This Sexy Green Cabbage Is Buttery & Meltingly Tender

Move over, cauliflower. Cabbage has been crowned Ingredient of the Year.

Green cabbage is getting a lot attention this year, on menus, in home décor, and fashion. It’s the year of “cabbagecore”!

Pinterest called out “Cabbage Crush” (in food and dishware) as a top trend for 2026. Vogue declared this the Year of the Cabbage. And the love is for all types of brassicas, really. Green, purple, Savoy, napa, bok choy, you name it.

It’s even getting literal royal treatment. Here’s actress Elizabeth McGovern featured in the ad campaign for Highgrove x Burberry wearing a cabbage-hued jacket and lounging in King Charles’s very own cabbage patch:

 

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A Bona Fide Superfood

I’m here for all of it, having long been a fan of brassicas, both as an ingredient and a photographic subject, their cupped leaves holding the promise of something good and comforting.

Cabbage is a true culinary all-star. Raw, it adds crunch to salads. It’s iconic fermented (sauerkraut, kimchi. It’s fabulous braised, stir-fried, stewed, roasted, or grilled.

Nutritionally, it serves up plenty of fiber, vitamin C and K, and antioxidants.

For this recipe, you start by sautéing the cabbage in plenty of ghee and then turn down the heat to let it cook low and slow until it’s luxuriously tender. Finish with a splash of Worcestershire for umami heft and a squeeze of lemon to brighten things up.

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Buttery Cabbage Recipe FAQs

Can I use another kind of cabbage?

I call for humble green cabbage because it’s a cheap ingredient that’s really elevated by this recipe. Its fancier sister, Savoy cabbage, also works beautifully here.

Do I have to use ghee?

Ghee, a type of clarified butter ideal for sautéing or other high-heat cooking, is the key to this dish’s rich appeal. While ghee is most associated with Indian cuisine, it’s an excellent go-to for cooking any dish. You can find it in most supermarkets or easily make your own DIY Ghee. If you need to use regular butter, which has a lower smoke-point, use 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. If you want to keep this dish vegetarian, use 2 tablespoons olive oil in place of the ghee.

What can I substitute for Worcestershire sauce?

Made with anchovies, Worcestershire sauce also boasts complex sweet, tangy, and sour notes (from molasses and tamarind). You could substitute:

• 2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce + ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar + a pinch of brown sugar
• Readymade vegan fish sauce, such as Ocean’s Halo
• Coconut aminos
• 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari) + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar + a pinch of brown sugar

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What do I serve with this cabbage?

Anything! It’s delicious alongside chicken, pork, or fish. I also like it tossed with pasta or heaped on toasted crusty bread schmeared with creamy goat cheese.

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Buttery & Meltingly Tender Green Cabbage

Ghee, which is Indian-style clarified butter, serves up buttery flavor on steroids for this easy cabbage side dish.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Total Time 28 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Equipment

• 1 chef's knife
• 1 saute pan

Ingredients

  

• 1 head green cabbage (regular or Savoy)
• 2 shallots (or ½ small onion or 1 leek)
• 2 tablespoons ghee (or olive oil)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ lemon

Instructions

 

• Pull off and discard the first few outer leaves from the cabbage. Quarter the cabbage head, then trim the core from each quarter. Cut each quarter crosswise into ½-inch strips. Peel and thinly slice the shallots.
• Heat the ghee in a large sauté pan over medium-high until melted. Add the shallots and sauté 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add the cabbage, tossing to coat with ghee. Season lightly with salt and generously with pepper, stirring to combine.
• Spread the cabbage and shallots into an even layer. (The pan may be crazy full at this point, but don't worry. The cabbage will lose a lot of volume as is cooks down.) Cook 4 minutes or until the cabbage and shallots start to color. Stir, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 10-12 minutes or until the cabbage is very tender, turn it occasionally with a spatula and spreading it in an even layer in the pan.
• Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the Worcestershire sauce, tossing to combine. Remove from heat and squeeze lemon over cabbage. Taste, and add more salt or pepper, as desired. (Makes about 2 cups.)