I’ve lost over 90 pounds eating high protein, high fiber versions of the classics I love, so when dirty cabbage started showing up everywhere, there was no way I was skipping it. If you’ve been around here a while, you know cabbage and I go way back. I’ve turned it into bread and pizza crust, and it still surprises me every time.
Dirty cabbage is a low carb, high protein take on Southern dirty rice. You get the same savory, smoky, spiced-up skillet, with tender cabbage soaking up the sauce where the rice would be. My version keeps one thing from the original that a lot of people skip: liver.
Why This Works
Traditional dirty rice gets its name, and its color, from chicken liver cooked into the rice. Mixing liver into ground beef (or bison, my preference) keeps that deep, rich flavor, and it’s one of the easiest ways to work more organ meat into your week. Liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods there is, especially for iron and B12. Once it’s browned with the ground meat, it blends right in.
I made this with sugar cone cabbage. It’s a little sweeter than regular green cabbage, and that sweetness plays so well against the creole seasoning and jalapeño. The bone broth adds extra protein and helps the cabbage cook down into something saucy and cozy.