Sesame Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry

This Sesame Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry recipe is quick and easy to make, tossed with a sesame ginger stir-fry sauce, and absolutely delicious! Meal prep tips included too.

Beef (stir-fry)…it’s what’s for dinner!

Or at least, it’s what’s been on the menu for lunch around here this past week. ♡

Now that Barclay has switched to officing out of a coworking space here in Barcelona, I’m back on my own here for lunches again. So I’ve been getting back into the meal planning groove to try and prep some healthy meals each weekend for the week ahead. And now that I’m back to just cooking for myself, I’ll be the first to admit that the very first ingredient I reached for at the store without even thinking was — yep — a nice, juicy, organic steak. Ha, I promise that I genuinely have been content switching to a mostly plant-based diet ever since I married this vegetarian husband of mine. But every now and then, this Midwestern girl still misses her steak!!

Sure enough, this beef stir-fry totally hit the spot. It’s loaded up with tons of cabbage, which keeps the dish feeling nice and light and not too heavy. It’s tossed in a yummy sesame ginger sauce, which you can double if you would like the stir-fry to be extra saucy. It can be served up with rice, noodles, quinoa or any other grains that you prefer, or it can also stand solo. It’ll be ready to go in just 30 minutes, making it perfect for meal prep or a quick weeknight dinner. And best of all — it’s absolutely delicious.

So for any of you out there who also might have a steak craving this week, pick up a head of cabbage and let’s stir-fry!

Cabbage and Beef Stir-Fry Ingredients:

To make this beef stir-fry recipe, you will need:

• Oil: Avocado, safflower, or any high-heat friendly oil that you prefer.
• Steak: I used flank steak, but any cut that you prefer will do. Or you’re welcome to sub in ground beef.
• Cabbage: I used regular green cabbage, but savoy cabbage or bok choy would also be delicious.
• Veggies: Just onion (white, red or yellow), carrots (shredded or thinly sliced) and garlic.
• Sesame Ginger Sauce: We’ll just whisk together soy sauce, cornstarch, maple syrup, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce, ground ginger and toasted sesame oil for an easy stir fry sauce.
• Toppings: Toasted sesame seeds and/or thinly-sliced green onions would be great, but they’re totally optional.

Then I recommend serving the stir fry with either:

• Rice: I used brown rice.
• Noodles: My recipe for sesame noodles would be amazing with this.
• Quinoa: I always recommend cooking quinoa with vegetable stock (instead of water) for extra flavor.
• Any other grains that you might prefer: Lots of options!

How To Make This Beef Stir-Fry:

To make this stir-fry, simply:

1. Make your stir fry sauce. Either whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Or do what I do and shake-shake-shake them in a mason jar until combined.
2. Cook the steak. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Then cook it in oil over high heat, tossing occasionally, until it is browned on all sides. (Be careful not to overcook it!)
3. Cook the veggies. Sauté the onion on its own for a bit. Then add in the green cabbage, garlic and carrots, and cook for a few more minutes until the cabbage reaches your desired level of crispness. (I don’t like mine to get too soft and wilty in a stir-fry.)
4. Combine everything. Add the cooked steak and sauce back in with the veggies, and toss to combine for about 30 seconds, or until the sauce thickens up. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
5. Serve immediately. Over rice, noodles, or whatever you prefer. And sprinkled with whatever toppings sound good!

Possible Variations:

Want to mix things up with this stir-fry recipe? Feel free to:

• Use a different protein: Chicken, pork, shrimp, or tofu would all be delicious replacements for the beef here.
• Use different veggies: Just about any stir-fry-friendly veggies would be a delicious addition (or substitution for the cabbage) in this recipe.
• Use fresh ginger: I took the easy route with ground ginger in the stir fry sauce recipe below. But feel free to sub in about 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger in place of the ground ginger if you would like.
• Make it spicier: Feel free to add in extra chili garlic sauce for more heat. (Or, of course, you’re welcome to use whatever variety of chili sauce you love best!)
• Make it milder: Just nix the chili garlic sauce altogether.

Side Dish Ideas:

Looking for another dish or two to round out this meal? I would highly recommend:

• Soup: Egg Drop Soup, Hot and Sour Soup or Miso Soup would all be delicious with this stir-fry.
• Extra veggies: Such as my Everything Roasted Asparagus or Miso Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

More Favorite Meal Prep Recipes:

Looking for more meal prep recipes? Here are a few favorites:

• Honey Lemon Chicken Bowls
• Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Bowls
• Italian Sausage and Veggie Bowls
• Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Bowls

Enjoy, everyone! ♡

Sesame Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry

4.69 from 16 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Makes: 4 -6 servings

Rate Pin Print

This Sesame Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry recipe is quick and easy to make, tossed with a sesame ginger stir-fry sauce, and absolutely delicious!  Meal prep tips included too.

Ingredients

0.5x1x2xCustom

Stir-Fry Ingredients:

• 1 batch Sesame Ginger Sauce (see below)
• 1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced and cut into bite-sized pieces
• sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
• 1 large white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 small green cabbage, roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup shredded carrots
• optional toppings: thinly-sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds

Sesame Ginger Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or your desired sweetener)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1-2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (or more/less to taste)
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Instructions

• ▢
  Whisk all sauce ingredients together in a small bowl (or shake them together in a mason jar) until combined.  Set aside.
• ▢
  Season the steak with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large sauté pan over high heat.  Add the steak and sauté for 4-5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until cooked through.  Transfer steak to a clean plate and set aside.
• ▢
  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, along with the onion.  Sauté for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add green cabbage, garlic and carrots, and stir to combine.  Continue cooking for 2-4 more minutes, or until the cabbage has wilted to your desired level of crispness.
• ▢
  Add the cooked steak and sauce to the veggies, and toss to combine for about 30 seconds, or until the sauce thickens up.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
• ▢
  Remove from heat and serve immediately, garnished with your desired toppings.  Or transfer to sealed containers and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!