Ground Beef and Cabbage Recipe
For a simple yet satisfying dish, ground beef and cabbage is the way to go. Economical ingredients come together quickly for a hearty dinner that’s so good it’s guaranteed to make you go back for seconds.
Plenty of recipes out there use ground beef and cabbage for an Asian-inspired stir-fry kind of dish, but this isn’t one of them. I wanted to combine these two main ingredients into something that tastes amazing piled over anything carby – from mashed potatoes to pasta to rice – no soy sauce required. This savory, peppery dish boasts just a touch of Worcestershire tang for effortless comfort food.
Another reason to love this dish is how minimalist it is. It only requires a few pantry staples, cabbage, and ground beef, none of which are hard to source or overly expensive. It’s one of those budget-friendly meals you can whip up anytime you want to save a few dollars on dinner.
An Ideal Weeknight Winner
Best of all, this dish is straightforward to make, and one-dish meals translate into easy cleanup. Plus, ground beef and cabbage come together in literally under half an hour. It’s a dream come true for a busy mom like myself.
How to Make Ground Beef and Cabbage
- Chop the cabbage, then sauté the onion and minced garlic until softened. (Photos 1-2)
- Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 8-10 minutes. (Photo 3)
- Toss in the ground beef and cook until browned. (Photo 4)
- Season with paprika, thyme, salt, pepper, bouillon powder, and Worcestershire sauce. (Photo 5)
- Add the cabbage, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Then add the carrots (if using). (Photos 6-7)
- Pour in the beef broth and simmer for 5 more minutes or until the cabbage reaches the desired doneness. (Photo 8)
- Serve garnished with parsley with your favorite sides.
Recipe Tips
- Feel free to add other vegetables, such as celery, bell peppers, and green beans, for added flavor and nutrition.
- Sprinkle in some red pepper flakes for an extra kick.
- Trade out the ground beef with ground turkey if you prefer avoiding red meat.
- Break up the ground beef as it cooks (quick hack—use a potato masher to break it up). That way, the meat cooks more evenly, and you’ll enjoy plenty of beef in every bite.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Make this dish up to three days ahead and store it in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze it for up to three months. Reheat thawed ground beef and cabbage on the stovetop on medium heat until warmed through. The same goes for leftovers.
What Goes With Ground Beef and Cabbage
Serve with warm jasmine rice, homemade garlic bread, or a classic crusty baguette for a complete meal. It also tastes amazing served over a steamy heap of garlic mashed potatoes or with a side of roasted fingerling potatoes.
More Stellar Ground Beef Recipes to Try
- Moist Smoked Meatloaf
- Ground Beef Casserole
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Juicy Smoked Burgers
- Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
Ground Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup (240g) diced tomatoes (or 1 cup tomato sauce)
- 1 pound (450g) ground beef
- 1-2 teaspoons (3-6g) paprika (see notes)
- 2-3 teaspoons (4-6g) fresh thyme (or ⅔-1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon (4g) or more bouillon powder
- 2 teaspoons (10-12g) Creole seasoning (optional)
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 small head cabbage, chopped
- ¼ cup (60ml) low-sodium beef broth
- 1 cup (110g) grated carrots (optional)
- parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until softened.
- Toss in the diced tomatoes and cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks.
- Once the ground beef is browned, add the paprika, thyme, salt, black pepper, bouillon powder, Creole seasoning (if using), and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add the chopped cabbage to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Then add the grated carrots if using.
- Add the beef broth and let the cabbage simmer for 5 more minutes or until it reaches the desired tenderness.
- Take it off the heat, garnish with parsley, and enjoy.
Tips & Notes:
- Paprika can give your cabbage a reddish color. Leave it out if you prefer.
- Break up the ground beef as it cooks (quick hack—use a potato masher to break it up). That way, the meat cooks more evenly, and you’ll enjoy plenty of beef in every bite.
- It may look like you have too much cabbage for the dish at first, but you don’t. Cabbage shrinks a ton as it cooks, so don’t be afraid of large, uncooked quantities.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
We both totally enjoyed this recipe for dinner tonight. I will make again. I do not like the taste of Worchestershire sauce so next time I will leave it out and use more bullion and spices.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it. And thank you so much for sharing your tweaks.
This recipe is a regular for me. Delicious
If you substitute ground turkey breast, would you change the broth and boullion to chicken or still make it with beef?
Hi Teresa,
Yes, I would personally substitute for chicken bouillon and broth if I had it on hand!
Just made this dish for the 2nd time and really love it! It’s quick & easy. The first time I microwaved a large potato then diced it & added before the ground beef. Tonight, I left out the potato & served it with white rice for my parents & they both loved it too. My mom can not consume gluten or dairy so it’s always nice to find tasty dishes that do not require substitutes.
Hi Rose! That’s wonderful to hear—thank you for sharing! I love how you’ve adapted the recipe both times to suit your needs. Microwaving the potato first is such a clever time-saver, and serving it with white rice sounds like a comforting and hearty option, especially for your parents. I’m so glad it worked well for your mom’s dietary needs too—those naturally gluten- and dairy-free wins are the best!
So happy this dish made it into your rotation—can’t wait for you to try more!
If I were to double the ground beef, would I need to double everything?
Hi JoAnne,
Yes, it would be good. But if you like meat heavy dishes, feel free to leave the rest of the ingredients the same.
Good with the suggested red chili flakes. Ground turkey should work good too.
I just made this recipe, but I used ground chicken instead of beef. It is so delicious.❣️❣️❣️
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
You’re welcome, Flo!
This is good recipe.
I used meatloaf mixture for the meat. The cabbage roll casserole by small town women is my favorite cuz it has cheese in it, but this is definitely a keeper also. The cabbage takes a lot longer to cook than 5 minutes, more like 1/2 hr.
Thank you for the feedback, Lynn!
I did three cans of diced tomatoes. And the paprika is actually pretty fantastic in this dish, but I use hungarian sweet paprika, and i use more than a tablespoon… Also, put the paprika in five minutes.Prior to turning off the heat, or it can turn bitter.
Thanks for the feedback, Jenny!
Great recipe! One of my husband’s favorites. We use venison instead of beef, and I highly recommend.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Mary Ann.
Easy and delicious! I didn’t have tomatoes so I used a can of diced, and to save time I used frozen onions celery and green peppers! The hardest part of this recipe was cutting up the cabbage!
Awesome! Thank you for the feedback, Lois! 🙂
I make a similar version of this recipe using ground round, coleslaw mix and rotel tomatoes. Easy peasy and so delicious!!
Nice!! Thanks for sharing, Rachel!
WOW no other word for this than DELICIOUS. Just simply DELICIOUS. I’m having a hard time not eating it all in one sitting! Thank you for this and all your other wonderful recipes.
Hahahah. I know exactly what you mean. Been there. So Glad you enjoyed it, Elizabeth!
So you don’t drain the grease from the hamburger meat
Hi Darla. I didn’t drain the grease from mine. If you happen to have fattier ground beef, you can definitely drain the grease if you want.
I loved this recipe so much
Glad you loved it! Thanks for stopping by 🙂 !
My dinner was perfect. Thanks
So glad to hear this, Kelly!