Buttered stewed cabbage is pure comfort food. Cooked in a Dutch oven on your stovetop, in Instant Pot or as Slow Cooker Cabbage it is a cheap side dish you can serve with dinner year round.
Cabbage stewed in butter and seasonings is the cheapest and yummiest side dish youโll ever make. If you too are a fan of all of our simple cabbage recipes, including our favorite recipes for cooked cabbage, we have yet another one to add to that list! Give it a whirl and let us know what you served it with. (affiliate links present)
Buttered Cabbage
Essentially this is like how to boil cabbage except you get A LOT more flavor this way. Instead of just using water we are going to get the leaves tender cooked in lots of flavor!! Big difference. Butter is the most important ingredient for a creamy outcome.
This whole cabbage recipe is super versatile, but the timing and information regarding cubing your main ingredient stand firm. Beyond that you certainly should use seasons of your choice. I will share with you below my go tos but as always, make it to your familyโs liking.
on Stove
We use the same method for Dutch Oven cabbage here as we do when making our Southern fried cabbage too. Makes it easier to eat and cooks fast in cast iron over medium high heat. You could use a large pot of your choice with a tight fitting lid. Full instructions for this method is below in the recipe card.
in Pressure Cooker
This is likely one of our easiest ways of how to cook cabbage. I first made it and shared how to make pressure cooker cabbage under high pressure here. Realizing not everyone has a pressure cooker, I added the instructions below too. If you wanted to make pressure cooker fried cabbage with soy sauce instead of butter we have that here.
Ingredient Notes
- Head of chopped cabbage with outer leaves removed, core discarded and this is how to cut cabbage cubed essentially as you see here above.
- Onion diced is a great add in but optional, we like small fine pieces of white or yellow
- Butter or you could cut down with a bit of olive oil but for ideal flavor use โthe stickโ. Dairy free plant based sticks work just as well if need be.
- Garlic diced if you like, we do, or finely diced bell peppers would even be a good add in to add flavor and a bit of texture with these.
- Vegetable broth is better than water for liquid needed to soften the leaves, chicken or beef stock work too.
- Garlic salt adds flavor but you could use any seasoned salt you prefer really.
- Salt and black pepper is optional as well as any other desired seasonings. There are many and they are subjective to your tastebuds. Others I have used are Old Bay or Lawryโs seasoned salt but use a little and taste so it doesnโt overwhelm the dish. Keep in mind that butter is typically salted so go easy.
Variations
You shouldnโt need anything beyond this once itโs done, unless you want to add some heat. You can make spicy with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or dry Sriracha. When it comes to how to cook cabbage, you really need to add a lot of flavor to it, at least salt and pepper, otherwise itโs quite bland.
Cook time will take about 15 minutes, depending on if you saute when you add the onion, so 30 minutes total with prep and all. Timing will vary depending on how soft you want it to be of course. In the case of Instant Pot buttered cabbage (which is linked above) that is less than 5 min.
Stewed Cabbage
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 head cabbage, cubed
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp Old Bay
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 c vegetable broth
Instructions
- Over medium heat melt butter in a dutch oven or pot. Add diced onions and cook until softened.
- Add minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add all seasonings. Cube cabbage and add, stir together.
- Saute everything together for 5 more minutes. Then pour in broth and stir.
- Cover and lower heat to low. Cook for 7 minutes to soften. Lift lid, turn off heat, stir and enjoy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What can you make with a lot of cabbage?
This is fantastic served alongside your dutch oven corned beef and cabbage. Instead of adding the leaves whole at the end, make this instead in a separate pot. Our slow cooker stuffed cabbage is another great choice.
If you want other ideas using similar ingredients but cooked in the oven, try our baked cabbage steaks recipe too. Donโt want to heat up your whole house, make the same thing but follow our air fryer cabbage recipe instead.
It is all about texture. You donโt want to overcook this or the leaves will be wilted and mushy. Stay close, once they have softened and soaked up the butter it is ready to serve!
Great dish and the perfect side many proteins! So easy, new family favorite dish. Thanks.
Wonderful flavors in this cabbage. Thank you for the recipe. Iโll be making it again!
OH good
Talk about great flavor and easy to make! Thank you for an awesome recipe! I loved using one of my Dutch Ovenโs for this!
So so comforting! This stewed cabbage looks amazing and it is so easy too. I love how it can be made on the stove or in an instant pot.
Great recipe! So quick and easy to make. Thanks for sharing!
I love cabbage and I really enjoyed this recipe! Quick to make and tasty. I will definitely make again!
Oh good!
Very buttery and flavorful. Thanks for the recipe!