Hi, my name is Beth and sometimes I eat weird things. But if ten years of blogging has taught me anything it’s that a surprising number of you also like to eat weird things. After all, getting experimental in the kitchen leads to some of the most amazing flavor discoveries! So this slightly unusual BBQ Beef and Cabbage concoction is for all of you recipe risk takers out there. I hope you find it as uniquely satisfying as I did!
This simple skillet meal starts with one of my favorite combos, beef and cabbage, adds a sweet and tangy homemade BBQ-like sauce, and ends with creamy cheddar and fresh green onion. It’s kind of like a cross between Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry, Sloppy Joes, and my Monterey Chicken Skillet. It’s not a “pretty” dish, but it’s flavorful, very filling, and gets you a good dose of vegetables. And, if you want to stretch this meal even further, you can always serve it over cooked rice.
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P.S. While I was editing these photos the green onion started to look like jalapeño and I had to kick myself for not thinking of adding jalapeño while I was making it. Super thinly sliced jalapeño would be absolutely KILLER on this dish! Also, this recipe is very flexible. If you want to use a whole pound of beef there should be plenty of sauce to accommodate.
BBQ Beef and Cabbage
Servings 3 About 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1/2 lb. lean ground beef ($2.65)
- 1 small onion ($0.32)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 3/4 tsp salt, divided ($0.04)
- 4-6 cups shredded cabbage (about one pound) ($0.60)
- 8 oz. tomato sauce ($0.47)
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar ($0.06)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.06)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard ($0.03)
- 2 oz. shredded cheddar ($0.50)
- 1 green onion, sliced ($0.10)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and ground beef to a large skillet and cook over medium heat. Begin to break up the beef as it browns.
- While the beef is browning, finely dice the onion. Add the onion, paprika, garlic powder, and salt to the skillet with the ground beef and continue to cook over medium heat until the onions are soft.
- While the onions and beef are cooking, finely shred the cabbage. Once the onions are soft, add 1/4 cup water to the skillet and stir to dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Add the shredded cabbage and stir to combine. Place a lid on the skillet and let simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted.
- Add the tomato sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon to the skillet. Stir to combine and let simmer a few more minutes without the lid, or until the liquid in the skillet has reduced slightly. Taste the sauce and add more salt if needed (I added 1/4 tsp).
- Finally, top the beef and cabbage with the shredded cheddar, place the lid back on the skillet for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Top with sliced green onions then serve.
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Nutrition
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How to Make BBQ Beef and Cabbage – Step by Step Photos
Start by browning 1/2 lb. lean ground beef in a large skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. While the beef is browning, finely dice an onion. Add the onion to the skillet along with 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Continue to cook over medium until the onions are soft.
While the onions are cooking with the beef, shred the cabbage. You’ll need about 4-6 cups shredded, or about 1 lb. (this was 1/2 head of cabbage for me). Before adding the cabbage, add 1/4 cup water to the skillet and stir to dissolve any browned bits from the bottom, then add the cabbage and stir to combine.
Place a lid on the skillet and let it simmer for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the cabbage is wilted. The lid is important because it holds in the steam and helps wilt the cabbage faster.
Finally, add 8oz. tomato sauce, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tsp Dijon mustard. Stir to combine and let the sauce simmer for a few minutes without the lid, or until it’s not so liquidy in the bottom of the skillet.
Taste the sauce and add more salt if needed (I added an additional 1/4 tsp). Top the skillet with 2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese, place the lid back on top, and let it heat until the cheese is melted.
Then, top with sliced green onions just before serving. :)
What do you think? BBQ Beef and Cabbage yay or nay?
Delicious and easy. Flavor combo on point.
Made this for dinner tonight. We enjoyed it very much. What is the calorie count per serving?
Sorry about that, I’m not sure why that one got missed! The nutrition information is now in the bottom of the recipe card.
I love that I have a half-pound of lean ground beef in my freezer from the last recipe I tried on this site, & now I have a way to use it up. Thank you!
This was very good. Next time I think I will try using ground turkey or chicken to cut out some fat or maybe even using canned beans as a vegetarian option.
I haven’t tried this yet, but this totally fits the bill. In Japan where we live food is nearly twice the cost of in the states. I’m always looking for cheap, easy meals to feed my family (usually served over brown rice). And ground meat is super expensive, so I LOVE that your recipes usually call for 1/2 pound. Totally going to try this one out. Everyone at my house is pretty tired of our current meal rotation, including myself. Thanks for such cheap, easy ideas!
Very good. We added cumin, Chile powder, jalapeño and one Chile in adobo sauce.
Absolutely loved this. Garnished with diced jalapeños instead of the green onions and it was great. This was such a great way to use up a bunch of cabbage.
I made this vegan by using daiya cheese and meatless ground meat. This was REALLY delicious!! Even my 8 year old loved it! We had no leftovers.
THIS is delicious! Another BudgetBytes win. Second time making it. I also make a vegetarian version for me. I served it with a street corn concoction. No leftovers. It was devoured!!
Good stuff!
I bought the world’s second largest head of savoy cabbage, because the store was out of regular green cabbage. I’m not kidding, it was larger than a dinner plate! So we were forced to make lots of dinner recipes with cabbage, and when I told my husband I was making a ground beef and cabbage recipe yesterday, he was… less than excited. Fast forward to dinner time and, even though I used a full pound of beef, I only ever got to eat one bowl because he hoovered the whole rest of the pan. So I’d say this was a success.
It seems like a lot of stuff goes into this dish but doesn’t really show up in the flavour. I still liked it quite a bit but will deff be doubling up the spices. Super filling too!
I really wanted to love this- it was a miss for us. I took some of the other recommendations and added to the dish, but the flavors seemed muddy to me- it wasn’t my favorite this go around. Thanks for all the wonderful recipe suggestions.
We doubled the spices, as a general rule your recipes are not flavorful enough for us. We added a bit of Heinz 57 steak sauce and a smidge more Dijon, as well as MSG. It was definitely weird at first, but by the end of the pot both my husband and I declared it a huge success. Definitely on the “make again” list!
OMG! Hinez 57 is what it’s missing! You’re bang on!
Ooooh, as I was making this I saw this comment. We only had A1 in our fridge, but I added a splash of it and it really brought out a lot of the flavors!
This was definitely weird but tasty!! I would make again if I had a lot of cabbage to use!
Very good! I added a Serrano, minced garlic, extra chilli powder, and a few shakes of cumin. Use broth instead of water if you have it. This recipe is a really good jumping off point because there’s a lot of room to customize.
I served it over Jasmine rice and left off the cheese because the flavors are already well balanced.
I think this recipe was amazing! I made a vegan version by substituting the beef for a plant based alternative and skipping the cheese. It was very flavorful, even my non vegan mother loved it. I love making the vegan version of your recipes for all the variety of ideas. Thanks again!