Stuffed Cabbage Sloppy Joes

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

22 Comments

5 from 9 votes
6 servings
Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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Learn how to make Cabbage-Stuffed Sloppy Joes in 30 minutes, a unique and satisfying dish that combines savory indulgence with freshness.

If you enjoy this amazing Sloppy Joes Recipe, be sure to check out my Ultimate Sloppy Joes and Chili Cheese Sloppy Joes for your next dinner.

Hands Holding Sloppy Joes Sandwich with cabbage
Pot of Sloppy Joe with Cabbage with silver spoon
Sloppy Joes Sandwich with cabbage

Sabrina’s Stuffed Cabbage Sloppy Joes Recipe

My husband declared this one his favorite Sloppy Joes recipe so far, and I don’t blame him. If you love cabbage, you will love these sloppy joes! This dish is perfect for your next summer get-together or just for an easy weekday dinner for the family. This dish can be great for any occasion.

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Stuffed Cabbage Sloppy Joes Recipe

Learn how to make Cabbage-Stuffed Sloppy Joes in 30 minutes, a unique and satisfying dish that combines savory indulgence with freshness.
Yield 6 servings
Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Hands Holding Sloppy Joes Sandwich with cabbage
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Ingredients
 

  • 4 tablespoons butter , divided
  • 1 head cabbage , chopped
  • 1 yellow onion , diced
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 6 brioche buns , toasted
  • 8 ounces mozzarella cheese , sliced

Instructions

  • In a large skillet add the butter to the pan on medium high heat and cook the cabbage until crisp on both sides, stirring occasionally (about 8-10 minutes).
  • Remove the cabbage and add the beef and onions, cooking well, breaking it apart but leaving some chunks about the size of a raspberry or small grape (The larger crumbles will help give the sandwich stability).
  • Cook until well browned (5-6 minutes), then add in half the cooked cabbage, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, beef broth and cornstarch before adding it to the pan along with the cooked beef and stirring well.
  • Continue cooking until the sauce starts to evaporate and the mixture becomes “sloppy” (about 5-6 minutes).
  • The consistency you are looking for is reduced enough that spoonfuls can be placed on top of each other with the bottom spoonful not spreading more than a half inch or so.
  • Toast the buns then spoon over the mixture and top sliced mozzarella and the remaining cabbage.

Nutrition

Calories: 585kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 1131mg | Potassium: 870mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 580IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 330mg | Iron: 5.5mg

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Notes from Sabrina

Looking to enhance your sloppy joes? Use fresh mozzarella to set this dish over the top! It’s a little more pricey but worth it! Additionally, for a tasty twist, serve them on toasted garlic bread instead of toasted brioche buns, adding a delicious buttery flavor. These simple changes will make your meal a hit with family and friends!

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About this Recipe

Crispy, buttery cabbage may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to the ultimate comfort food. Stuffed Cabbage Sloppy Joes have buttery, crisp cabbage, in a rich tomato-and-beef gravy with Worcestershire sauce, topped with melted mozzarella cheese for the perfect unstuffed cabbage in just 30 minutes.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Yes, this Sloppy Joes mixture is perfect for meal prep. Just leave the sauce extra saucy before shutting off the heat. It will thicken as it sits in the fridge. You may need a bit of water when reheating.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

  • Make sure the cabbage is chopped well and make sure it’s dry. Wet cabbage will cause the cabbage to sweat rather than to brown.
  • Make sure your ingredients are ready ahead of time, so that the pan doesn’t scorch.
  • Make sure you only add back in half the cabbage as the second half is going to be used as a topping.
  • Make sure you drain excess fat from the beef, I use 85/15 to minimize excess fat.
  • Stop cooking when it’s just slightly too wet still. If tomato sauce thickens too much it can become bitter and burned.

Pairing Suggestions

I love serving Sloppy Joes with Crispy Sweet Potato Fries, Beer Battered Onion Rings, Loaded Garlic French Fries. You could also do some of your favorite roasted veggies too!

More Amazing Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes with cabbage pin image

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. I am not a good cook, but I made this and am so pleased with the outcome!!!

    Thank you for sharing!!!

    Reply

  2. It would be helpful to have a cup measurement for the cabbage. If you use an entire head, it has to be a very small one. As i was chopping I almost stopped at 1/2 the head, but I went on to follow the recipe exactly. There was much too much cabbage. As a result it never really thickened to a sloppy joe consistency. It was very tasty, but it had to be eaten with a knife and fork. It would not work as a sandwich at all. Also, the thickening time was more like 10-12 minutes instead of 5-6 as stated.

    Reply

  3. I have been wanting to make this since I first saw it on your site and I made it last night. We both gobbled it down and I will make it many times again. I haven’t had sloppy joes for a long time and would not have thought to use cabbage. It was very tasty! The instructions were a little confusing to me because I never figured out why the butter was divided and how much to use when. Also the instructions around the cornstarch…it says add in and then after it says before adding in. But I managed and it turned out great. Introduced me to brioche buns too, I’d never had them before and will definitely get them again.

    Reply

    2. I didn’t divide the butter. With an entire head of cabbage you needed all of it to sauté! Also, the confusing bit on the middle… I think it is meant to say: “make a slurry of the beef stock and con starch before adding in.” You never add dry cornstarch to a recipe.

      Reply

  4. This looks amazing I surely will be trying this one for sure thanks so much for sharing your recipes I have made lots of your recipes and they all turned out amazing so I am sure these will too

    Reply

  6. I need to try this immediately, it looks so good! My husband definitely love this Stuffed cabbage sloppy joes!

    Reply

  8. I was brought up eating stuffed cabbage and still make it from time to time, so this sounds like an easy and delicious comfort food to me. I love your recipes!

    Reply