve it whenever you'd like.
- If you'd just like to prep this; cut up the onion and cabbage in advance and store them in the fridge so you can cook the stewed cabbage quickly whenever you'd like.
- Leftovers are yummy in the fridge for at least 4 days, usually longer. Just microwave them to reheat and enjoy.
And there we have it! A lovely, simple, healthy side dish perfect for your favorite meal. This stewed cabbage is so affordable and good for you that it's a great addition to play around with often - add some fresh herbs or other spices to change it up each time.
Enjoy this!
More Vegetable Side Dishes
Recipe
Southern Stewed Cabbage (Buttered Cabbage)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ head green cabbage chopped (about 4 cups, give or take)
- ½ onion sliced
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock plus more if needed
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet over medium heat with the onion and cabbage. When the butter melts, pour the stock into the skillet - the liquid should come up about halfway over the cabbage, maybe a bit more.
- Increase the heat to medium-high to bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to medium low to simmer the cabbage for 20-25 minutes, stirring every once in awhile, until the cabbage is very soft.
- When the liquid is mostly reduced and the cabbage has cooked down, swirl in the remaining butter, taste, and add lots of salt and pepper to your preference. Enjoy!
Notes
This recipe was originally published in August 2017 and has been updated with more clear instructions and variations. It's still the lovely recipe it's always been!
This cabbage dish turned out amazing! Love the flavors!
i've never made cabbage this way. I'm looking forward to try this stewed cabbage tongiht
We used olive oil instead of the butter, to make this vegan and it was delicious! I'll definitely be making this again.
I like cabbage and this recipe is great
This is such a delicious and comforting side dish!
What a nice and easy side for dinner! Was yum!
love the southern flavor! so delicious!
I love cabbage (which I feel is an unpopular opinion but it's true!) and I really appreciate that this can so easily be made vegetarian!
Delicious way to serve cabbage!
Wonderful side dish!
What a great side dish to use up cabbage! This would be great with fresh cabbage in the summer!
My cabbage was Delicious
I'm so glad you liked it!
I have one cabbage head in my fridge. I'm going to make this for dinner tomorrow. Looks delicious and so healthy. Super easy to make too. Thanks for the recipe.
I'm so excited about this recipe. Every time I buy cabbage I feel like I waste half of it. This is the perfect way to use up the other half!
YES, same! I have so many recipes that just use a little cabbage, and I'm like...ok but what about the rest of it.
This Ukrainian girl sure does love cabbage. This is a great way to serve it. Makes a great side dish.
Thanks!