Braised Cabbage with Ground Beef
Cabbage with ground beef is a hearty Balkan-style dish made with tender cabbage, juicy ground beef, and a light broth. Filling and comforting, this easy one-pot meal comes together in under an hour — just in time for dinner. Shall we?
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Background
Cabbage and beef are a classic pairing across the Balkans. They get together in everything from stuffed cabbage rolls (sarma) to rustic stews.
Today's braised cabbage with ground beef is a weeknight alternative that still delivers deep, comforting flavor. It's a quick, stewy dish that goes great with homemade bread and a salad.
The dish leans on pantry staples, making it perfect for those nights when it seems there is nothing in the fridge. It's especially popular during the fall, right before sauerkraut takes the limelight for the winter.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✨ Minimal Effort. This is a minimal effort type of dish - just a lot of sautéing really - where cabbage slowly softens and absorbs the richness of the beef and seasonings.
💸 Budget-friendly Comfort. This dish is good for both the palate and the wallet.
🍲 One-pot Ease. Ingredients are added to the pot one by one, meaning less cleanup for you, and more enjoyment for the whole family.
Ingredients
To make cabbage and ground beef stew you'll need the following:
- Oil. Vegetable, or olive all work.
- Onion. Red, yellow or white.
- Garlic.
- Ground beef. While you can substitute, or combine with pork, avoid poultry as it can turn the dish dry.
- Carrot.
- Tomato purée. Canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes also work.
- Paprika. Sweet or hot - as you prefer.
- Bouillon. Substitute with stock powder or Vegeta.
- Black Pepper.
- Salt.
- Cabbage. One young/baby cabbage head is preferred. Substitute with regular cabbage, but keep in mind it'll take a little longer to fry.
- Broth. Beef or veggie.
- Parsley.
Instructions
Here's how to make braised cabbage with ground beef:
Step 1. Sauté the onion.
Step 2. Brown the meat.
Step 3. Season.
Step 4. Add cabbage.
Step 5. Add broth. Cook.
What to Pair with Cabbage and Ground Beef
We love pairing cabbage and ground beef with the following:
Variations
- Skip tomatoes. Even without the tomatoes, cabbage and ground beef taste superb.
- Add rice. Stir in a handful of uncooked rice when you add cabbage (and a little more liquid), for an even fuller meal.
- Spice it up. Instead of sweet, add hot paprika and/or chili flakes.
- Meat combo. Combine beef with pork for extra richness.
- Less stew. Cook uncovered to reduce liquid into a thicker finish.
Handling
Here are a few guidelines for handling this cabbage beef stew.
Serve cabbage and ground beef warm in a bowl, with plenty of sauce. Add fresh bread, mashed potatoes, or even a dollop of sour cream on top.
Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a day.
Reheat gently on the stove, with a splash of water.
Do not freeze!
Recipe FAQs
There is no need to pre-cook the cabbage for this dish. The cabbage will be plenty soft with these directions.
No. Sarma filling consists of rice, seasonings, and ground beef. Take a look here.
No.
While fermented cabbage does well when frozen and thawed, fresh cabbage is a catastrophic mush after freezing.
Any type is fine.
Young cabbage works best for this dish, while older fresh cabbage is great too. You can substitute with savoy cabbage as well.
Absolutely.
Many versions of this recipe skip it.
Thoughts?
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Prijatno, dobar tek & bon appetit!
Braised Cabbage with Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1-2 ounces oil vegetable, coconut, avocado or olive oil
- 1 onion large, white or yellow; minced
- 10 ounces ground beef ground pork or a combination also works; avoid poultry
- 1-2 garlic cloves minced, or ½ teaspoon powder
- 1 carrot large, peeled and minced or grated
- 5-6 ounces tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon paprika hot or sweet, per taste
- salt and pepper per taste, be generous with pepper
- 1 bouillon cube beef or veggie; or 1 tablespoon stock powder or Vegeta
- 1 cabbage head (about 2.5 pounds / 1 kg), preferably younger cabbage, however older cabbage is fine (it takes longer), medium sized, outer leaves and core removed, sliced into ribbons then diced
- 2.25 cups water or broth beef or veggie, taste seasonings throughout to ensure they're not too salty together
Instructions
- Sauté the onion. In a large pot, heat oil on medium. Add onion and cook for about 2 minutes or until soft.
- Brown the meat. Add garlic, carrot, and ground beef. Break the meat up. Sauté everything about 5 minutes, or until the meat is no longer pink.
- Season. Add bouillon, ground pepper, paprika and tomato purée. Mix everything.
- Add cabbage. Toss in chopped cabbage. Mix everything well again. Braise for 10 minutes.
- Cook. Add water (or broth) and cover three-quarters of the way. Cook on medium-high until cabbage is tender (about 35–45 minutes). Adjust seasonings (especially salt and pepper) as needed, and add a bit more liquid if necessary.
- Serve warm with plenty of sauce, fresh bread, mashed potatoes, or sour cream.Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water.
