Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

Overhead view of beef and cabbage stir fry in a skillet with title text at the bottom

overhead view of a bowl full of beef and cabbage stir fry.

close up of chop sticks holding beef & cabbage stir fry with title text at the top

If you're one that struggles to work vegetables into your diet (isn't that pretty much all of us?) you're going to love this Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry. It'sfull of vegetables and absolutelyaddictive. And the best part? It uses vegetables that are super inexpensive so you can know that you're doing your bodyand your wallet good. Winning!

A bowl of Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry topped with sriracha, chopsticks on the side

Can I Substitute the Beef?

Yes, you can definitely make this recipe with other types of ground meat! I think pork or even ground turkey would work just as well or better, and will most likely be less expensive than beef. You can use a whole pound of meat if you like extra protein, but I found that the half-pound I had provided me with just the right ratio of meat to cabbage.

What Other Vegetables Can I Add?

In addition to the cabbage, I also added some shredded carrots and sliced green onion for color. There are so many other fun things you can put in your beef and cabbage stir fry. Try adding some of these vegetables:

  • sliced mushrooms
  • thinly sliced red bell pepper
  • water chestnuts
  • snow peas
  • broccoli
  • baby corn

Make it even FASTER!

You can totally take a shortcut here and buy a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix to replace the 1/2 head of green cabbage and carrots listed below. Sometimes that's a more economical purchase and saves you from having a half head of cabbage leftover. :)

What to Serve with Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

This Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry goes great with Easy Egg Drop Soup, Thai Cucumber Salad, Savory Coconut Rice, Pork Gyoza. Although most of the time I just eat it as is! You can also serve it over a bed of rice to bulk up the servings.

Chopsticks digging into Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry close up


Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

This fast and easy Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry is a filling low carb dinner with big flavor and endless possibilities for customization.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Servings: 4 (1.5 cups each)

STIR FRY SAUCE

  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.18)
  • 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil ($0.33)
  • 1 Tbsp sriracha* ( $0.05)
  • 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar ( $0.02)

STIR FRY

  • 1/2 head green cabbage ($1.78)
  • 2 carrots ($0.22)
  • 3 green onions ($0.17)
  • 1/2 Tbsp neutral cooking oil ($0.02)
  • 1/2 lb. lean ground beef ($3.90)
  • 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
  • 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger ( $0.13)
  • Pinch of salt and pepper ($0.05)

GARNISHES (optional)

  • 1 Tbsp sesame seeds ($0.08)
  • 1 Tbsp sriracha ($0.05)
  • Prepare the stir fry sauce first. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sriracha, and brown sugar. Set the sauce aside.

  • Shred the vegetables so they are ready to go when you need them. Cut one small cabbage in half, remove the core, and then finely shred the leaves of one half the cabbage (4-6 cups once shredded, save the other half for another recipe). Peel two carrots, then use a cheese grater to shred them (1 cup shredded). Slice three green onions. Mince two cloves of garlic. Peel a knob of ginger using either a vegetable peeler or by scraping with the side of a spoon, then grate it using a small-holed cheese grater.

  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot add the cooking oil, ground beef, garlic, ginger, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the beef until browned (about five minutes).

  • Add the cabbage and carrots to the skillet and continue to stir and cook until the cabbage is slightly wilted (or fully wilted, if you prefer). Stir in the prepared sauce and the green onions. Top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a drizzle of sriracha, then serve.

* 1 Tbsp sriracha makes a medium-spicy stir fry. If you don't like spicy, I'd start with 1 tsp. The sriracha adds flavor as well as heat, so I don't suggest skipping it all together.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.


Serving: 1 Serving Calories: 195 kcal Carbohydrates: 14 g Protein: 16 g Fat: 9 g Sodium: 756 mg Fiber: 4 g

Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclaimer here.


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I have to eat this one with chopsticks just to slow myself down. 😅

Overhead shot of a bowl of Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

How to Make Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry – Step by Step Photos

Stir Fry Sauce in a small bowl

Prepare the easy stir fry sauce first, so it's ready to go when you need it. In a small bowl stir together 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (it has a dark amber color and VERY nutty flavor, not always labeled as "toasted"), 1 Tbsp sriracha, and 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar. This makes a medium-spicy stir fry, so if you're sensitive to heat, start with 1 tsp sriracha.

Shredded cabbage and carrot, sliced green onion

Next, shred the vegetables. Cut one small cabbage in half, remove the core, then slice half of it into fine shreds (save the other half of the cabbage for another recipe). You'll need about 4-6 cups of shredded cabbage. Peel and shred two carrots (about one cup). I used a large-holed cheese grater to shred the carrots. Slice three green onions. You'll also want to mince two cloves of garlic and grate about 1 Tbsp of fresh ginger (I use a small-holed cheese grater for this). More info on working with ginger can be found here.

Browned Beef Garlic and Ginger in the skillet

Heat a LARGE skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1/2 Tbsp neutral cooking oil (something like canola, corn, vegetable, safflower, peanut, etc.), 1/2 lb. ground beef, the minced garlic, grated ginger, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the beef until fully browned.

Wilted Cabbage and Carrots in skillet

Add the shredded cabbage and carrots to the skillet and continue to cook and stir until the cabbage has wilted slightly. I like my cabbage to still have a little crunch, so I only cooked it until it was partially wilted. If you like the cabbage fully cooked and soft, just cook it a bit longer.

Pour on Stir Fry Sauce for the Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

Pour on the prepared stir fry sauce…

Mix in Green Onion into Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

… and toss in the sliced green onions. Stir until everything is evenly combined.

Garnish with Sriracha and Sesame Seeds

Garnish the Beef and Cabbage stir fry with a little drizzle of sriracha and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. I particularly liked the sesame seeds for the texture they added to the dish!

Close view of the skillet full of Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

And that's it! This Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry is probably one of the easiest dishes I've ever made. :)

TRY THESE OTHER STIR FRY RECIPES:

  • Ground Turkey Stir Fry
  • Crunchy Chicken Ramen Stir Fry
  • Easy Vegetable Stir Fry
  • Spicy Coconut Vegetable Stir Fry
  • Simple Mushroom Broccoli Stir Fry Noodles

This fast and easy Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry is a filling low carb dinner with big flavor. BudgetBytes.com