Chinese Ground Beef Cabbage Stir-Fry (Printable)

A quick, savory stir-fry with tender ground beef, crisp cabbage, and a rich umami sauce. Perfect for a low-carb weeknight meal.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 1 lb lean ground beef

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 small head green cabbage (about 1.5 lb), cored and thinly sliced
03 - 3 green onions, sliced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
06 - 1 medium carrot, julienned (optional)

→ Sauces & Seasonings

07 - 3 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
08 - 1 tbsp oyster sauce
09 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
10 - 1 tbsp sesame oil
11 - 1 tsp Sriracha or chili garlic sauce (optional)
12 - 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
13 - 1/2 tsp sugar or sweetener of choice (optional)

→ Oils

14 - 1 tbsp vegetable oil

# How To Make It:

01 - Whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha if using, white pepper, and sugar or sweetener in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside until ready to use.
02 - Heat vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking apart with a spatula, until browned and fully cooked through, approximately 4-5 minutes.
03 - Add garlic, ginger, and white parts of the green onions to the beef. Stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.
04 - Add sliced cabbage and carrot if using. Stir-fry for 5-7 minutes until cabbage is tender-crisp, maintaining some texture.
05 - Pour the prepared sauce over the beef and vegetable mixture. Toss thoroughly to coat evenly and cook for 1-2 additional minutes until heated through and sauce has slightly reduced.
06 - Remove from heat immediately. Garnish with green onion tops and serve hot while vegetables retain their crunch.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce comes together in thirty seconds flat but tastes like it simmered for hours
  • Cabbage becomes sweet and tender in the most surprising way, making even skeptics ask for seconds
02 -
  • I once tried using pre-bagged coleslaw mix instead of slicing my own cabbage, and the texture was completely wrong, too uniform and sad
  • The sauce will taste intense on its own, but remember it needs to season the entire dish, so resist the urge to double it
03 -
  • Warm your serving bowls in the oven for 5 minutes, the food stays hot much longer and feels more restaurant-quality
  • Prep all your ingredients before you start cooking, once you begin stir-frying there is no time to chop or measure
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