Everyone who likes ground beef, Sriracha, and creamy slaw will love this spicy Sriracha Beef Cabbage Bowl for an easy flavor-filled dinner! You can use more or less Sriracha to control the heat, and if you’re not a cilantro fan, just use sliced green onion instead of the cilantro.
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I love it when I get a good cooking idea from one of my favorite people, and my friend Jeanne was the brains behind this Sriracha Beef Cabbage Bowl recipe, which is something I’ve loved ever since Jeanne had the idea.
It happened when I made two of my favorite recipes for her one day when she came to visit. Then Jeanne had the brilliant idea to pile the meat from Sriracha Beef Lettuce Wraps on top of Spicy Mexican Slaw, and this amazing new low-carb recipe was born. The creamy coolness of the cabbage slaw is the perfect partner to the spicy Sriracha beef in this recipe; hope you enjoy!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- pkg. of fresh coleslaw mix
- sugar snap peas
- red bell pepper, cut into short thin strips
- mayo
- fresh-squeezed lime juice (I used my fresh-frozen lime juice for some of it)
- Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link)
- Vege-Sal (affiliate link) or use regular salt if you don’t have Vege-Sal.
- ground beef
- Grapeseed Oil (affiliate link) or use any neutral-flavored, high-heat oil
- Red Boat Fish Sauce (affiliate link), or other fish sauce
- Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link)
- water
- grated lime zest zest (grated lime skin) from 1 lime
- fresh-squeezed lime juice (zest the lime and then squeeze the juice)
- thinly sliced green onion
- chopped cilantro (or use more green onion if you’re not a cilantro fan)
How to make Sriracha Beef Cabbage Bowls easier to get on the table:
If you’re a regular reader, you know how I am about improving the recipes! I did change both components of this recipe just a little from the original recipes that I made for Jeanne. One of the biggest changes was to use a package of coleslaw mix for the cabbage, which makes the recipe so quick and easy that I hope you’ll make it often!
How Spicy is the Sriracha Beef Cabbage Bowl?
In this recipe you can adjust the amount of Sriracha in the Sriracha Beef to make it as mild or spicy as you prefer. (Remember, you can always add more Sriracha but you can’t take it out.) I did cut down on the spiciness in the cabbage slaw just a bit, so it’s a cooling element for the spicy meat. (If you’re making this for kids, you might want to cut down the spiciness even more.)
Want more tasty bowl meals?
For more tasty one-bowl meals check out 20 Amazing Low-Carb Bowl Meals.
How to Make Sriracha Beef Cabbage Bowls:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- I rarely use pre-cut coleslaw mix, but it was perfect to make this recipe super quick; of course, you can cut up your own cabbage if you prefer.
- You want the cabbage bowl part all ready when the meat is cooked. I prepped 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced sugar snap peas and sliced up half of a red bell pepper.
- Whisk together the mayo, fresh-squeezed lime juice (or fresh-frozen lime juice), Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), and Vege-Sal (affiliate link) or salt to make the dressing.
- Combine the coleslaw mix, sliced sugar snap peas, and bell pepper strips in a bowl so it’s ready to toss with the dressing. (Save a little bit of the sliced sugar snap peas and pepper strips to garnish.)
- Heat a tiny amount of any neutral-flavored high-heat oil and cook the beef until it’s well-browned.
- While the beef cooks, zest the lime, squeeze the lime juice, and mix the Sriracha, Fish Sauce, and water so they’re ready to season the meat as soon as it’s done.
- Also chop a bunch of cilantro and slice some green onions. (Use more green onions if you don’t want cilantro.)
- When the beef is done, add the Sriracha mixture and stir to combine with the meat, cooking until the liquid has mostly evaporated from the pan
- Then turn off the stove and stir in the lime zest, lime juice, sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro.
- Add the dressing to the cabbage mixture and toss to combine.
- To make the cabbage bowls, put 1/4 of the slaw mixture into a bowl. Top with 1/4 of the beef mixture and garnish with some of the veggies you saved. Devour immediately.
More Beef in a Bowl Meal:
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz. pkg. fresh coleslaw mix (see notes)
- 1 cup thinly sliced sugar snap peas
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into short thin strips
- 5 T mayo
- 3 T + 1 1/2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (I used my fresh-frozen lime juice)
- 1 tsp. Green Tabasco Sauce
- small amount of Vege-Sal (to taste, or use regular salt if you don’t have Vege-Sal.)
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 tsp. grapeseed oil (or use any neutral-flavored, high-heat oil)
- 1 T fish sauce (see notes)
- 2 T Sriracha Sauce (see notes)
- 1 T water
- grated zest (grated lime skin) from 1 lime
- 1 1/2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (zest the lime and then squeeze the juice)
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
- 1 cup chopped cilantro (or skip the cilantro and use more green onion if you’re not a cilantro fan)
Instructions
- If you’re not using the coleslaw mix, use a mandoline (affiliate link) or sharp knife to make 14 ounces thinly sliced green and red cabbage. (I would skip the carrots if you don’t use coleslaw mix.)
- Thinly slice sugar snap peas on the diagonal. Cut the red bell pepper in half, remove seeds from the half you’re using, cut that half lengthwise into two pieces, and then thinly slice crosswise to make short, thin strips. (You can use all the red pepper if you prefer.)
- Whisk together the mayo, lime juice, Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), and Vege-Sal (affiliate link) to make the dressing.
- Put the cabbage mixture into a bowl so it’s ready to toss with the dressing as soon as the beef is ready, saving a little bit of the sugar snap peas and peppers for garnish.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the beef, and cook over medium-high heat until all the meat is nicely browned, breaking apart with a turner as it cooks.
- While the beef is cooking, zest the lime skin and then squeeze the lime juice. (You might need to squeeze another lime or use some fresh-frozen lime juice to get enough juice if your lime is small.)
- Mix together the fish sauce, Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link), and water, replacing some of the Sriracha with an equal amount of water if you’re making it less spicy.
- When the beef is nicely browned, add the Sriracha mixture and cook while stirring until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
- Turn off the stove and stir in the lime zest, lime juice, sliced green onion, and chopped cilantro (or more green onion). Toss the cabbage mixture with the dressing.
- To assemble the cabbage bowls, put 1/4 of the cabbage mixture into each bowl, top with 1/4 of the beef mixture, and garnish with some sliced sugar snap peas and red pepper strips. Enjoy!
Notes
Use cole slaw mix or thinly sliced fresh cabbage, whichever you prefer. I love Red Boat Fish Sauce (affiliate link) for this recipe. Replace some of the Sriracha with more water if you want to cut down the spiciness.
The beef mixture will keep in the fridge for a day or so, although it’s best freshly made. If you’re going to be having leftovers, I would only add dressing to the amount of cabbage you’ll use at that meal and refrigerate the leftover meat, leftover cabbage, and dressing separately. Then re-heat the meat and combine the cabbage and dressing when you eat the leftovers.
This recipe idea came from Kalyn’s long-time friend Jeanne, with refinements by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 511Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 9.7gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 819mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 4gSugar: 7.6gProtein: 34g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Sriracha Beef Cabbage Bowl is a perfect recipe for low-carb eating plans and for the original South Beach Diet. Most commercial coleslaw mix has carrots which are higher in carbs and aren’t permitted for South Beach Phase One, but the amount of carrots is very small, so I wouldn’t stress over it. Cut up your own cabbage if it’s important to you to have slightly fewer carbs.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Bowl Meals to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for Sriracha beef served over a bowl of cabbage was first posted in 2013 when my friend Jeanne came to lunch. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.
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