This Beef Cabbage Stew is hearty, comforting and makes a perfect meal with crusty bread. It is packed with lots of flavors to warm you up! Quite versatile too. Add in whatever vegetable you forget in the fridge.
If you love stews like this, you might want to see our classic Turkish beef stew too.
I don’t remember how many times I have heard that cabbage has so many benefits for health this year. Our favorite cabbage dish is stuffed cabbage leaves, but I can’t make it as often as I want because of limited time. And I have discovered a great alternative cabbage dish to stuffed rolls: Beef Cabbage Stew!
It wasn’t a dish I had made before, it just came to my mind all of a sudden when I was trying to decide what vegetable to buy at bazaar one day. Cabbages on the stand looked so fresh and small enough for me to carry. I was tempted to buy a head, but I didn’t have time to make stuffed rolls.
Then I thought a stew with cabbage and ground beef could be as tasty. There would be no stuffing and rolling, but the same taste with almost the same ingredients with our regular cabbage rolls. Glad I bought cabbage that day and made this stew because it has become one of our favorite dishes since then!
Ingredients
- olive oil
- onion
- ground beef
- tomato paste
- water
- salt
- cumin
- black pepper
- chili powder
- chopped cabbage
- carrot
- garlic
- lemon juice
It is really easy to make and everything cooks in the same pot. Who would refuse a tasty, healthy and quick dinner like this comforting stew on a weekday? Unlike the original recipe, I didn't add any bulgur in this stew. We love it both ways, so you can add bulgur, rice or quinoa if you want to make your stew even richer.
How To Make
The best thing about this recipe is that you cook everything in the same pot. Start with heating olive oil in a pot and cook chopped onion until transparent. Add in ground beef, thick tomato paste and a little water. Stir occasionally pressing gently on the ground beef so that there aren't any blocks left.
Cook until the ground beef first releases and then absorbs its juice. Season it with black pepper, cumin and chili powder. Add in roughly chopped cabbage, carrot, garlic and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
Cook it over medium high heat for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour 1 and cup hot water and cook until it boils. Bring it to the lowest heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
Serve it hot with some fresh herbs on the top.
Tip: If you want a richer flavor, your can cook this dish in a clay pot.
What To Serve With
We love serving it with some crust bread or with our favorite No Yeast Quick Dinner Rolls or Rice Pilaf with Orzo. In addition, a bowl of homemade yogurt or Cucumber Dip aka Turkish Cacik could accompany. Optionally, you can serve a simple Red Radish Salad too. If you are really in a hurry, you can just slice a red radish and squeeze lemon on it. As tasty as pickles.
Can You Freeze It?
Yes, you can. This is one of those freezer-friendly recipes. The only thing you need is to thaw and reheat. Super time-saving for a busy weeknight meal!
When planning the recipe, I wasn’t sure if we would love it because cabbage stew is not one of those much liked dishes in Turkey. But I was determined to cook and see myself if it could become a hit or not. How could a dish with ground beef and cabbage become tasteless? To our surprise, it was superb! Plus, it is very easy and doesn’t require a lot of time to cook this cabbage stew, I’ve made it several times since then. Try it when cabbage is still in season!
Other Cabbage Recipes
As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!
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Beef Cabbage Stew
A comforting and tasty stew with cabbage and ground beef.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 7 oz (200g) ground beef
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 cups cabbage, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup hot water
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pot, add in onion and cook until transparent. Add in ground beef, tomato paste and ¼ cup water. Stir occasionally pressing gently on the ground beef so that there aren't any blocks left.
- Cook until the ground beef first releases and then absorbs its juice. Season it with salt, black pepper, cumin and chili powder. Add in roughly chopped cabbage, carrot, garlic and lemon juice.
- Cook it over medium high heat for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour 1 cup hot water and cook until it boils. Bring it to the lowest heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Serve it hot with some fresh herbs on the top.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 822
- Sugar: 14.4 g
- Sodium: 2237.1 mg
- Fat: 41.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 71.3 g
- Protein: 43.1 g
- Cholesterol: 111.5 mg
Keywords: cabbage stew, beef cabbage stew, cabbage stew recipe
Chel-Sea Chen says
Mmm I just made this tonight I had all the ingredients and was looking for more creative ways to eat the remaining part of my cabbage. Wow what a flavor bomb! Reminded me a little of chili. Now I wish I had some more yogurt left! I can't wait to eat the meal I prepped for lunch tomorrow. I imagine the flavor will deepen even more. Thanks for sharing this super forgiving recipe! That was a great intro to trying out a Turkish recipe for the first time 🙂
★★★★★
Zerrin & Yusuf says
So glad to hear that you loved our cabbage stew as much as we do. It is somehow an underrated dish even in Turkey, so we are extra happy 🙂 The flavors go really well together. And the best thing is it is super easy to make. Oh and yes you should have some yogurt on the side next time. Cheers!
Taylor says
This looks super delicious! Curious if there is a way to make this dish in the slow cooker? Could I brown the meat first and then throw in everything else and let is slow cook all day? Wondering if the cabbage would end up too soft?
Zerrin says
Hi Taylor! Never tried this recipe in the slow cooker, but I guess it would work fine. Yes, brown the beef first. Just slice the cabbage in thick pieces to prevent it from getting too soft. Cooking it for 4-5 hours would be enough. Hope these help.
Aysegul Sanford says
This is such a dreamy recipe. I can only imagine how yummy it is with a cup of cacik. And these photos.. They take my breath away and make me very hungry.
★★★★★
Zerrin says
Thanks my friend! You need to make it before spring comes in your area. And we are so happy to hear that you love the photos!
Brig says
I discovered your blog a couple of nights ago, and have just made your recipe for Kiymali Kapuska after getting the required ingredients today. I've done a little test of the finished product, and it certainly has some heat, presumably mainly from the chilli powder, because I used tomato paste instead of pepper paste. I can see why you suggest eating this cabbage stew with some yoghurt!
This is the first time I've cooked Turkish food, and I'm really pleased with the result. I've had a look at some of your other recipes and am looking forward to trying them too. Your blog is lovely, and it's opened my eyes to a new cuisine.
OysterCulture says
Love this! I've been reluctant to make the rolls because of the time, but this yummy cabbage stew on the other hand, would be easy to make. thanks for the brilliant idea.
Zerrin says
Absolutely a great alternative to cabbage rolls! So easy and quick!
The Mom Chef says
I love cabbage, especially cooked. This looks so wonderful. Many thanks for sharing the recipe.