How To Steam Cabbage (2024)

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Instructions

1. Cut the cabbage. Cut a head of cabbage into 4 quarters, then cut out the core and discard it. Next, either slice the quarters of cabbage into ½ inch strips, or cut each quarter in half to make 8 wedges.
2. Steam the cabbage. Add 1 inch of water to the bottom of a large pot and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, place the cabbage in a steamer basket and place it in the pot of boiling water. Cover and steam the cabbage for 7-10 minutes. For the strips of cabbage, I recommend 7-8 minutes, for the wedges of cabbage, I recommend 9-10 minutes. Turn the heat off on the stove, remove the lid and use tongs to remove the steamed cabbage from the steamer basket. Either place it in a large bowl or serving dish.

Optional: after removing the cabbage from the steamer basket, place small cubes of butter on top of the cabbage, then season the cabbage with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Toss to coat the cabbage in the butter and seasoning.

The steamed cabbage can also be served, simply seasoned with flaky sea salt, or with any of the seasoning ideas provided below.

Ways to season it

• Parmesan cheese and lemon zest
• Lemon juice
• Crunchy chili onion– I love this stuff from Trader Joe’s! It makes a great topping for steamed cabbage, when paired with Asian dishes.
• Lemon pepper
• Everything bagel seasoning
• A drizzle of flavored olive oil – we love thislemon olive oilon steamed cabbage!
• Drizzled with Thai peanut sauce.
• Stir in some crumbled, cooked bacon.
• Drizzled withspicy cashew dressing.

Tips and tricks

• You can adjust the time up or down, depending on how tender you want the cabbage to be. The longer the cabbage steams, the softer it will get. If you want a more crisp texture, I recommend never steaming the cabbage for more than 8-10 minutes.
• You’ll be able to tell when the cabbage is done steaming, when it’s bright green in color, and the outer leaves are tender, but not mushy, in texture.
• When using a steamer basket, always make sure that the cabbage is not touching the water.This will allow the cabbage to steam, instead of boil in the water.
• If steaming the cabbage ahead of time to eat later, you’ll want to transfer the steamed cabbage to a bowl of ice water immediately after it’s steamed to stop the cooking process. After 1-2 minutes in the ice bath, remove the cabbage from the ice water. Dry it thoroughly, then transfer it to an airtight container, lined with paper towels for storage. The paper towels will soak up any excess water and prevent the cabbage from getting soggy. The steamed cabbage will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This is a great option for meal prepping! You can also store steamed cabbage leftovers the same way, in a paper towel-lined storage container, for up to 5 days.
• The times for steaming the cabbage on the stove, will be the same whether you’re steaming ½ cup of cabbage, or up to 4 cups of cabbage. The only thing that will change is that you’ll need a larger steamer basket on the stove if you’re steaming more than 2 pounds of cabbage at one time.
• If you don’t have a steamer basket, or pot, you can still make this recipe on the stove in a large skillet. Add ½ inch water to a large skillet on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the shredded cabbage, or wedges, in an even layer in the skillet. Cover the skillet and steam the cabbage for 7-10 minutes. Use tongs to remove the cabbage from the skillet after steaming it, and serve immediately.

What to serve it with

Steamed cabbage really is a Jack-of-all-trades! It’s a great side dish to pair with grilled meats, Crock Pot meals, healthy bowls and so much more! Try it with any of these recipes.

• Corned Beef (pictured above)
• Marinated Grilled Sirloin Steak
• Smoked Pork Chops
• Thai Peanut Sweet Potato Buddha Bowls
• Crock Pot Meatloaf
• Salisbury Steaks
• Crock Pot Pork Chops with French Onion Gravy
• Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin
• French Onion Pot Roast
• Chipotle Apple Pork Loin

I have both asteamer basketandsteamer potthat I use to make this steamed cabbage recipe at home. The steamer basket is perfect for 1-2 cups of shredded cabbage. It’s also an affordable option, that you can pick up for around $10 online or at a big-box store.

The steamer pot is perfect for making a big batch of cabbage. I can fit 2-4 pounds of cabbage in there, which is perfect for prepping extra steamed cabbage for the week. Or to make a big batch to go with my corned beef.

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Steamed Cabbage

It's so easy to make Steamed Cabbage for a healthy and delicious side dish, packed with Vitamin C and fiber! Follow this blog post to learn how to steam cabbage, in wedges or shredded, in less than 15 minutes. Serve the cabbage with your favorite main dishes, like corned beef or smoked pork chops!

Nutrition Facts

Calories 109kcal (5%)Carbohydrates 14g (5%)Protein 3g (6%)Fat 6g (9%)Saturated Fat 4g (20%)Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 15mg (5%)Sodium 667mg (28%)Potassium 395mg (11%)Fiber 6g (24%)Sugar 7g (8%)Vitamin A 399mg (8%)Vitamin C 83mg (101%)Calcium 94mg (9%)Iron 1mg (6%)