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Stewed cabbage with meat in a saucepan

Stewed Cabbage with Beef

This dish is about as tasty, filling, and budget-friendly as it gets. Cabbage is loaded with vitamins and minerals, and paired with tender beef in a rich, savory gravy it earns a regular spot on the dinner table. There's one little trick to it — but first things first!

UnicornSteak

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Cabbage

700

Beef

700

Onion

Carrot

100

Tomato paste

Bay leaf

Water

Herb blend (Your favorite dried herbs)

Sugar

0.5

Salt

Sunflower oil

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 47 % 9 g

Fats 32 % 6 g

Carbohydrates 21 % 4 g

109 kcal

GI: 80 / 0 / 20

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make stewed cabbage with beef? Rinse the beef and cut it into bite-sized pieces, trimming away any tough, sinewy membranes as you go.
Step 2:

Heat a skillet over high heat. Add two tablespoons of sunflower oil and let it get good and hot. Sear the beef on all sides until deeply browned. Searing over high heat keeps the meat juicier and more tender in the finished dish.
Step 3:

Peel the onion and cut it into a fine dice. Peel the carrot and grate it on the large holes of a box grater. Sauté the vegetables in one tablespoon of sunflower oil until softened.
Step 4:

Layer the seared beef in the bottom of a deep pot, then add the onion and carrot on top.
Step 5:

Now prep the cabbage. Peel off and discard the few outer leaves from the head. Finely shred the cabbage with a sharp knife. Sprinkle with salt and scrunch it a few times with your hands to soften it.
Step 6:

Add the cabbage to the pot.
Step 7:

Stir the tomato paste together with the water.
Step 8:

A quick tip: whenever I have leftover tomato paste I won't use anytime soon, I portion it into tablespoon-sized dollops and freeze them. Frozen tomato paste keeps for up to three months and is super convenient to drop straight into whatever you're cooking.
Step 9:

Season the cabbage with salt, then add the dried herbs and bay leaf. Pour in the tomato-paste mixture. My secret to great stewed cabbage: a little sugar. Cover and simmer, stirring now and then and adding a splash of water if needed, for about an hour.

I'm not one for superlatives, but this dish lands awfully close to perfect — for my taste, anyway. It hits every note: sweet, sour, salty, and a little sharp. That range wakes up all your senses, and your stomach will thank you. Don't just take my word for it, though — give this cabbage and beef a try. Nobody walks away from it unimpressed. Enjoy!
Every oil is only good up to a certain point — its smoke point, where it starts to burn and form harmful compounds, including carcinogens. For how to gauge frying temperature and pick the best oil for the job (and which to skip entirely), see here.
Important! The wrong pan can ruin even the best recipe. For all the details on choosing the perfect pan for different dishes, read here.
You can swap the tomato paste for canned tomatoes in their juice, fresh tomatoes, or ketchup.