A quick and easy low carb crack slaw made with grated cabbage and ground beef. So good, it can be addicting which is how it got it’s name.
It may come as a surprise that I’ve never made the popular skillet dish made with coleslaw mix and ground beef until now. I decided to make it last weekend and see if it lives up to it’s name.
It’s a popular recipe from the Low Carb Friends forum. They named it crack slaw because it tastes so good, it’s addicting.
My older two kids gave me some strange looks when I started talking about the name of the dish. Once I told them what it was, they were like “it really needs to have a different name.”
They don’t think crack sounds very appealing as a food. I’d have to agree. Nevertheless, I had a hug head of cabbage in the refrigerator and wanted to find out why the recipe gets such rave reviews.
What is crack slaw? It’s a dish typically made with a bag of coleslaw mix to make things easy, but I find grating fresh cabbage in the food processor is just as easy.
You simply brown up ground meat, set it aside, then fry up the shredded cabbage mix in the same pan. It’s usually seasoned with soy sauce and a sprinkling of spices. Most people make it with ground beef, but you could use ground turkey or chicken.
I grew up on Asian food so almost everything my family ate had soy sauce in it. Since soy sauce usually has wheat in it, I prefer using tamari instead. However, I’ve been moving away from soy all together so I’ve been using coconut aminos which is a bit expensive.
You can customize this dish with seasonings that suit your own taste. I like mine a little spicy so I sprinkle on red pepper flakes. You may like it a little sweeter or prefer to leave the sweetener out entirely.
The great thing about low carb crack slaw is that it’s such an easy dish to throw together. This makes it perfect for those busy weeknights when you need to get dinner on the table quickly.
I often forget how delicious and versatile cabbage is. Cauliflower seems to always get the attention as the go to low carb vegetable.
But, there are so many things you can do with cabbage. In this dish, the grated cabbage is reminiscent of rice. And, unlike cauliflower, cabbage makes terrific noodles when sliced in long strands!
This low carb crack slaw made me realize that I need to eat more cabbage. It’s such a great low carb vegetable!
Do you eat a lot of cabbage? What’s your favorite way to serve it? My favorite recipes are a creamed beef casserole and coleslaw.
But now that I’ve discovered how delicious hot cabbage slaw is, it’s being added to my favorite list of cabbage recipes! It will be a regular in my dinner rotation.
Low Carb Crack Slaw Recipe with Beef and Cabbage
Low Carb Crack Slaw with Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger ground
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- dash black pepper
- 1 1/2 pound cabbage grated (can use coleslaw mix if desired)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tamari or coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 10 SweetLeaf stevia drops
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- In large skillet or wok, brown the ground beef with garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper.
- Remove beef from skillet.
- Heat olive oil in skillet. Add cabbage and cook until it begins to brown.
- Stir tamari, vinegar, stevia and red pepper flakes (if using) into cooked cabbage. Add in browned ground beef and continue cooking until well heated.
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Notes
Nutrition
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
About Lisa
Lisa has been creating low carb recipes for herself and sharing them with others since 2010. She loves to experiment in the kitchen and find new ways to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites! Her recipes have been featured on popular magazine sites including Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Women's Health, and Men's Health. Lisa lives in Southeastern Connecticut. Connect with her and Low Carb Yum at:
Toni says
This was ridiculously easy and delish! This will become a staple for sure.
Lisa MarcAurele says
Glad it worked out for you. I make it all the time!
Missy says
Quick go to meal, I’ve done egg roll in a bowl b4 & love the fresh flavor of the ginger & garlic. But I thought there was an American version with just onion & garlic powder, salt & pepper. So that’s what I did tonite, quick & tasty. I put a pat of butter on hubbys, it was good! Next ttime I’ll add a fried egg on mine.miss I think I’d like caraway seeds in it but not the hubs. Even my dog luved it!
Lisa says
Thanks for sharing those ideas!
Jennifer says
I just made this for the third time. Each time I forget how deliciously wonderful this tastes. Easy to make and easy clean up.
Claudia says
It is super tasty! I make it regularly. I use bagged Cole slaw mix, about 1T of sesame oil when cooking the cabbage, and top with diced green onions. Very, very quick and tasty!
Sherri says
Did not like at all. Sorry.
Janice says
I have made this three times already and love it, my children loved it and did not know it was low carb… win win all the way around
Lisa says
It’s always a win when the children are eating healthy foods!
Joyce Eggleston says
What didn’t you like about it ?
Marche' says
I am curious–I had only 14 oz of cabbage instead of the 24 oz (1 1/2 lbs) and the results were very dry- and quite un-tasty-do you think the lack of cabbage could be at fault?
Thanks for any advice.
Lisa says
The amount of cabbage wouldn’t matter, but the amount of fat in the meat does make a difference.
Maya says
Hi Lisa! This looks absolutely delicious! I don’t have any stevia on hand, so could I add either some Swerve or Lakanto sweetener? If so, how much should I use to sub for the stevia?
Lisa says
You only need about 1-2 teaspoons.
William Tucker says
Hey – how many “servings’ does the recipe yield? I’m tracking calories, too…
Thanks!
-looks good, gonna cook up a batch today!
Lisa says
Servings it at the top of the recipe “6 people” and that amount is adjustable by using the slider.
Bob says
We make this but we replace beef with breakfast sausage and add 5spice to it taste just like egg roll filling without the skin of the eggroll
Lisa says
I haven’t tried sausage yet, but ground pork is one of my favorite meats to use.
Bangle says
This is amazing and my kids love it as well. Works great if you cook the night before, refigerate, and bake at 350 for about 30m the next night especialy on a bsy day!!
Lisa says
Great idea of prepping before!
Tracy Johnson says
Hey Lisa, I made the Crack Slaw last night for dinner, and it was so delicious that I’m having it again for lunch. I’ll be fixing it this evening as well because my husband requested that until further notice I make it every night. So, a big thanks for creating this delicious and nutritious meal!
Lisa says
Ha! Great to hear how much you guys like it!
Diane says
This stuff is awesome! I like using ground pork, it is delicious with the cabbage! Wonderful recipe!
Lisa says
Ground pork is my favorite too as it tastes more like an egg roll with it.
Ellen says
Curry coconut crackslaw is my favorite and in frequent rotation.
Simply brown onion and meat with your favorite curry powder, then saute shredded cabbage with cocnut oil or olive or avacado oil and curry as well,til softeneing, mix the two, add a can of coconut milk or cream and simmer for a bit, Is extremely delicious, non low carbers also love it. Can make the cabbage less gassy by adding in sautéing with the cabbage 1-3 tsp of cumin seeds. ( if making cabbage roll type crackslaw then caraway seeds serve same fctn and adds grt flavour).
This only gets better as it sits in the fridge a day or two and also freezes well. Am gonna try to make it in my instant pot soon also.
Love your recipes Lisa!
Lisa says
That sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Kearsten Demczuk says
I made this for dinner this evening and added cinnamon and more black pepper. It’s delicious!
Lisa says
Sounds interesting with the cinnamon!
Tanya Graham says
Getting ready to make this and wondering…do you drain the hamburger grease from the meat or leave it in the pan and add the olive oil to it before you cook the cabbage???
Thanks!
Lisa says
I never drain, but typically I use fairly lean ground venison burger.
Johanna Salomons says
I had never even heard of crack slaw till I started the lchf woe. I have made it a few times now. My husband and I love it. In fact we’re having it again tonight. I use ground pork and sometimes add mushrooms. It truly is good with a few onions but not for everyone. This particular recipe is delish.
Lisa says
I’m going to give it a try with ground pork. That will make it taste more like the inside of an egg roll.
Mary phelps says
Definitely trying crack slaw!!!! Looks easy and delicious
Lisa says
It’s a low carb favorite!
Mike H says
I have made something similar but without the sugar and I start with carmelizing onions first (gets me sugar). I have used bacon in place fo the ground meat. I add apples as well as the cabbage. I use the same spices as you recommned.
Lisa says
I’ve made a stir-fry cabbage and bacon. Might try it with grated cabbage or coleslaw mix. I don’t use a lot of onion because of the carbs. A little onion powder sprinkled in would be a good add.
Toni says
My version I add about a 1/4 c. finely chopped onion. Its perfect. I caramelize it too, and I don’t add sugar or stevia to mine. But going to try yours and the bacon and pork version sound mouth watering good. Why didn’t I think of that! Thanks. Was thinking bacon with the beef or pork too. Love Bacon. Great ideas, thanks, and its so good for you.
Lisa says
Yes, you must give it a try! Bacon is a fantastic add.
Julie worden says
I have made crack slaw before it is really good .
Lisa says
I agree. I’m not sure why it took me so long to make it!
Catherine says
Dear Lisa, I have never tried crack slaw, but this looks and sounds like a wonderful meal especially for during the week. I must give this a try sometime. xo, Catherine