This Easy Cabbage Stew Recipe is a perfect wintery mixture of deliciousness. The stew is light but filling, flavorful but not overbearing, warm, cozy, and Southern comfort at its finest! Plus, it's super easy to make and makes the house smell like a home.
I wish I could claim the recipe as my own, but I cannot. In fact, I hadn't even heard of such a thing until it was introduced to me by my beautiful wife. From what I've been told, this recipe has been in their family for years, and I understood why once I tried it. One of the ingredients originally threw me off, but it makes this stew what it is...trust me!
Oh, and DON'T FORGET THE CORNBREAD!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This is truly one of the easiest recipes I've ever made. Look no further if you're looking for something full of flavor that can quickly be made on a cold, wintery weeknight.
Cabbage Stew is healthy, full of protein, and low on calories. This means a few bowls are filling, and you still haven't overdone it. The flavors meld perfectly after simmering, and the texture is perfect. Combine that with a slice of hot, buttered homemade cornbread on the side, and you have a complete meal.
Ingredients
Vegetables: What would cabbage stew be without cabbage...exactly! This recipe calls for a head of cabbage cut into big chunks, two diced onions, and a can of tomatoes. Of course, the cabbage cooks down and softens quite a bit. So, while you might not find the term "big chunks" to be that appetizing, that's what they start out as!
Meat: Ground beef was the chosen protein for this stew, and it works perfectly. I personally think a spicy Italian sausage would also work well. But given the number of times, I get onto my in-laws for putting hot sauce on their Runzas...I figure I better leave their recipe as is.
Beans: Okay, here we go! Instead of using black beans, kidney beans, white beans, or other plain 'ol beans in true Texan form, they chose two cans of Ranch Style Beans.
Extras: The other ingredients for this cabbage stew recipe are water, minced garlic, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Now you can see why I call this an easy recipe and give a lot of credit to ranch-style beans.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Start by dicing the onion and slicing the cabbage into large chunks.
Next, in a large stockpot, brown the ground beef. Once the meat is browned, add the garlic, one can of tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Stir the mixture to be sure the salt and pepper are fully mixed into the beef and tomato mixture. Turn the heat to medium-low, bringing the remaining ingredients to a slow simmer.
Working in layers, place about half the cabbage and onions over the beef. Then, the other can of tomatoes and both cans of ranch-style beans. Lastly, add another layer of cabbage and onions, top off with a can of water, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has fully softened and cooked down about 30-45 minutes.
Expert Tips
- Ensure you use a large stock pot and add the cabbage in layers. The leaves can take a while to cook down, so you'll need the space in the pot.
- Be patient. You may feel as though it's taken too long for the cabbage to cook down. It will happen. Just stir occasionally to turn the stew.
- I highly recommend serving this with warm, freshly baked cornbread—the flavors and texture pair perfectly together.
Recipe FAQs
Cabbage stew (soup) contains ground beef, cabbage, onions, beans, tomatoes, and water, then seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper.
While recipes vary, one serving of cabbage stew contains about 185 calories.
The only reason to soak cabbage would be to keep it crisp. However, if using it in a stew or soup, there is no reason to do so.
A cabbage stew is a stew that contains fresh cabbage and an assortment of other ingredients like ground beef, onions, tomatoes, beans, etc.
More Recipes You'll Love
If you made this Easy Cabbage Stew recipe or any other of my recipes, please leave a Star Rating and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Don't forget to tag @chickenfriedkitchen on Instagram, Subscribe on YouTube, and Follow on Pinterest and Facebook! I'll see you there!
📖 Recipe
Easy Cabbage Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef - lean
- 1 Head of Cabbage - sliced
- 2 Yellow Onions - diced
- 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 15 Oz Ranch Style Beans - canned
- 26 Oz Ranch Style Beans - canned
- 2 - 14.5 Oz Fire Roasted Tomatoes - canned
- 1 - 14.5 Oz Can of Water
- 1 ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 tablespoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- In a large stockpot brown the ground beef.
- Add salt and pepper then one can of tomatoes stirring to fully combine.
- Reduce heat to medium low and add a layer of cabbage and onions.
- Now, add both cans of beans and the second can of tomatoes.
- Add the remaining cabbage and onions then top it off with a can of water.
- Cover and simmer on low stirring occasionally until the cabbage has completely softened and cooked down.
- Serve the cabbage stew with a side of cornbread and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Ensure you use a large stock pot and add the cabbage in layers. The leaves can take a while to cook down, so you'll need the space in the pot.
- Be patient. You may feel as though it's taken too long for the cabbage to cook down. It will happen. Just stir occasionally to turn the stew.
- I highly recommend serving this with warm, freshly baked cornbread—the flavors and texture pair perfectly together.
Nutrition
Leave a Reply