One of my go-to comfort foods, ground beef and cabbage is one of those dishes from my childhood that never fails to satisfy. Made with only a handful of simple and fresh ingredients, this is one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day so be sure you make enough to enjoy leftovers!
Made using a total of ten ingredients including: ground beef, shredded cabbage, salt, black pepper, diced onion, tomato paste, honey, light olive oil, garlic and ginger, this meal comes together in under 30 minutes from start to finish. So without anymore chit-chat, let’s get right into it!
To begin, we’ll heat some oil in a skillet and add in our diced onions and grated ginger and fry until it becomes fragrant.
Once fragrant, we’ll add in our cabbage and a pinch of salt to draw out the water and help our cabbage to soften up a little. Once mixed in with the oil and ginger and onions, we’ll cover our skillet and lower the heat to allow it to steam for a few minutes.
With our cabbage softened, we’ll push it aside to create a well where we’ll add in our ground beef along with the remaining salt, black pepper, and grated garlic.
As the meat cooks, we’ll break it into crumbles and keep turning it to ensure an even cook. You can cover your skillet to help the meat cook a little faster, being sure to move it around and break up any of the larger chunks every so often.
After a few minutes your meat should be cooked through and there should not be anymore pink bits visible…
…Once the meat is fully cooked through begin to incorporate the cabbage that has been pushed to the side with the ground beef.
The last few steps are to add a bit of plain, unflavored tomato sauce. I personally love Pomi because its both clean and cheap. Finally, add a touch of honey to help reduce the acidity of the tomato sauce and to give a bit of sweetness for a well rounded balance of comfort-food goodness.
With the tomato sauce and honey incorporated, allow it to simmer for a few more minutes. Then turn the heat off and cover the skillet. Allow the ground beef and cabbage to rest for at least 10 minutes so that the flavors can meld together.
Enjoy your ground beef and cabbage with some steamed brown rice for a deliciously wholesome and healthy clean-eat meal.
And that’s really all there is to this recipe! From my ☀️ sunshiny ☀️ kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoy this clean-eat dish as much as I do ❤️
Ground beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 3 cups cabbage shredded
- ½ medium white onion diced
- ½ tbsp ginger grated
- 2 tbsp extra light olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1½ tsp Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika optional
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- ½ tbsp honey
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet and add your diced onion and ginger and fry for a minute until fragrant.
- Add the shredded cabbage and stir to evenly coat with the oil, onions and ginger. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the cabbage and cover to allow the cabbage to steam for 3-5 minutes.
- Once the cabbage has softened slightly make a "well" in the middle by pushing the cabbage to the sides of the pot and add the ground beef.
- Season the ground beef with garlic, salt, pepper and paprika (if using) and mix the spices in.
- Allow the beef to cook, being sure to turn it and break it up into beef crumbles as it cooks.
- When the beef is no longer pink, incorporate the cabbage into the meat.
- Stir in the tomato paste and honey to the ground beef and cabbage mixture. Cover and allow to simmer on low for 5 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning levels to suit your personal taste and turn off the heat. Cover and let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Top with chives and serve with brown rice or even with some slices of boiled and pan-fried potato.
Notes
- Though you can serve this dish right away, it's best to allow it to rest on the stove-top for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to really meld and come together.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator or freeze for up to four months.
