Weeknight dinners don’t have to be complicated to be satisfying. This Steak and Cabbage Skillet brings together tender strips of beef, caramelized cabbage, and sweet onions in one simple pan. Everything cooks together in less than 30 minutes, and the finishing touches of fresh green onions and tangy goat cheese turn this straightforward dish into something you’ll want to make on repeat. Whether you’re cooking for two or prepping meals for the week, this hearty, low-carb dinner delivers on flavor without the fuss.
One Skillet, Easy Peasy
I’m deep in my one-pot meal era. Whether it’s soup — probably the original one-pot meal — or a multi-layered casserole, I’m hooked on the cooking ease of everything going into one pot, one skillet, one baking dish.
Yes, it means easy clean-up, too, but the current evolution of me in whatever this is [gestures broadly at the world] appreciates reining in the chaos, if just for a half hour, by standing meditatively over a single pot and adding one thing at a time.
The result: beefy, savory, peppery, crunchy, creamy, tangy, delicious. If food = comfort for you like it does for me, then this recipe is your emotional support skillet meal.
Steak and Cabbage Skillet is —
- One pan, zero fuss: Everything cooks in a single skillet for easy cooking and cleanup.
- Naturally low-carb: Packed with protein and vegetables without any fillers.
- Impressive but easy: Looks fancy enough for company but simple enough for Tuesday night.
- Vegetable-forward: Boasts a generous serving of cabbage without feeling like a salad.
- Delicious as leftovers: Reheats beautifully for a next-day lunch.
If you love the ease of cooking meat with cabbage, you might also enjoy my Egg Roll in a Bowl and my Southern Fried Cabbage Skillet. Both use budget-friendly cabbage to fill out a delicious, protein-packed meal. Or, browse my collection of One-Pot Meals for more dinner inspiration.
Key Ingredients & Tips
Steak — Choose a quick-cooking cut of beef, such as sirloin, flank, or strip steak. If your grocery store’s meat department sells packages of pre-cut beef, make sure you choose the one meant for fast cooking (often labeled “stir fry”), not stewing beef. Before cutting, place the beef in the freezer for 20 minutes. This makes the steak easy to slice (remember to slice against the grain!).
Cabbage — Whenever I cook with cabbage, I almost always grab a bag of coleslaw mix. It’s easier to handle than a head of cabbage (it’s cleaned and pre-shredded), less hassle to store, and often contains shredded carrots. And being pre-weighed, you know exactly how much you’re getting.
Onions — I love the extra flavor from a small, thinly sliced onion. It adds just a tiny bit of prep time, but no extra cooking time, as it blends right into the cabbage. I like a simple white onion, but yellow or red would work, too.
Seasonings — I seasoned the steak prior to cooking with a black-pepper-forward blend, with extra freshly cracked black pepper, finishing with a hit of soy sauce. The cabbage and onions are revved up with a little rice wine vinegar and Shaoxing, a Chinese wine that is nutty, slightly sweet, and quite lovely for cooking.
Goat cheese — I had to hold myself back from turning this skillet meal into something cheesy because I was just feelin’ the melty cheese vibes on the day I was experimenting with this recipe (you get me, right?). Instead, I landed on a restrained sprinkling of tangy goat cheese. And it was just perfect. It’s served as a topping, but when mixed into the hot steak and cabbage, it becomes rich ribbons of creamy goodness.
Cook’s Notes
- Even though you’re working with beef strips, treat the meat as you would a really good steak: season it properly, and then cook for the minimum amount of time it takes to reach a medium or medium/rare finish, aiming for a little searing action at the beginning. Remove the steak to a bowl while cooking the cabbage and onions, so it stays juicy and tender.
- Don’t skip the cornstarch. It does provide a thickening sauciness to the recipe, but its real purpose is to tenderize the steak.
- While you need to cook down the cabbage so that it’s not a stiff bundle of threads, the goal is to find a balance between crispy and wilted. Five minutes of active heating should do it. Even if it seems a little too crispy at the five-minute mark, the dish will continue to heat when you return the steak to the skillet.
- My recipe was loosely inspired by a stir-fry from the NYT (linked, but no doubt behind a paywall). While I loved the combo of steak and cabbage, it has some fussy steps that I just had no interest in doing (cracking peppercorns with a knife-blade and crushing sesame seeds with your fingertips? Um, no). And a lack of onions seemed like a lost opportunity for extra flavor.
- Budget-wise, I appreciate how the humble, frugal cabbage offsets the rather spendy nature of steak these days, while pairing as though two peas in a pod.
How to Make the Steak and Cabbage Skillet
Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to see the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and printable, detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through and summary of making the dish.
Prep notes
Here’s a quick guide for prepping the ingredients, if you need it (not including anything that simply needs to be measured out of a container, such as dried herbs and liquids).
- If you have the time, place the beef in the freezer for 20 minutes before slicing. This allows for clean, thin cuts, without smooshing the steak into a misshapen chunk. Toss with the seasonings and cornstarch and let rest for at least 15 minutes (you can refrigerate for up to 8 hours).
- Cut off and discard the stem and root ends of the onion, and peel away the dried layer of skin. Slice thinly.
- Clean the green onions and cut off and discard the root end. Slice thinly (all parts are usable, from white to dark green).
Step 1: Season and cook the steak
Sauté the seasoned steak in a hot, oiled skillet until most of the pink is gone. Add a nice splash of soy sauce to lightly coat the steak. Move the steak to a bowl.
Step 2: Sauté the cabbage and onions
Add the cabbage and onions to the hot skillet. Start by steaming with the lid on, and then finish uncovered, so you can monitor the texture. The cabbage should be softened from its stiff starting point, but not wilted. Season the cabbage with the vinegar and wine.
Step 3: Finish the dish
Return the steak to the skillet, tossing well with the cabbage and onions. Top with green onions and a sprinkling of goat cheese, and serve.
Storing
Leftovers store well in the fridge for 3 days. My favorite way to use up leftovers is on crispy fried street tacos shells, but it’s also fab served over rice.
I hope you’ll give this Steak and Cabbage Skillet a try the next time you need an easy, satisfying dinner. If you make it, leave a comment or tag me on social (@soupaddict). I’d love to see your skillet creation!
Steak and Cabbage Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado or vegetable oil
- 1 pound sirloin steak , trimmed of fat and slices into thin, 1″ long pieces
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon your favorite steak rub or seasoning
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 12-16 ounces coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
- 1 medium onion , sliced thinly
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, mirin, or dry sherry (optional)
- 2 green onions , sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Prior to cooking, season the sliced steak with pepper, steak seasoning, and cornstarch. Let rest for 15 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high until the surface shimmers.
- Add the steak strips to the skillet and saute for 5 or 6 minutes or until just a bit of pink remains. Stir in the soy sauce and coat thoroughly. Transfer the steak to a bowl and set aside.
- Optional: If there is a lot of fond on the bottom of the pan, use some extra wine to deglaze the pan and lift the fond.
- Add the coleslaw and onions to the pan along with a big pinch of salt. Cover the skillet for 2 minutes with a lid (or foil, or even something like a large baking sheet). This will trap steam inside and help cook down the cabbage. Remove the lid and saute for another 3 minutes. The cabbage and onions should be softened slightly.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and sprinkle on the rice wine vinegar and the wine, mixing well.
- Return the steak to the skillet, along with any accumulated juices. Stir well to incorporate into the cabbage and to rewarm the steak.
- Just before serving, spread the green onions and goat cheese on top.