Simple Sautéed Napa Cabbage Recipe (2024)

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
• What is Napa Cabbage?
• Ingredients For This Stir-Fried Napa Cabbage
• Step By Step Instructions For Making This Easy Napa Cabbage Recipe
• Expert Tips and FAQs
• More Recipes With Napa Cabbage
• More Simple Veggie Side Dish Recipes

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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.

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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.

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

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!

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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