Cabbage and Ground Beef (One Pot)
Cabbage and Ground Beef recipe is a delicious, comforting, and hearty stew, and it’s packed with flavor. If you love stuffed cabbage rolls but want to avoid the time and effort it takes to make them, then this recipe is for you. It’s quick to prepare and requires just one pot for easy clean-up.
Recipe for Cabbage and Ground Beef
We love stuffed cabbage, the kind our grandmothers used to make. But we never make them simply because either they’re too much work, or we often feel too lazy.
While this recipe isn’t exactly stuffed cabbage, it includes all the savory flavors and textures we enjoy, and more! Serve it over steamed rice or cooked quinoa for a satisfying meal. (It’s the best!)
The flavors are enhanced by a rich tomato broth. This dish is so incredibly delicious and full of flavor, everyone will come back for seconds and more! Best of all, it will give you at least 6 servings, enough to feed a family and extra to freeze. Plus, it’s budget-friendly, gluten-free, dairy-free, low-calorie, and high in protein. A win-win.
If you love cabbage recipes, be sure to try our Cabbage Au Gratin Recipe. It too, is easy, baked in a pie dish, and delicious tasting. It makes a great side dish.
Important Recipe Tips
- Choose Fresh over Packaged: It’s best to buy a fresh head of cabbage, rather than a pre-shredded packaged one. Packaged vegetables can be chemically altered to keep them fresh longer in bags. Plus, it takes only a few seconds to chop the fresh cabbage, practically effortless. And, it’s worth it.
- How To Serve It: Cabbage and ground beef can be served alone, or over a bed of cooked quinoa (as we did in our photo below), or on a bowl of steamed rice for a cozy, satisfying meal.
- Tools Recommended: We recommend using a 5-quart Saucepan, or 5-Qt Dutch oven for this recipe. When the cabbage is chopped, it looks like it’s a lot of it, but when you place it into the pot, it shrinks down while simmering.
Overview of Ingredients Needed:
Green Cabbage: Choose fresh green cabbage. When you take it home. If the outer leaves are green and wilted (or dirty), peel those off and discard them until you get a tight ball of the cabbage.
Ground Beef: For this recipe, choose any of your favorite brands of ground beef. You will only need about one pound for 6 servings.
Beef Broth: Use any brand of beef broth you may have on hand. It gives a rich, deep flavor to this dish.
Onion and Garlic: One onion and two garlic cloves will give a nice flavor to the beef and cabbage.
Red Wine: We use a little red wine to flavor the ground beef and to glaze the bottom of the pan. And any good “drinking” wine will do the job, or you can use white wine if you prefer.
Tomatoes: For the best-tasting and sweetest flavors of tomatoes, choose the San Marzano brand of tomatoes. Choose peeled or crushed tomatoes for this recipe. Also, if you have some tomato sauce or marinara sauce, you can use it with this recipe. You will need 3+1/2 cups of tomato sauce.
Olive Oil: It goes without saying. It’s how we start most (if not all) of our recipes, and we prefer to use only extra virgin olive oil, of course, for the best flavor.
Seasonings: You will only need some salt and black pepper for this recipe.
How To Make this Recipe for Cabbage and Ground Beef:
Our full printable recipe is located at the bottom. But let’s go over the steps so you can understand what’s involved before you start.
- Cook the Ground Beef: Add olive oil to a Dutch oven, add the ground beef, and cook until fully cooked. Add the red wine and simmer until fully evaporated.
2. Add the Onions, Garlic & Broth: Meanwhile, chop the onions and dice the garlic cloves. Toss in the onions and garlic, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Next, pour in the beef broth.
3. Add the Cabbage & Peeled Tomatoes.
4. Cover and Simmer: Simmer on low heat until the cabbage is tender.
Storage Tips
Storing and Freezing: Store any leftovers in a sealed container, and keep them chilled in your refrigerator. It is best to consume leftovers within 3 days. Reheat in a small saucepan for best results. Also, this recipe is great to freeze for one month.
Options for Serving
We love making this dish and serving it a little differently each time. Try any of these variations for serving.
- Serve it over quinoa (as we did here below in the photo)
- Serve it over cooked rice for a hearty meal.
- You can also serve it with egg noodles.
- Serve it with a simple green salad on the side.
An Easy One-Pot Meal
This recipe is ideal for an easy meal for the whole family to love. Plus, it’s made in one pot, and we love that because it makes for an easy cleanup.
Try this recipe – you love it as much as we do!
Enjoy!
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Cabbage and Ground Beef (One Pot)
This Cabbage and Ground Beef recipe is a deliciously comforting and hearty stew, that's packed with flavor. If you love stuffed cabbage rolls but want to avoid the time and effort it takes to make them, then this recipe is for you. It is quick to prepare and requires just one pot.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil - divided
- 1 pound (16-ounces) ground beef
- 2 garlic cloves - diced
- 1 medium onion - chopped
- 1/3 cup red wine
- 1 + 1/2 cups beef broth
- 8 to 10 cups (1 small or medium head) of green cabbage - coarsely chopped
- 28 ounce can of peeled tomatoes (San Marzano peeled tomatoes)
- 2 tsp. salt
- fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a 5 Qt Dutch oven pot, pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and turn on medium heat. Add the ground beef, and as it cooks, use a wooden spoon to break it up. Cook the beef until no pink is visible, and all the liquid (or fat) has been evaporated.
- Add the garlic, onion, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and continue to cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, add the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan while stirring. Simmer until the wine is absorbed, about 1 minute.
- Pour in the beef broth. In the meantime, chop the cabbage (discard the end, and core in the center). Add the cabbage to the pot that's been simmering. Next, open the can of peeled tomatoes, and pour that on top of the cabbage. Scatter with the salt and some black pepper. And, cover with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Open the cover and slowly stir the mixture to combine everything. Cover again, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cabbage is tender. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Then serve alone or over a plate of quinoa or steamed rice.
Notes
Freezing: This recipe is great to freeze. Store any leftovers in a sealed container and consume within 3 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 servings Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 203Total Fat: 5.2gSaturated Fat: 1.4gCholesterol: 12mgCarbohydrates: 32.5gFiber: 13.6gSugar: 12.3gProtein: 12.3g
Have a Delicious Day! 🙂
thanks for stopping by…
xo anna and liz
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Weeknight Dinners Made Easy
Tips & recipes for delicious meals . . . no matter your skill level!
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Weeknight Dinners Made Easy
Tips & recipes for delicious meals . . . no matter your skill level!