Best ever cabbage stew recipe on stove top is easy to make. A healthy dinner with freshly cooked chuck roast or leftover beef stew meat for more protein. If you love simple cabbage recipes this might be your favorite one!
Looking for the best recipe for stewed cabbage is here. We use leftover stew meat when we have it for a second meal that doesnโt take long at all to make. Of course you can start with fresh meat too and cook at the beginning but itโs a great night after one pot meal. (affiliate links present)
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Cabbage Stew with Beef Recipe
If you have only made Dutch oven stew in the past, this is much lighter. You donโt even have to add protein into the mix and it is still great. Sometimes Iโll make this on the side with our corned beef brisket if I donโt want to cook it all together.
Unlike our fried cabbage that has more of a soy sauce flavor to it, this just uses broth and light seasonings. Typically Iโm adding diced sausage, pork, ground turkey or shredded beef into the mix that has already been coated with a dry rub I rarely add any salt or pepper.
What kind of vegetables go with cabbage?
You really could add more than just one carrot, onion and celery for this. If it is left vegetarian then you would have room for twice that. Timing will vary slightly depending on how thick you slice each piece and how tender you want your ingredients to be.
Ingredients
- 1 medium cabbage head, stem removed, cut into 2โณ squares
- A large carrot peeled, sliced into dials
- Onion sliced thick
- Stalk of celery chopped into large chunks, optional
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Beef broth add more if desired for more broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 lb stew meat precooked. A great recipe using beef stew meat
- or you can use any sort of meat leftovers
- leftover beef chopped into bite size pieces works
Substitutions and Variations
1 can of diced tomatoes can be added in there with all of the other things. This is optional if you want to add another vegetable and have more juice to make it more like a soup. This makes a great lean ground beef and cabbage recipe too if you have that meat to use up, or you could also try a hearty stew beef and cabbage version for a more filling dish.
Corned beef is the most common of course but that is not all! We will cook chuck roast or stew meat until it reached fall-apart tender status and then add chopped leaves until softened to soak up the juices for dinner.
Yes and no. Because meat takes a lot longer to get tender you need to cook that first. Then incorporate the chopped vegetable into the pot to saute almost like you would a beef and cabbage stir fry of sorts. Vegetables donโt need as long but go really well together!
How to Cook Beef and Cabbage on the Stove
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or make as an easy dutch oven recipe over medium heat.
- Add chopped garlic, onion and carrots. Fry for 3-4 minutes on low heat to soften, stirring occasionally.
- Add chopped cabbage to skillet and fry everything together for another 2 more minutes.
- Chop up your stew meat into bite size pieces (or any precooked protein) if youโre adding meat, salt, pepper and pour the broth in.
- (if you want to add a can of diced tomatoes for a richer flavor add that now)
- Stir and cook covered over low heat for 15 โ 20 minutes or until contents are as tender as youโd like them to be. Serve stewed cabbage with fresh herbs.
Can you make cabbage stew in Instant Pot?
If you wanted to make this as an amped up pressure cooker cabbage recipe, you could. I would suggest that you just use the same ingredients explained down below but it will just take 2-3 minutes! That is right since it is under high pressure and the meat is already cooked you donโt need long.
What can you add to cabbage stew to make it taste better?
Other items you could add if you wanted to amp it up even further. You could dice up a bell pepper, green onions and/or scallions too. For an Asian flare a splash of soy sauce or stir fry sauce can be mixed in. Add 1 tbsp at a time, incorporate, taste, and adjust if you want even more.
If youโre making ground beef and cabbage with fresh meat you can brown it right in the same pot at the beginning. There are so many different tweaks you can make to make this healthy dinner in no time. Naturally gluten free ingredients are used and it can be reheated the next day if you have any leftovers too.
What to do with leftovers
If you want to save your leftover stewed cabbage it is quite easy. You will want to get out smaller sealed containers first. Allow whatโs left to cool completely and then package it up tight. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days but it is really best 24 hours later. Just reheat on a new dish in your microwave for 1 minute or so until warmed.
If you wanted to add a bit of crisp since it will have wilted more as it sits you could throw it into an air fryer basket preheated to 380 F for a few minutes too.
Cabbage Stew Recipe
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 medium cabbage, head, stem removed, cut into 2" squares
- How to cut cabbage
- 1 carrot, peeled, sliced into dials
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped into large chunks, optional
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2-1 c broth, add more if desired for more broth
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 lb stew meat, precooked to already tender, or use leftover meat chopped into bite size pieces.
- 1 can diced tomatoes, *optional if you want to add tomatoes and have more juice to make it more like a soup*
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven. Add chopped garlic, onion and carrots. Fry for 3-4 minutes on low heat to soften, stirring occasionally. Add chopped cabbage, fry everything together for another 2 more minutes.
- Add precooked stew meat (or any leftover protein) if you're adding meat, salt, pepper and pour the broth in. (if you want to add a can of diced tomatoes for a richer flavor add that now)
- Stir and cook covered over low heat for 15 โ 20 minutes or until contents are as tender as you'd like them to be. Serve stewed cabbage with fresh herbs.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this cabbage stew for dinner last night and it was incredible! So glad to have found a healthier option that the whole family likes!
You just canโt beat a hearty stew recipe like this one! Easy to make and delish!
It doesnโt get much more comforting than this. This was SO good. I will definitely be making it again.
This was such a hearty and satisfying easy family dinner! Loved that it was healthier too but tasted like total comfort food!
This is the perfect comfort food recipe to make on a cold and rainy day like today! ๐ I know my family would love this.
Enjoyed this for dinner last night and it was a savory success! Quick, easy, and delicious; definitely, a new favorite recipe!
This is a great way to utilize leftover meat! Iโve been looking for some good soup recipes to combat this cold weather and Iโm excited to give this one a try, thanks for sharing!
I loved the flavors of this stew! Thanks so much for sharing.
Dear Survive, I saw your post and opened it up and was disappointed. Iโm a beginner cook and all after all of the descriptions I could not find any actual step by step recipes. All your ideas sounded marvelous but I was frustrated by no help how to do any of the lovely dishes you so beautifully described. And, all the descriptions just seemed piled on top of each other and just kept going with no separation. Oh my. I had to quit looking. Very disappointing.
John C
Can the cabbage stew be made in a crockpot?
I would use the timing in my slow cooker cabbage recipe for that