8 Best Napa Cabbage Recipes

Napa cabbage, sometimes called Chinese cabbage or celery cabbage, is a vegetable in the Brassica family (the category that Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli fall into). It gets its name from "nappa," a Japanese term that means "vegetable leaves." It was first cultivated in China, and in the 14th century it spread a bit farther to Japan and Korea. Nowadays, though, it's relatively common in North America and can be found at most grocery stores.

Napa cabbage is a great vegetable to have on hand, because of how versatile it is. It's the perfect canvas for bold flavors, as it's slightly sweeter and milder than other cabbage varieties. Plus, it can be incorporated in just about any form you can imagine. It's delicate enough to be enjoyed uncooked in a salad or as a slaw, but hearty enough to withstand the heat of soups or stews without wilting and turning to mush. It also sautés beautifully, making it the ideal choice for bulking up stir fries.

However, since a single napa cabbage can often weigh anywhere from 4 to 7 pounds, there's a good chance you'll have leftovers after using it in a dish. Luckily, there are tons of great recipes, so you can avoid having half of a cabbage lingering in your produce drawer for ages. Check out these eight tasty recipes using the ingredient in a variety of innovative ways.

If you've only ever tried wonton soup from your favorite takeout spot (or want a meatless version of it), you'll definitely want to give this vegetable-forward alternative a shot. The napa cabbage is used in the wonton filling, so it's the perfect dish for when you have just a few scraps of cabbage remaining. Only a cup of it is needed for the recipe. It's finely blitzed in a food processor with mushrooms and carrots then sauteed until cooked just enough that it can finish in the broth.

Recipe: Vegetable Wonton Soup

Are you getting a bit tired of salads that contain the standard spinach or romaine? Napa cabbage can be a great alternative, and this recipe enhances the crunchy green with a delicious dressing incorporating peanut butter, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Since it only takes 10 minutes to prep, it's a solid pick for a quick and tasty lunch.

Recipe: Cabbage Salad 

For fans of Korean cuisine, this recipe is the perfect way to use up an entire head of napa cabbage. You may have to do a bit of searching to find some of the less common (in the U.S.) ingredients, such as kombu leaf and plum syrup, but it makes six generous servings, and your finished kimchi can keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. It does take a day or so of fermenting for best results, though, so this is one you'll want to prepare in advance. 

Recipe: Easy Homemade Kimchi

This Japanese take on hot pot is the perfect pick when you're looking to serve a crowd. Combining ribeye, tofu, vermicelli, napa cabbage, and other elements, the recipe makes four servings as written. However, you could certainly double or even triple the amount if needed. The dish can easily be customized to include more or less meat, noodles, or vegetables, so you could easily add more greens into the mix by upping the quantity of napa cabbage.

Recipe: Sukiyaki (Japanese Beef Hot Pot)

For those moments when you really want takeout noodles, this quick and easy recipe is the perfect solution — you'll get the same umami flavors without having to drive to your favorite spot or wait for food delivery. The napa cabbage is thinly sliced and briefly sauteed in ginger and garlic paste, adding a burst of green amidst the chicken thighs and rice noodles. Plus, since the cabbage is the primary vegetable in this dish, you could always add a bit more than the recommended 3 cups if you want more veggie-dense drunken noodles. 

Recipe: Drunken Noodles

Like sukiyaki, shabu shabu is another dish that's perfect for enjoying with a group. While napa cabbage is often thinly sliced in dishes, in this recipe the cabbage leaves are cut into larger 2-inch pieces that are gently cooked by the flavorful broth, adding a nice crunch to balance out the soft noodles and tofu. As with any hot pot dish, this is also ideal for satisfying all kinds of dietary requirements or preferences, as each diner can choose what exactly they want to dip into the steaming broth.

Recipe: Easy Shabu Shabu

This ramen recipe calls for ingredients that deliver a wide range of tastes and textures, including noodles, napa cabbage, boiled eggs, onion, and crushed peanuts, among others. It takes a bit of time to build all of the layers of flavor in your broth, but once that's ready and your ramen noodles are boiled, all you need to do is arrange the other components in your bowl. While the recipe specifies the quantity of cabbage, it doesn't say whether you should slice it in narrow strips or wider pieces, so you can choose whichever way you prefer.

Recipe: Ramen

This Korean-American fusion dish is packed with ingredients you don't always see together, such as hot dogs and Spam paired with American cheese and shiitake mushrooms. Plus, the combination of gochugaru and gochujang adds a good dose of heat. The addition of some napa cabbage kimchi adds the perfectly subtle yet fermented taste to balance out all of the flavors going on in this stew. If you have any leftover kimchi from making our easy homemade version, this stew will ensure none of it goes to waste.

Recipe: Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Base Stew)