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I finally tried the viral Dirty Cabbage and it did not disappoint! If you think cabbage is boring, this Grilled Dirty Cabbage recipe is about to change your mind. Savory sausage and ground beef mixed in with sautéed cabbage and seasonings results in a delicious grilled recipe with charred edges, a tender center, and tons of savory flavor.
Best of all, this grilled cabbage recipe is inexpensive, easy to make, and requires very little prep. If you’re already firing up the grill for dinner, there’s no reason not to throw some cabbage on there too.
Looking for easy weeknight dinner recipe ideas, check out my take on a classic Grilled Bourbon Chicken. How about a deconstructed Egg Roll dish?
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Grilled Cabbage Recipe
There are plenty of reasons this recipe deserves a spot in your weekly schedule.
- Easy grilled side dish with simple ingredients.
- Packed with smoky, savory flavor.
- Grilling creates delicious caramelized cabbage edges.
- Great way to turn inexpensive cabbage into something special.
- Perfect for summer grilling and backyard BBQs.
- Pairs with beef, pork, chicken, and seafood.
- Easy to customize with your favorite BBQ seasoning.
- Great for weeknight dinners or large cookouts.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground beef: adds savoriness and crumbly texture to the recipe.
- Sausage: smoked sausage adds perfect bite size pieces of protein.
- Cabbage: holds up extremely well over direct heat, making it one of my favorite vegetables to cook on the grill. Adds volume to the recipe.
- Peppers: bell peppers add crunch and sweetness.
- Broth: helps saute the veggies.
- Tomato paste: perfect seasoning for beef adding savory and sweet flavors with some acidity
- Seasoning: an equal mix of an All Purpose and Taco rub to balance all the flavors.
- Red pepper flakes: if you like spicy food, add red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper for some heat.
Prep the Veggies
This Grilled Dirty Cabbage recipe requires very little prep work. All of the cooking is done directly on the griddle, so make sure to cut or slice all the ingredients before.
For this recipe I used a whole head of cabbage. For more texture and crunch, I also added in a few bell peppers and a yellow onion. Chop theses veggies into large chunky pieces. It might seem like that’s a lot of cabbage but it will shrink down during the cooking process. Trust me here.
For the protein, I went with ground beef and smoked sausage. I sliced up the sausage into bite site pieces.
Time for the Grill
I used my griddle for this recipe, but you can easily make this Grilled Dirty Cabbage recipe on any grill or stove top using a cast iron skillet.
Preheat the griddle to a medium high heat, drizzle some olive oil and drop in the chopped sausage and the whole block of ground beef.
Dad’s Seasonings
Must have grillin seasonings!
Do not start breaking down the ground beef. Let it build a nice sear first. That’s where a lot of the flavor will come from.
Flip the sausage to build a nice crust all around. After 2-3 minutes, flip the block of ground beef and repeat the searing on the other side.
Next start breaking down the beef. Cook until no longer pink and mix it with the sausage.
Add in the tomato paste and slowly start mixing it with the beef and sausage. Let this cook down for 2-3 minutes to cook out the raw tomato flavor. Add the minced garlic and season the everything with equal parts Dad’s All Purpose seasoning and Dad’s Taco seasoning. Both rubs elevate the dish adding warm savory flavors.
Add in the chopped onion, bell peppers, and the entire bowl of cabbage. Add the W sauce, beef broth and mix everything well.
Close the lid to the griddle and let it cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. This will saute the veggies, get the cabbage nice and tender, and build that nice seared crust on the edges of the cabbage.
For the final step, add some crushed red pepper flakes, give everything one more mix and remove from the griddle.
Serve and enjoy!
Flavor Options
Depending what you like, you can adjust the flavor profile of this standard Grilled Dirty Cabbage recipe.
- Add BBQ sauce for that backyard meal
- Add Cheese to make it gooey and melty.
- Add Bacon for more crispy texture.
- Add Jalapeno for more heat.
Final Thoughts
This Grilled Dirty Cabbage is proof that an inexpensive vegetable can become one of the best dishes on your BBQ spread. The cabbage gets smoky and caramelized on the grill while beef, sausage and BBQ seasoning add layers of savory flavor.
It’s simple enough for a weeknight dinner but flavorful enough to serve at your next backyard BBQ. And because the grill does most of the work, you can make this side dish while you’re cooking the rest of your meal.
So the next time you have a head of cabbage sitting in the refrigerator, don’t boil it, throw it on the grill.
Those crispy, smoky, “dirty” edges are going to make you look at cabbage in a completely different way. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
The “dirty” name comes from the dark, charred, crispy exterior and browned bits that coat the cabbage.
The cabbage should be deeply browned on the outside and tender enough to pierce easily with a fork. The center should no longer be crunchy.
Try the easy and delicious dinner recipes:
If you tried this Grilled Dirty Cabbage or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments. I love hearing from you!
Grilled Dirty Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground beef
- 1 lb Sausage
- 1 tbsp All purpose seasoning
- 1 tbsp Taco seasoning
- 1 Head of cabbage
- 2 Bell peppers
- 1 Yellow onion
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Minced garlic
- 1 cup Beef broth
- 1 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Roughly chop up all the veggies and cut the sausage into bite sized pieces.
- Preheat the griddle to a medium high heat and drop in the sausage and ground beef.
- Flip the sausage to build a nice crust all around. After 2-3 minutes, flip the block of ground beef and repeat the searing on the other side.
- When the beef is seared on both sides, break it down and cook until no longer pink. Mix it with the seared sausage.
- Next add in the tomato paste and slowly start mixing it with the beef and sausage. Cook for 2-3 minutes to cook out the raw tomato taste.
- Add the minced garlic, and the all purpose and taco seasonings. Mix well.
- Finally, add in the chopped veggies, including the cabbage. Add the W sauce, beef broth and mix everything well.
- Close the lid to the griddle and let it cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. This will saute the veggies, get the cabbage nice and tender, and build that nice seared crust on the edges of the cabbage.
- After about 15 minutes, check on the texture of the cabbage. If it's soft enough but still has some firmness remove everything from the griddle and serve. Enjoy!
My new favorite. it’s so easy to make and comes together under 30 minutes. I hope you give it a try!