Green Chile Beef Cabbage Bowl
This Green Chile Beef Cabbage Bowl is so tasty and you can make the slightly-spicy beef in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot! And family members who aren’t cabbage fans can eat the spicy green chile shredded beef inside tortillas if they prefer.
PIN the Green Chile Beef Cabbage Bowl to make it later!
If you look in the Cabbage Archives on Kalyn’s Kitchen, it’s not hard to see that I’m a huge cabbage fan! And since March is the month when cabbage goes on sale for St. Patrick’s Day, it seems like the perfect time to feature this favorite low-carb Green Chile Beef Cabbage Bowl.
I first made the green chile beef for this recipe in the slow cooker. But I’m updating the recipe with instructions for the Instant Pot as well, because this slightly-spicy beef with green chiles can easily be made using the Instant Pot if you add a bit more liquid.
I really loved these bowls with slightly-spicy beef flavored with green chiles, cabbage, and a tasty avocado topping! And I guess the salsa could be optional if you want slightly fewer carbs, but I would never skip it myself; for me the tasty avocado salsa really makes this a wow!
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.)
- beef chuck roast
- Kalynโs Taco Seasoning, or use your favorite Southwestern spice blend)
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- canned diced green chiles (affiliate link)
- canned beef broth (affiliate link), for Instant Pot version)
- green cabbage
- red cabbage
- green onion
- mayo
- fresh squeezed lime juice, I used my fresh-frozen lime juice
- Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link)
- avocados
- Poblano (Pasilla) pepper
- cilantro, optional
What are green chiles?
When you buy canned diced green chiles (affiliate link) in the U.S. they will most likely be Anaheim chiles, a type of slightly spicy green chile pepper that originated in New Mexico but is now grown in Anaheim, California. This is a versatile chile that’s commonly used in soups, stews, queso, enchiladas and other Mexican dishes.
How spicy is this green chile beef?
In this cabbage bowl meal I thought the beef was just spicy enough to be interesting. If you’re cooking for kids, you might use a slightly smaller amount of diced green chiles when you cook the beef, and maybe save the Green Tabasco Sauce to be added at the table.
Would you make green chile beef in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker?
You can use either a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) or a Crock-Pot 3-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for making the flavorful beef for this recipe.
How can you eat the green chile beef if you’re not a cabbage fan?
The tasty green chile beef used in these cabbage bowls could be served in low-carb tortillas or over cauliflower rice for people who aren’t cabbage fans.
How low in carbs is this recipe?
This tasty cabbage bowl meal topped with green chile beef and avocado salsa has only about 8.6 net carbs per serving!
Want more ideas for tasty bowl meals?
Check out 20 Amazing Low-Carb Bowl Meals for more dinners that are served in a bowl!
How to make Green Chile Beef Cabbage Bowl:
(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 started with a 3 pound chuck roast, then trimmed the fat until it was just over 2 pounds of lean meat.
- Rub the pieces of meat with Kalyn’s Taco Seasoning (or your favorite Southwestern spice blend.)
- Then heat a little olive oil and brown the meat well on all sides. (Don’t skip this step; the browning adds a lot of flavor.)
- Put the meat into a small slow cooker with 2 cans diced green chiles and the juice.
- I used my Crock-Pot 3-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker (affliate link) for this recipe. It could be a little smaller but I wouldnโt use a bigger one unless you double the recipe.
- You can also make this in the Instant Pot (affiliate link); see the recipe below for those instructions.
- Cook on high for 3-5 hours, or until the beef shreds apart easily. (You’ll be surprised how much liquid there is.)
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the slow cooker and shred apart. (Keep the juice in the slow cooker.)
- Then put the shredded meat back in the slow cooker to absorb the liquid and stay warm while you make the cabbage slaw and salsa.
- We used a Mandoline Slicer (affliate link) with the 1.5 mm blade to make really thinly sliced cabbage, but you can also cut it by hand.
- Toss the green cabbage, red cabbage, and green onions with the mayo-lime dressing that includes Green Tabasco Sauce.
- To make the salsa, toss avocado and diced poblano pepper with lime, olive oil, and chopped cilantro.
- Layer cabbage slaw, green chile beef, and avocado salsa into individual bowls and serve.
More Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Beef:
- Instant Pot Corned Beef with Creamy Horseradish Sauce
- Slow Cooker Mushroom Lover’s Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Low-Carb All-Beef Ancho and Anaheim Chili
Want more low-carb beef recipes for the slow cooker?
Check out 20 Keto Slow Cooker Recipes with Beef for lots more tasty ideas for dinners with beef!
Weekend Food Prep:
This Green Chile Beef Cabbage Bowl recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Green Chile Beef Cabbage Bowl
Spicy shredded beef with green chiles is cooked in the slow cooker or Instant Pot and served over cabbage slaw for a delicious Green Chile Beef Cabbage Bowl meal.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Beef:
- about 3 lb. beef chuck roast (see notes)
- 1 Tย ย Kalynโs Taco Seasoningย (see notes, or use your favorite Southwestern spice blend)
- 2 tsp. olive oil (depending on your pan)
- 2 cans (4 oz. can) diced green chiles with juice
- (See directions below for additional beef stock for Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot version)
Ingredients for Cabbage Slaw and Dressing:ย
- 1 small head green cabbage
- 1/2 small head red cabbage
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
- 6 T mayo
- 4 tsp. fresh squeezed lime juice (see notes)
- 2 tsp. (or more)ย Green Tabasco Sauce
Ingredients for the Avocado Salsa:
- 2 large avocados, diced
- 1 medium Poblano (Pasilla) pepper, diced very small
- 1 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (I use myย fresh-frozen lime juice)
- 1 T extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro (or use thinly-sliced green onion if youโre not a cilantro person)
Instructions
Slow Cooker Directions:
- Trim all visible fat and any undesirable parts from the chuck roast and cut into thick strips. (I save all those scraps to make homemade beef stock.)
- Rub strips of beef with the taco seasoning. Heat the oil in a large, heavy frying pan and brown the beef well on all sides. (Don’t skip this step; the browning adds a lot of flavor.)
- Put the strips of browned beef in the slow cooker and pour in the diced green chiles and juice from the cans.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or until the beef shreds apart easily. (If you’re going to be out you can also cook this for 6-8 hours on low.)
- When the beef is done, use a large slotted spoon to remove it to a cutting board, leaving the liquid in the slow cooker. Shred the beef apart with two forks and put it back in the slow cooker to absorb the liquid and keep warm while you make the cabbage slaw and salsa.
- Cut the cabbage into very thin strips. We used a Mandoline Slicer (affiliate link) with the 1.5 mm blade to make really thin slices, but you can also cut it by hand.) Slice the green onions.
- Whisk together the mayo, lime juice, and Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) to make the dressing. (Taste to see if you want more lime or Green Tabasco and adjust to taste.) Then put the cabbage and green onions into a bowl and toss with the dressing.
- Peel and cut up the avocado, place in a bowl, and toss with the lime juice. Finely chop the cilantro (or green onion) and the Poblano chile and add it to the avocado. Drizzle in the olive oil and gently toss again.
- To assemble the bowl, put a layer of the slaw, then a generous amount of the spicy beef, topped by a couple of spoonfuls of the avocado salsa. I served this with extra Green Tabasco for those who wanted a little more heat.
- If this makes more than you’ll eat at one time I would only dress the amount of cabbage you’ll be using. Refrigerate the ingredients individually and then warm the beef and toss the cabbage with the dressing when you want to eat the leftovers.
Notes
Start with a chuck roast that's close to 3 pounds, then trim fat and any unwanted parts. I use Kalynโs Taco Seasoningย for this recipe. Be sure to choose a brand without sugar if you're using purchased taco seasoning.ย I use myย fresh-frozen lime juice.
Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Directions:
- Use the ingredients as above for slow cooker version, but you will need an additional 3/4 cup beef stock for cooking in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
- Brown meat as above, or brown in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
- Put the strips of browned beef in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker and pour in the diced green chiles with juice from the cans and 3/4 cup beef stock.
- Lock the lid, set to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, and set time for 45 minutes.
- When the time is finished, use NATURAL RELEASE for 15 minutes, then use quick release method to release the rest of the pressure.
- Make cabbage slaw, dressing, and avocado salsa as above to finish the recipe.
- Remove beef to a cutting board to shred, then put it back into the pressure cooker to absorb the liquid. (You can use the simmer or saute setting on the pressure cooker to reduce some of the liquid if you think there will be too much.)
- Assemble bowls as above.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 815Total Fat 59gSaturated Fat 18gUnsaturated Fat 37.4gCholesterol 194mgSodium 429mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 7.4gSugar 5.4gProtein 59g
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:
This Green Chile Beef Cabbage Bowl would be approved for low-carb and Keto diets. It’s probably a bit high in fat for the original South Beach Diet but if you used lean beef, reduced fat mayo, and use portion control on the avocado salsa, it wouldn’t be that much of a splurge for South Beach.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Bowl Meals to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalynโs Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes Iโm sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for green chile beef serve as a cabbage bowl meal was first posted as a slow cooker recipe in 2014. It was later updated to add the Instant Pot Option and the recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.
51 Comments on “Green Chile Beef Cabbage Bowl”
We LOVE this recipe. Iโve made it twice so far. The first time I felt it needed spice. This time I added a large jalapeรฑo that was only half seeded and I found there was still no heat. I also had to use WAY more Tabasco than the recipe called for to get to my liking. (We like spicy).ย
This is in our rotation just with tweak for us!ย
So glad you’re enjoying it! And spice it up as much as you like, that is what good cooking is all about!
I just made this for the family and it was a big hit. Great unique combination of flavors! It was easy and the family commented they thought tasted like they were eating at a restaurant. This momma will take that compliment. Thank you!
How fun, so glad you enjoyed it!
OMG, I made this last night using shredded beef. just uising the stove top. I think it would also taste good using chicken, but this was amazing. It makes a ton so lots of leftovers! Thanks for the recipe. I wouldn’t change a thing about it, other than I just used a half a head of cabbage if you want a little less. Am new to your web site and love your ideas.
Hi Susan, welcome and so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
The only type of chilies I can find are in a jar that are pickled can I just chop some of those up and add them?
I’m not sure if you will like the flavor as much with pickled chiles. Plus they are likely to be jalapenos, which are MUCH spicier than the mild green chiles I used. If you try it I’d use less, maybe not more than half as much. Green chile salsa would work too if you can find that.
Thanks for featuring this recipe; itโs definitely a favorite of mine!
OK, so this was very good!!! This is being pinned to my Make Again board.
I trimmed off every speck of fat and fascia (the thick, white membrane around the individual muscles) that I could get at with a super sharp filet knife, even the chunks of fat in the middle of the meat, but it was still greasy. (I make chuck roast all the time…can’t figure out why this one was so greasy.)
But, no matter, the flavor was SO GOOD. I thought the 2 cans of chilies would be too much, but it was perfect.
The slaw was really REALLY good, very fresh tasting with the lime juice. It was a perfect balance between the dark-flavored of the roast and the bright lime-flavored crunch of the slaw.
I did not make the avocado salsa, but I’m sure that is great, too. I love avocados. My stomach just can’t handle all that richness in one meal any more (chuck roast, mayo, avocado). In my younger days, I would have been all over that.
I want to try the salsa with some grilled chicken breast with those spices on it, and the slaw. I’m betting that will hit the spot. I bought the poblano pepper, so I will try to try it in the next week.
Hubs ate it as a quesadilla and said it was quite good. I froze the rest in portions so I can eat them for lunches.
The Beef Sriracha Cabbage bowls are a fall back of mine (I use 93% ground beef and it agrees with my weird stomach very well), and this was right up there with it. Thanks for the recipe.
Made this today. Totally forgot to make the size of my crockpot smaller, but this still came out great. We are transitioning to clean eating meals in a couple weeks so this is a nice segway before cutting out fatty meats. Thank you for a great recipe! This will be made again for gatherings and such.
Hi Sue, so glad you liked it!
Lately, I’ve been converting many of my favorite slow cooker recipes to make in the Instant Pot. But last week, I went back to the slow cooker for a stew, and remembered how nice it was to have something cooking all day and filling the house with great aromas! Recipes like this are a good reminder not to abandon the slow cooking method, just because we have tools to speed up our cooking! I’m going to give this recipe a try.
Thanks Lydia! Glad I inspired you to use your slow cooker!
Looks like a great meal!
Thanks Barbara!
Gosh this meal looks terrific! Fabulous flavors in every bite—love that it starts in the slow cooker, too!!!
Thanks, so glad you like it!
My word, but these look delicious. I love the crunchy texture of the cabbage and the tender, fall-apart green chile beef. Thanks so much for sharing my Ropa Vieja recipe, too!
My pleasure! And glad you like this recipe too.
When you say – diced green chiles with juice… do you mean chilli or capsicum>? Are the hot?
In Australia only the chilli is the hot one ๐
Thanks!
Hi Angela,
The chopped green chiles sold in a small can here are usually Anaheim chiles. It's a mild chile that's only slightly spicy. If you can find any kind of slightly spicy green chile pepper that comes in a can it should work (chop them yourself if needed) or green chile salsa could be used (reduce the liquid if needed). Hope that helps.
I am not sure how I have never come across this recipe before, but have you tried with any other cuts of beef that are maybe leaner? I know its well trimmed, but if I plug it into MFP, I think its still going to recognize as high fat (I count cals, fat, carbs, etc).
Has anyone tried with pork?
Angela, I trimmed off nearly a pound, most of which was fat. I haven't made it with any other cut of beef or with pork, but you could use the meat from Pressure Cooker Flank Steak Tacos to make this.
Hi there, I'm from Australia and diced green chiles isn't an ingredient that is readily available. What can I use as a substitute? Would tinned tomatoes be ok?
The green chiles add a spicy flavor, so if you have some type of fresh or tinned spicy chile that would be best. If the chiles you have available are very spicy, I would cut down the amount. I think drained tinned tomatoes would taste fine in this, but they won't replace the spicy flavor that makes it so good. Hope that helps!
this recipe is wonderful! I stumbled across your blog because I am doing the whole 30, and I hosted Mother's Day dinner yesterday. I was looking for something to feed a crowd and not break my diet, and this recipe did not disappoint. My four year old niece who doesn't like spicy food ate her ENTIRE SERVING of beef! Many people had seconds, and lucky us, my husband and I will be polishing off the leftovers tonight. Can't wait to try more of your recipes!
Thanks Nicole, so glad it was a hit!
I love this recipe! I usually make it with pork shoulder because we can pick that up pretty inexpensively. This is my go-to to feed a crowd, I've made it for my daughters teachers when they had a potluck, the Super Bowl (or the "big game") and I'm making it tonight as we're having 7 people for dinner. It's always a hit.
I've enjoyed and shared your blog for years, keep up the excellent work!
Thanks for that nice feedback; so glad you have enjoyed the recipe!
I made the slaw and used ground beef and it was amazing. I'm doing low carb and this is my new go-to-recipe for making bowls without rice. Thank you! I'm making the shredded beef in my slow cooker tonight. Thanks again ๐
So glad you enjoyed it; thanks for taking time to let me know.
This is in the crock pot right now. Mmmmm! Smells sooo good, especially on this cold, rainy day.
Thanks Emily; hope you enjoy!
I've made this & it is delicious the flavor combinations together…even my sons & husband loved it (none of them crazy about anything low-carb)…they'd rather have potatoes & pasta EVERY meal. Anybody tried this with pork??? Maybe kinda like carnitas?
Crystal, I LOVE hearing that the guys liked it. And I think making with pork is a brilliant idea. I put that on my list of things to experiment with.
I will update the pork…it's in the crock pot now!
Pork was delicious…I was even lucky enough to have a lil to bring to work today for lunch!
Crystal, you are the best for letting me know! So glad it was a success!
Christi, what a great idea! (Duh, why didn't I think of that?) So glad you liked it.
This was so delicious. And super easy for a work night dinner. It all came together in about 15 minutes. My husband loved it.
Thanks Kalyn!! This is going into rotation for the fall and winter.
I shredded the beef right in the slow cooker using two forks. It was one less dish to wash!
Thanks Heidi, using coleslaw mix is a great idea!
I made this the other day and it was fabulous! I took one shortcut that seemed to work fine – I bought the bagged, shredded coleslaw mix instead of chopping the cabbage. And fyi, the meat is even better the second day after the flavors meld. Sooooo good – another Kalyn winner.
Ina, yes it's a similar idea but this beef is cooked in a slow cooker.
Is the recipe similar to the cabbage with fish?
Thanks Jenny! So glad you like it.
Kalyn! This looks so awesome. YUM!
Eileen, it is fun to notice the patterns isn't it? I think having two cabbages in the fridge can only be good!
I love to look through my archives to see what I was making at the same time for the past few years! Tomatoes and zucchini are certainly on the list right about now. ๐ This bowl sounds delicious — I love the idea of serving the beef & avocado over cabbage. Especially because I have no fewer than two CSA cabbages in the refrigerator as we speak…
Lydia, great idea to double it because I'd love to have this meat in the freezer to pull out and make this for dinner!
I love the different textures in this dish. I'd probably double the amount of the meat and cook it in a larger cooker, because I think it would be very popular in my house.