Tender cabbage, savory floor beef, and a spicy, garlicky sauce make this Cabbage Stir Fry an on the spot favourite. Made with contemporary greens and loaded with taste, this 30-minute meal is a simple various to Chinese language takeout.

Stir fries are a frequent fixture of my weekly dinner menus and stir fry noodles with chicken and vegetables is one other one I make usually. This week, since I had floor beef within the freezer, I switched issues up and made a beefy cabbage model.
Cabbage Stir Fry


Just like my egg roll skillet and sausage egg roll in a bowl, this has the bottom meat, shredded cabbage, onion, and garlic you’d discover inside a typical egg roll, and I’ve kicked up the flavour right here with the punch of chili paste.
I anticipated the meat to be my favourite a part of this stir fry. And as a lot as I loved the savory meat, it’s the cabbage that stored me coming again for extra. Cabbage is cheap and versatile, and when it’s sliced into noodle-like ribbons right here, it’s good for lapping up all that unbelievable sauce.
I’m all the time amazed by how simple it’s to show an extraordinary vegetable right into a crave-worthy dish with only a few easy steps. I can’t wait so that you can do this one.


Substances and Substitutions
The Floor Meat – I used floor beef right here, however floor pork, turkey, and rooster will work nicely, too.
The Cabbage – You need inexperienced cabbage with dense, hearty leaves right here.
The Aromatics – Recent garlic, ginger, and yellow onion present the flavour base for the stir fry.
The Sauce – Soy sauce, chili paste, and cornstarch create a barely spicy, salty, savory sauce that thickens because it cooks.
The Garnishes – Inexperienced onions and sesame seeds present the of entirety for cabbage stir fry.
Notes on Gear
- Chef’s knife. Meals prep is a lot simpler when you have got a high quality knife. It was over 10 years in the past once I first tried this one. The worth merely can’t be beat for high quality.
- Slicing board
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Wooden saute paddle. You need to use any picket or metallic spatula you want, however I discover that I attain for this tremendous sturdy picket utensil as a rule.
- Large skillet. I like this enamel forged iron skillet for stir fries and skillet meals like this one. It goes from the range to the desk and it wipes clear like a dream.


Easy methods to Make Cabbage Stir Fry
Getting Issues Prepared: Earlier than I begin cooking something, I prep the greens. Shred the cabbage, chop the onion, mince the garlic and the ginger.
Browning the Beef: I heat a big skillet over medium-high warmth, after which add the bottom beef. Prepare dinner the bottom beef, crumbling it a bit after it begins to brown.


Including the Aromatics: You’ll add the onion, garlic, and ginger to the meat and proceed cooking and stirring the combination till the onion has softened and the skillet is aromatic.
Mixing the Sauce: Whereas the meat is cooking, I mix the soy sauce, chili paste, and cornstarch in a liquid measuring cup or bowl and whisk nicely to mix it.


Including the Sauce: Pour the stir fry sauce into the skillet with the meat. Give it stir and scrape off any bits of beef that will have caught to the pan.
Cooking the Cabbage: Now, we’ll add the cabbage to the skillet. Stir to combine the cabbage all through the meat after which put a lid on the skillet. Let the cabbage steam till it seems barely wilted.


Ending the Stir Fry: I’ll take the lid off of the skillet as soon as the cabbage begins to wilt and proceed cooking the stir-fry and stirring often, till the sauce thickens.
Garnishing the Stir Fry: I sprinkle the stir-fry with thinly sliced inexperienced onions and sesame seeds earlier than portioning it into bowls. And I’ll give it a further drizzle of Sriracha, if desired, for a bit of warmth.


Knowledgeable Tip
Each time I make a stir fry, I prep each ingredient and line them up subsequent to the range earlier than I activate the warmth. When you begin cooking, all the pieces occurs FAST. Being ready helps you keep away from by accident burning the meat since you obtained distracted chopping cabbage.
Style for Salt – I all the time style my dishes as I’m cooking. It’s particularly vital right here should you’re utilizing one thing apart from floor beef. Once I made this with floor pork, I discovered I wanted so as to add a bit extra salt, and a few further chili paste too, to realize the identical depth of taste as the meat.
Make It Spicier – If you happen to love spicy warmth, this cabbage stir fry is virtually begging to be drizzled with Sriracha. Different sauces like Bang Bang completely belong right here too.
Keep away from Overcooked Cabbage – I take away the lid on the finish of cooking, not solely to cut back the sauce, but in addition to maintain the cabbage tender-crisp as an alternative of soggy.
Serving Solutions
Serve this with bowls of Chinese Egg Drop Soup for a unbelievable meal. If you wish to spherical issues out with a salad, I like to recommend attempting my Asian Cabbage Salad or Harvest House Chop Salad. And I’ll by no means flip down a chance to serve my Orange Parsley Salad, that one nonetheless makes me grin all these years later.


Storage and Reheating
Easy methods to Retailer: Switch any leftovers to an hermetic container. Retailer it within the fridge and revel in inside 2-3 days.
Easy methods to Reheat: Single parts will reheat nicely within the microwave. I like to recommend protecting the plate with a paper towel earlier than heating to maintain the meat moist. If I’m heating up a bigger batch, then I take advantage of a skillet on the range at low warmth and add a splash of water to refresh the sauce.
Extra Stir Fry Recipes


Continuously Requested Questions
To make a meatless cabbage stir fry, swap the bottom meat for textured vegetable protein (TVP). I’d add further salt to style if utilizing TVP.
Inexperienced cabbage works greatest for this recipe as a result of it’s thicker and holds up nicely to the sauce. I wouldn’t advocate utilizing varieties with thinner leaves, like napa.
It relies upon. Many soy sauces include gluten. To make this gluten free, remember to use a gluten free soy sauce or tamari.
For a much less spicy model, cut back the quantity of chili paste within the sauce. If you happen to don’t need any spice in any respect, go away the chili paste out solely.
- 1 pound floor beef (see observe beneath for substitutions)
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped into ½-inch items about 1 cup
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili paste or Sriracha sizzling sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 medium head inexperienced cabbage shredded skinny, about 8-10 cups price
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
- 4 inexperienced onions sliced skinny
- black and / or white sesame seeds
- non-obligatory Bang Bang sauce or further Sriracha
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In a big skillet over medium-high warmth, prepare dinner and crumble the bottom beef. Add the onion, the garlic, and the ginger and proceed cooking and stirring for about 3 minutes till softened and aromatic.
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Whereas the meat and onion are cooking, whisk collectively the soy sauce, chili paste, and cornstarch in a small glass or bowl. Put aside. Pour within the sauce and stir to combine all through.
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Stir within the cabbage and cut back the warmth to medium. Cowl with a lid for about 3 minutes, till it begins to melt. Uncover and proceed cooking uncovered for a further minute or two, as wanted, till the sauce has largely been absorbed and the cabbage is tender-crisp.
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Style the stir fry and modify the salt and pepper, as desired. Sprinkle with inexperienced onions and sesame seeds earlier than serving. Drizzle with further sauces, if desired.
Floor rooster, floor turkey, or floor pork might all be substituted right here. TVP can also be an incredible possibility if that’s extra your type. No matter your selection, you’ll wish to style earlier than serving, as a result of this recipe is written particularly for floor beef. Once I examined it with floor rooster and pork, I wanted a bit extra salt as a way to hit the identical taste profile. So, modify as desired to your tastes.
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