Recipes Ingredients Vegetables Bok Choy Recipes Sauteed Baby Bok Choy 5.0 (2) This quick and easy side dish is a weeknight winner. Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 5 mins Total Time: 15 mins Servings: 2 to 4 Jump to recipe Need an easy, delicious side dish? This sautéed baby bok choy is ready in 15 minutes and needs just five minutes of cooking. Even better, you’ll only need five ingredients (including the oil). Fresh garlic and ginger bring big flavor while a touch of soy sauce lends a savory boost. And while this recipe calls for baby bok choy—which are smaller and more mild in flavor—large bok choy can be used: Just trim the stem ends and cut the heads into 2-inch pieces before cooking. Easy Vegetable Side Dishes You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less Credit: Christina Holmes What Is Baby Bok Choy? Bok choy is variety of Chinese cabbage. A member of the mustard family—along with turnips, cabbage, and kale—it's a cruciferous vegetable with a bulbous stem and soft, dark green leaves. Baby bok choy, as its name implies, is a younger version of the mature plant and is harvested earlier for its sweeter flavor and more tender texture. Baby bok choy has a fresh, mild taste that's similar to Napa cabbage and can be sautéed, stir-fried, steamed, or roasted. Ingredients for Sauteed Baby Bok Choy You'll only need five simple ingredients for this easy side dish, including: Baby bok choy: When shopping for baby bok choy, look for firm, compact heads that feel heavy for their size. The stems should be bright white to light green with no brown spots and the green leaves should look vibrant and fresh. Avoid any heads with wilted leaves or yellowing stems. Garlic: This recipe calls for a teaspoon of minced garlic. Use a garlic press or microplane for easy prep, or smash the clove with the flat side of your knife, then use a rocking motion with the blade to chop it nice and finely. Ginger: A microplane makes quick work of grating a piece of ginger for this recipe. If you have ginger leftover, peel it, then wrap it tightly in plastic before freezing; that way, you can grate it whenever the need arises. Soy sauce: Low-sodium soy sauce adds a savory boost to this recipe. For a gluten-free alternative, use gluten-free tamari or even coconut aminos. Oil: We call for safflower oil for this recipe, but you can use another high-heat, neutral oil like sunflower, vegetable, or canola oil instead. Directions Cook garlic and ginger: Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add garlic and ginger; cook until fragrant and golden, about 30 seconds. Add bok choy, soy sauce, and water: Add bok choy, stirring to evenly coat. Add soy sauce and 2 tablespoons water; cover and cook 2 minutes. Remove lid and cook until tender: Remove lid and continue cooking, stirring a few times, until liquid has evaporated and bok choy is tender, about 2 minutes. Season with more soy sauce, if desired, and serve. What to Serve With Sautéed Baby Bok Choy This easy side dish makes a delicious accompaniment to our soy-and-honey-glazed Arctic char recipe but would be equally good alongside other proteins like chicken, steak, pork, or tofu. Try it with our General Tso's chicken or Soy-Marinated Flank Steak. A stir-fry would also be an excellent fit, such as this lemony chicken-and-green bean main or one with beef, asparagus, and snap peas. Keeping it plant based? Pairing the bok choy with our Soba-Noodle Bowl With Tofu or our Sesame-Marinated Tofu. 5 More Recipes With Baby Bok Choy to Try Inside-Out Pork Dumplings Salmon With Wasabi Sauce and Baby Bok Choy Chicken and Vegetables in Parchment Spicy Coconut-Salmon Curry Restorative Chicken Soup With Ginger Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.