Summary:
This low carb, keto friendly stir fry has ground beef and shredded cabbage cooked with a slightly spicy sauce. It only takes 30 minutes to prep and cook. For more easy recipes, visit One Pan Meals.
Ground Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry Recipe
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Yield: 3 servings
Calories: 420
Net Carbs: 6g
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound ground beef (I typically use 85% lean)
- 1 (9-ounce) bag coleslaw (or 5 cups mix of shredded fresh cabbage and sliced carrots)
- 2 scallions (also known as green onions), thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon peeled freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons
soy sauce (both regular and low-sodium varieties work well; I use the brand Kikkoman) - 1 tablespoon
sriracha sauce (I use the brand Huy Fong; can substitute with another chili garlic sauce or your favorite hot sauce) - (optional) black sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Stir soy sauce and sriracha together with a spoon in a small mixing bowl until smooth; set aside.
- Prepare a pan large enough to simultaneously hold ground beef and coleslaw; I use a nonstick 10-inch pan with 3-inch-tall sides. No lid needed. It's not necessary to pre-heat the pan, and oil is not required.
- Add ground beef to the pan over medium-high heat; cook until browned and crumbled, breaking up the meat with a stiff utensil, about 5 minutes. Do not drain fat, which will be used to fry coleslaw in the next step.
- Keeping beef in the pan, stir in coleslaw mix. Cook until cabbage is wilted and tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in prepared sauce (soy sauce and sriracha) and ginger until well-mixed, about 1 minute. For extra flavor, see section below called "Try These Variations."
- Turn off the heat. Stir in sliced scallions, and optionally garnish with sesame seeds. Serve while hot.
- Leftovers: Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a few days. Reheat using the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.
NUTRITION
| Makes 3 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving (1.2 cups): |
| Calories 420 (47% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 22g | 34% |
| Saturated Fat 9g | 43% |
| Cholesterol 133mg | 44% |
| Sodium 520mg | 21% |
| Net Carb 6g | |
| Total Carb 9.5g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 3.5g | 13% |
| Sugars 5g | |
| Protein 39g |
❗Time-Saving Tip
Use a pre-shredded bag of mixed cabbage (green and/or purple) and carrots. Most U.S. supermarkets sell something like this, whether it’s sold as “cabbage mix” or “coleslaw mix.” Just check its contents to verify that it has cabbage and carrots.
I love these bags because they save you precious time compared to shredding the veggies yourself, and also because it gives you a fixed quantity of various raw vegetables without having to buy them separately, especially if you only plan to use a little of each.
🔔 Why You Should Make This
- Super Fast. This stir fry only takes 20 minutes — 5 minutes of prep plus 15 minutes of cooking — and you’ve got yourself a tasty protein-packed dinner. It’s perfect for those weeknights when you’re in a pinch and need to get dinner on the table.
- Single Pan. You only need one pan to make this dish, from browning the beef to stirring in cabbage to adding the sauce.
- Few Ingredients. There are only seven ingredients total, and the sauce itself is a simple mixture of soy sauce and sriracha.
🔆 Try These Variations
- Increase Cabbage. This dish has a high beef-to-cabbage ratio, so if you prefer having more frequent bites of cabbage, you can increase the cabbage up to 16 ounces in weight. Just make sure that your pan is appropriately sized for the increased amount of cabbage.
- Use Other Ground Meat. Don’t have beef? Use ground turkey, pork, or other meats.
- Add Toasted Sesame Oil. For a nice flavoring and extra fat, drizzle sesame oil over the pan at the end of cooking. Make sure to use toasted oil (it should be a dark amber color) or else it won’t be flavorful.
- Add Garlic. Mince a few fresh garlic cloves and add them at the same time as the sauce. Yum.
I made this with ground turkey, sesame oil and garlic added and used more than 9 oz of cabbage; more like 12 oz. The flavor is very subtle but good. Added plenty of salt and pepper at the end. It’s basically 0 pts for WW.
I made this, and used a higher-fat grassfed beef to get more healthy fats in. Came out fabulously and tasted terrific! My husband and teen daughters loved it!
I added Worcestershire sauce, which a similar recipe recommended. I didn’t have fresh ginger, so I added powdered ginger. I wanted a touch of sweetness in the recipe. The first time I made it I added a tablespoon of teriyaki sauce (which has similar flavors to soy sauce). This time I used a tablespoon of Chivers ginger preserves, and it tasted better. (I understand that some of you are avoiding sugar.) I also added sesame oil.
We are in the middle of the flu epidemic, so I couldn’t get the bagged coleslaw, so I used bagged carrot sticks and a real head of cabbage. I bought a smallish head, but I still used less than half of it. Next week I’ll make it again and use the second half. Regarding the cabbage, I rinsed it after slicing it up, and no sand came out – not even one grain – so from now on I think I’ll just rinse the outside of the head. Cabbage, by the way, is one of those vegetables with low pesticide levels.
One recommendation: After cooking, there will be meat and vegetable juices in the bottom of the pan or pot. Those juices have a lot of the spices in them, so you should include some juice in each serving.
If you buy bagged veggies, please note that the bags (rinsed of any food) can be recycled with your plastic grocery bags at your supermarket. (Here’s the rule on recycling plastic bags: If the bag crinkles when you touch it, it isn’t recyclable. If it is a soft plastic, then you can recycle it. The only exception is plastic wrap, which isn’t recyclable. Pepperidge Farms bread is a good example of the two different kinds of plastic: The inner bag is crinkly and isn’t recyclable; the outer bag is soft and is recyclable.)
Is this a good recipe to make ahead and reheat for lunches?
– Thanks!
Yes, this recipe should reheat well for lunches. You can probably make it up to a few days in advance.
Spicy but delish!
Just made this and it’s really good! I did mince garlic with the ginger and cooked half of the mixture with the meat and added the other half at the end with the sauce. I used chili garlic sauce in place of the Sriracha. Perfection!
My whole family enjoyed this recipe. It was so quick to make and perfect for a weeknight.
I’m a very picky eater and I really liked this dish. Used broccoli slaw instead of regular coleslaw and didn’t use any sriracha because I’m not a fan of hot. Definitely make again. Might add some fresh garlic and maybe mushrooms next time.
I made something similar to this, I added garlic and mushrooms and all I have to say is yes it came out amazing, you should try it. I didn’t add siracha or ginger (don’t like too much) but maybe next I will add the siracha since I do like a little spice! 🙂
Thanks for the input! I just saw this recipe and was thinking, I wonder if it’s good with garlic? LOL
I have made this for a long time, but i add rotel tomatoes and a little parmesan cheese on top when served. It’s a family favorite! I also usually add Hot Owens sausage and hamburger together. It definitely has a lot of spicy flavor. I am from Louisiana! Judy
Made this tonight for a quick dinner. Hubby loved it and I switched out beef for ground turkey and it was amazing!
Such a quick, tasty recipe. Loved it and easy clean up, too. Thanks for sharing.
Delicious! I made this with ground Bison and will definitely be making this again!
Side Note: I’m glad I checked the soy sauce that I had in the fridge because Trader Joe’s Reduced Sodium soy sauce had 2 carbs and 1g of sugar per Tbsp and Kikkoman Less Sodium soy sauce only has 1 carb, no sugar, and 1 gram of protein per Tbsp. I know it’s not much but it adds up when you’re counting carbs!
Delicious! Thank you!
Another hit! But since I love the sauce I double up on that for a really zesty and quick supper.
So yummy, thank you for the great idea!
I’ve never seen a stir fry quite like this. I’m amazed at how quickly this can be whipped up as well. Thanks for sharing this.
Here are the changes I made:
1. I substituted ground chicken for beef
2. I doubled the sriracha, and added 1 tbs of Mirin to the sauce
3. I added some minced garlic toward the end of browning the chicken
4. After cooking everything together for a couple minutes, I add 1-2 tbs of a corn starch slurry (corn starch mixed with equal parts cold water mixed up real well) to thicken up the sauce. This step isn’t necessary if you’re serving it over rice, but I think it’s better!
5. Drizzle sesame seed oil and sesame seeds over the dish when serving