Tex-Mex Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet Recipe
This Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet is a flavorful, family friendly one pot meal that is loaded with tender beef and juicy cabbage and it can be on your table in 30 minutes or less. This dish is naturally gluten free, low-carb and is sure to become a regular on your menu rotation!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll This Recipe
This ground beef and cabbage skillet has so many reasons to love it!
- It’s quick and easy which makes it perfect for busy weeknights.
- And, it’s loaded with lean protein, fiber-filled veggies and healthy fats.
- It’s full of seasonings which makes gives this one-pot dish a burst of savory flavors.
- This is the perfect low carb and keto friendly meal that the whole family will enjoy.
- You only need a few basic ingredients to help you make this delicious dish.
Equipment Needed
To make this simple skillet meal you only need a few kitchen tools. Grab these tools and get ready to enjoy this cheesy cabbage casserole! The whole family will love this easy dinner!
- Dutch oven or large cast-iron skillet, which I love using and if you’re interested in learning more about cooking with cast iron check this post (ten reasons to try cast iron cookware).
- Wooden spoon or tongs for sautéing.
Ingredients
Making this low-carb skillet only requires a few simple ingredients. The best part about this skillet is that all of these ingredients are budget-friendly and easy to find at your local grocery store. You may even already have some of these ingredients on hand, which can save you a trip to the store.
- ground beef
- cabbage – I like to slice my own, but you could purchase a pre-cut bag of cabbage.
- butter
- taco seasoning
- shredded cheese
- minced onion
- salt and pepper
How to Make This Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet Recipe
Are you ready to make this low carb meal? Just follow these simple instructions and you will have a hearty family-friendly meal that’s perfect for busy days in no time at all.
Step 1: Preheat the oven
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Saute the cabbage
In a large skillet add 1 tablespoon of butter and saute cabbage on medium high heat until the cabbage softens. Remove from heat and place cabbage in a separate dish.
Step 3: Brown the ground beef
In the same skillet add the remaining tablespoon of butter and cook ground beef breaking up meat as it cooks. Add taco seasoning, onion and stir until meat is cooked. If the meat is dry add up to 1/4 cup of water.
Step 4: Add the cheese and cabbage to the skillet
Return cabbage to skillet and season with salt and pepper. Fold in 1/2 cup of cheese.
Step 5: Brown the top of the cheese
Top skillet with remaining cheese and place in the oven. Cook until cheese melts (10 minutes).
What To Serve With This Dish
This hearty meal is amazing on it’s own, however you could also serve with it healthy veggies such as Baked Zucchini Squash. I also enjoy ending a keto-friendly meal like this one, with a dessert such as these Keto Cheesecake Brownies.
Substitutions and Additions
This dish is so versatile, that you can make a few small modifications to customize it to your family’s tastes. No matter what you choose to add or subtract from this skillet meal, your family will love it!
- You could add additional vegetables such as bell peppers or carrots.
- You could also swap out ground beef for another type of ground meat such as ground turkey or italian sausage.
- And if you need this meal to be vegetarian then swapping the ground beef for your favorite meatless product would work as well.
- You could also try adding a different type of cheese, such as cheddar cheese or even Parmesan.
- Add a hint of spice to this dish with a sprinkle of chili powder, diced jalapeños, diced green chili or your favorite hot sauce.
- If you want to add a little more flavor to this dish, you can add in soy sauce, coconut aminos, minced cloves of garlic, green onions, sesame oil, italian seasoning, or a splash of hoisin sauce.
- Add a can of beans (if you aren’t limiting your carbs)
- Mix in some spicy tomatoes like Rotel
- Top with sliced olives, a dollop of guacamole or avocado cream sauce
How To Store
Storage – Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I don’t recommending freezing this dish, and I doubt you will have leftovers to consider that option.
Reheating – Reheat in the microwave for about 1 minute or until warm all the way through. Or you could also reheat on the stovetop in a skillet over low heat until warm.
Sandra’s Pro Tips
Do you want to make sure that this recipe turns out perfectly every time that you make it? Here are a few tips that you can use.
- If you to save a little time in the kitchen then you can use pre-shredded cabbage.
- You could also cook the cabbage in bacon grease to increase the flavor. Or you could use a mixture of bacon grease and butter.
- You don’t have to stick with one type of cheese, try adding in a variety for different flavors and textures.
- If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, make sure that this skillet is oven-safe before you add it to the oven.
- Give the cabbage and beef mixture a little taste to make sure that it suit your tastebuds before you add the remaining cheese and melt it.
FAQs
Do you have questions about this easy meal? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions about this quick dinner recipe.
I recommend that you season the beef after you brown it. Seasoning before will dry the moisture out and give you a dry beef.
Yes, but I recommend that you saute the onions while you are browning the beef so that they cook through.
Yes, you can freeze cooked cabbage. Place the cooled cabbage in a freezer-safe bag and store for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stovetop or microwave.
Other Delicious Recipes You May Enjoy
- If you are looking for another healthy yet delicious skillet meal recipe, look no further than these Skillet Pork Chops. They turn out juicy, tender and flavorful every time that you make them.
- Do you want to spice up your meal rotation? This Tex Mex shredded beef, yet filled with Southwest flavor!
- Did you know that you can whip up delicious desserts in your skillets? Why only use them for savory foods when you can make some chocolatey goodness like this Chocolate Chip S’mores Cookie Skillet.
Give this low carb Mexican Beef Cabbage Soup a try too!
Tex Mex Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 head green cabbage sliced in shreds
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 tablespoons Taco Seasoning Mix
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 1 1/2 cups Mexican Cheese Blend
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large skillet add 1 tablespoon of butter and saute cabbage on medium high heat until the cabbage softens. Remove from heat and place cabbage in a separate dish.
- In the same skillet add the remaining tablespoon of butter and cook ground beef breaking up meat as it cooks. Add taco seasoning, onion and stir until meat is cooked. If the meat is dry add up to 1/4 cup of water.
- Return cabbage to skillet and season with salt and pepper. Fold in 1/2 cup of cheese.
- Top skillet with remaining cheese and place in the oven. Cook until cheese melts (10 minutes).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
Absolutely amazing dish!
Thank you for leaving a review! I’m so glad you liked this recipe. I hope it becomes a regular on your meal rotation plan!
This tastes so much better than it sounds and is one of our staple recipes! I cook the cabbage a bit first (around 15 minutes) before I cook the rest. I add peppers and sometimes beans. Great recipe!!
Added ingredients are a nice twist. Thank you for commenting.
Thank you for this recipe! One of m6 favorite meals…so easy, but sooooo good!
I’m so glad you like this ground beef and cabbage recipe, Linda. Thank you for stopping by!
This recipe has quickly come a favorite in our dinner rotation. I see the calories listed but is there additional nutrition information I can use to track for Keto?
This is excellent. I was nervous with cabbage n all. But it rocks,!,
This is great, Gina! Thanks for letting me know you tried this recipe 🙂
My Husband is diabetic and this will be a great recipe for us to to watch carbs on. Looks so good!!! Thank you for the idea.
This is an easy recipe and I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback on this skillet recipe. Hope you and your husband loves it!
I made this last night using a cabbage my hubby grew in his garden. We loved it. So easy and quick. Tonight I used the leftover cabbage the same way it’s used in this recipe – sautéed it with the butter and salt and pepper for 3-4 minutes – delicious.
Oh boy, I bet it tasted amazing with your homegrown cabbage! Thank you for letting me know you enjoy this recipe!
I loved it. I always used bagged finely shredded cabbage (I’m lazy). I added carrots because I needed to use the ones that I had. I topped it with sour cream , salsa and olives, because, why not go all the way . Also its 112 outside, so I just put the lid on for awhile until the cheese melted, no need to use a oven.
Thanks so much!
Omg! So delicious….everyone loved it
Made this last week for my picky husband who is eating low carb. We both loved it! I used pre packaged already shredded cabbage to make the prep easy and I used diced onions instead and we topped it with sour cream. It was very filling and I didn’t even miss carbs with the meal. Will be making this again for sure!
So good to hear! Thanks for commenting!
Did anyone else get a layer of grease at the bottom of the pan- made this twice.
I love this and pretty much make it at least once a month. I absolutely make the taco seasoning recipe that’s included in the recipe. To me it makes a big, positive difference in the taste. Easy and so delicious.
So glad this skillet meal made your menu plan! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
WOW..made this tonight. Real easy and fast to put together. Great taste !! Will be making this again and again.
Sometimes simple recipes are all you need to hit all those tastebuds. So glad you enjoyed this cabbage beef recipe.
I made this tonight and it was delicious. My husband ate three servings. Thank you for a dish that is Keto friendly and good for those spouses that are not on the path with me. I definitely will be making this again.
Thanks for sharing your success with this recipe, Jina! Yay for easy and tasty recipes the whole family will love!
My family loved this recipe! I added rotel tomatoes to my dish, and look forward to adding other favorites ingredients each time I make it. Thank you for sharing this with us!
That’s a great addition. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this recipe.
Such a quick and easy dish to cook! It was delicious and Will become a staple meal in my household. Dinner in less than 30 minutes, yes please!
So glad to hear this was a a hit! It’s a fun recipe to play with by adding different ingredients too!
I think this is dinner tonight! I’m going to mix it up though and add black beans in with the meat and black olives and tomatoes on top when done. ?
Sounds wonderful, especially those black olives! Enjoy 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge success!! My family loves their food spicy so I added 2 fresh seeded jalapenos and hot sauce. It was amazing!
Thanks, Debbie! So glad to hear your family enjoyed this recipe. Turn up the heat!
What is considered a serving size?
Hi Lynda, I didn’t measure out each serving, but I would guess about 1 1/2 cups.
1st time I followed the recipe, it was OK. 2nd time I added 1 tsp Cumin and 1/4 lb Pork Chorizo. It was much better! I’ll make it again!
So I made this today for lunch and it was amazing I cooked the meat first and just used the oil from that to cook the cabbage second because I didn’t read the directions correctly and it was amazing. Eating it my I brainstormed everything else I could do with this as base, I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
I’m so glad to hear this recipe is a hit! Isn’t it easy to make? Yes, play with your food 😉
I’ve made this several times and we don’t get tired of it!! What are your thoughts on doubling it? Cook it up in a big pot and put in a casserole dish? I know it’s more dishes for me, but I always wish we had more leftovers!
I think doubling this recipe is fine if your skillet is large enough! Just it it up in a couple of days so the cabbage isn’t mushy!
Does this recipe freeze well?
Hi Tammy, I haven’t tried to freeze this, but I think it will be fine!
I used half beef and half ground Italian sausage topped with salsa and sour cream. I also added some chopped garlic to the meat. I just started a Keto diet and this was delish can’t wait to make it again.
Awesome, Nathan! Eating keto style is easy when the food is delicious!
Made this tonight. I hate hamburger and only tolerate cabbage but this was pretty good. Hubby loved it. Leftovers tomorrow he is putting on taco shells. I’m eating it plain but adding sour cream.
Love the taco leftover idea! Glad this was a hit. Thank you for commenting!
I made this and added diced red pepper, tomato and avocado and it was sooo good!
I sometimes add advocating too! So good!
Got this recipe from Vicky. Trying it tonight. We serve meals to a group member v children and wanted to check it out first. Put in a can of Rotel tomatoes and will give it a dollop of sour cream.
I made this tonight, adding a can of Rotel tomatoes, and then served it with a dollop of sour cream, OMG seriously yummy! Thank you for posting this recipe!
Yummy! Wonderful. Glad it was a hit.
Just made this again for the second time. Since the garden is in full swing added freash zucchini. It was again delightful. BIG THANKS
Yum! Zucchini is a great addition! So glad you are enjoying this recipe!
Sounds yummy!!
Can I use the bagged cabbage(Cole slaw mix) instead of chopping a head of cabbage?
No problem! It’ll cook super fast because the shreds are usually very thin. Just watch closely so it doesn’t get mushy! Enjoy 🙂
I’m making this tonight. I have the cabbage & meat prepped. Just waiting for the family to be ready to eat, then I will stir it all together & pop it in the oven. It smells awesome! I added chili peppers & fresh jalapenos to mine!
Sounds wonderful! Love the extra spicy touch! Enjoy 🙂
Better way to soften the cabbage is to put 1/4-1/2 up water in the pan. Then the cabbage. Cover tightly and steam on medium 5-10 minutes. Stir. Cover tightly again and steam another 5-10 minutes. Yummy recipe. Used raw onions and whole packet of Taco Seasoning Mix.
Thanks for the tip, Jan! I’ll have to give it a try 🙂
This is the 2nd time I’m making this…the first time with chicken and now with mince (ground beef)! it’s so delicious! Thanks for a great recipe.
Ohh, I’m going to try the chicken version! So glad this is going into your recipe rotation 🙂
Great keto recipe for me! Mexican Crack Slaw! Luv it! Thank you!
Great keto recipe for me! Mexican Crack Slaw! Luv it!
And it’s so simple to make! So glad you enjoyed this dish, Angie!
Thank you for the recipe! Would you by chance have the nutritional breakdown/serving size? Very yummy recipe!
Hi Dawn! I didn’t, but you can get s better idea with your exact ingredients through My Fitness Pal or Happy Forks – https://happyforks.com/analyzer Hope this is helpful!
I made this tonight. It was delicious! I used a full package of taco seasoning and a can of Rotel. My only complaint, no leftovers for tomorrow ?
Yummy! Bummer about the lack of leftovers 😉
Oh good, I was wondering if a can Rotel would up this a bit. Thanks for sharing. Did you drain the Rotel, or just dump it all in?
I would use it all! The extra juice will evaporate a bit.
I made this but added a can of petite diced tomatoes right after blending in the taco seasoning – it was delicious !
Oh, tomatoes are a great addition. I’m so glad you enjoyed this dish!
I love beef and noodle skillets and ate them all the time growing up. They were a staple that I could make myself. Now that I need to cut out some carbs I love the idea of using cabbage as a replacement.
I love my cast iron skillet!! And I’ve also forgotten to turn off my oven on an occasion or two…
This looks SO good! I’m a total fan of cabbage and try to eat it every week. It’s so healthy and good for you! And no kidding about the skillets! I have several. Try moving a stack to get to the one on the bottom!
I always end up with a half head of cabbage sitting in the fridge, thanks for a nice way to use it. I love Tex Mex meals.
Do not forget to serve with some taco sauce or sour cream!
This is terrific sounding!! I can’t wait to try it!
Yummy and hearty, love it!
This looks soooo good!!!!!!!! YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love good cabbage recipes! When I buy one it’s a lot to use for John and I and I’d love to repurpose some of it as more than just a side dish.
Looks like I have a new recipe to try! Love how easy it is!
This looks super yummy! A great fusion of Irish and Mexican. I also like to use dried onions instead of taking the time to chop fresh ones sometimes. I mean, some days I just don’t have that kind of work in me! Thanks again for the yummy recipe!
I think cabbage is becoming seriously underrated as a vegetable so I’m loving your recipe making such fantastic use of it with beef in this skillet dish. Looks so good!
That skillet looks just delicious and your bonus? Hahaha! Love that too!! Seriously though I’m sure cooking it in the cast iron skillet makes the perfect vessel to bring this all together – what a yummy recipe!!
I use my cast iron skillet for so many things and need to use it to make this recipe. This is making me hungry.
You can whip this up in no time, Janette! Give this a try 🙂