Keto Corned Beef and Cabbage

This Keto Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe is a classic Irish American St. Paddy’s Day feast with only 178 calories and 5g net carbs per serving.  

Jump to:

• Hello lads and lassies. 👋
• What is Corned Beef and Cabbage? 💭  
• Where does it come from? ☘️
• How long does it take? ⏲️
• Is Corned Beef and Cabbage Keto? 🤔
• Ingredients 🥘
• Instructions 🧾
• And that’s all it takes! 👩‍🍳
• 📋 Recipe

Hello lads and lassies. 👋

I made the Irish meal of Corned Beef and Cabbage this morning, so obviously, I am thinking about Michael Flatley, Lord of the Leather Pants. But I digress, let's talk about Keto Corned Beef and Cabbage.

What is Corned Beef and Cabbage? 💭  

It’s a simple meal made up of corned beef, and you guessed it, cabbage.  It is often served with carrots and potatoes, but it doesn't need to be. It's synonymous with St. Patrick's Day, but it wasn't always like that.

Where does it come from? ☘️

Funny story actually.  It turns out that Corned Beef and Cabbage doesn’t actually come from Ireland.  The Irish don’t eat it on St. Patrick’s Day, that only happens here in America.  That’s because this meal actually came from here.  In the 1800s, Irish American immigrants were hankering for meals from their homeland like boiled pork and bacon.  And because beef brisket was cheaper, they tended to use it instead of bacon and pork. 

And rather than boil the beef, the Irish opted to brine and then braise it in the oven. Brining was a technique of the Eastern Europeans, which is a way of salt-curing meat.  And “corned" has nothing to do with corn actually.  It refers to the corn-sized salt crystals used during the brining process.  The Irish ate it with cabbage because it was one of the cheapest ingredients available. 

How long does it take? ⏲️

The traditional method of preparing corned beef is to braise it in the oven for about 3 hours.  We live in modern times though, so we’ll be pressure cooking the corned beef in an Instant Pot, which will only take an hour and a half.

Is Corned Beef and Cabbage Keto? 🤔

Yep, it’s just beef and cabbage and those two foods are not only allowed, but encouraged on the Keto diet.  This recipe is also compliant with Paleo and Whole30 diets as well.  And this meal only has 178 calories, so you can eat it if you are watching your caloric intake as well. Win, win, win.

Ingredients 🥘

• 2-3 pound corned beef brisket
• pickling spices (may or may not come with the brisket)
• beef broth
• onion
• garlic
• fresh ginger
• cabbage

Pickling Spices:

• yellow mustard seeds
• whole black pepper corns
• coriander seeds
• allspice
• whole cloves
• bay leaves

Instructions 🧾

• Rinse and dry the brisket and place it in the Instant Pot on the rack. 
• Add beef broth, garlic, ginger, onions and pickling spices and close the lid. 
• Pressure cook the corned beef on HIGH for 90 minutes.  Allow the steam to release naturally for 10 minutes.  Then remove the corned beef and set it aside. 
• Remove everything else from the pot and and strain the cooking liquid. Return 1 ½ cups of the liquid to the pot
• Cut a cabbage into 8 wedges, leaving the core in so that it holds together. 
• Add the cabbage to the pressure cooker and pressure cook on HIGH for 4 minutes, then quick release the steam. 
• Once the corned beef has cooled, cut against the grain into ⅛ inch slices. 
• Serve with a cabbage wedge on the side.

And that’s all it takes! 👩‍🍳

In about an hour and forty-five minutes, you’ll have a delicious Irish feast with only 178 calories and 5g net carbs.

Ok, river dance us out Michael Flatley. 😘

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📋 Recipe

If you have any leftovers, you can make this recipe for a Cheesy Reuben Skillet or Corned Beef Hash.