Dirty Cabbage with Ground Beef - One Pan Meal

Dirty cabbage with ground beef is a flavorful, savory, one-pot dish that combines browned ground beef and other ingredients for a low-carb meal. It's easy to make vegetarian and will still be flavorful. You can easily add any type of canned white beans to the dish.

Julian's Dirty Cabbage with Ground Beef and Bacon

It’s really quite flexible regarding the ingredients you use, so as I always say ‘use what’s in your refrigerator.’  In fact, I often make this dish when I have ingredients that need to be used before going bad; often odds and ends of this and that. Today I’m even using some leftover uncooked fingerling and small red potatoes and some pieces of cooked bacon I had on hand. You could of course cook some fresh bacon pieces with the beef if you have a few slices that are uncooked.

Today's Ingredients

Cooked and Ready

This requires a large skillet or similar dish with a lid, although it does cook down as the cabbage heats and loses volume. I'm using my All-Clad stainless steel "Weekend Pan" which is a large, 7 quart pan. You could also use a large Dutch oven if you don't have a skillet big enough for the task. 

7-Quart Covered Deep Skillet
The All-Clad Weekend Pan

It's also a good 'make ahead' meal that can provide you with lunches on the go or dinner several nights. 

Ingredients (Serves 4-6 adults)
½ to 1 pound ground beef
    (substitute some ground sausage of your chose or mix them together)
1/2 cup cooked bacon pieces (optional)
1 small onion, chopped (or half an onion)
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 bell pepper, or pieces of various colored peppers, chopped

1 pound (more or less) baby potatoes, cut in half (optional)
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup white white or chicken stock
1 small head green or Savoy cabbage, cut into bite-sized pieces
1-2 teaspoons salt
1-2 teaspoons pepper
1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika,
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 cup chicken broth (or any broth of your choice)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

Prepare the vegetables by cleaning and chopping them and sitting the next to the cooktop. Gather the remaining ingredients nearby.

Heat the skillet over medium-high with a little oil, and when hot add the ground beef broken into small chunks. Let it cook undisturbed for 3-5 minutes until it is nicely browned on one side. Using a spatula, stir and allow to cook through, another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the optional cooked bacon. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and bell pepper. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and stir to combine with the beef. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are just getting tender and then add the garlic. Stir to combine and after a minute, make a spot in the center of the pan and add the tomato paste. Stir it into the other ingredients. If some meat or vegetables have stuck to the pan, deglaze with a little white wine or chicken stock. 

Add the optional potatoes and half of the seasonings to the meat mixture and stir to combine. Add the cabbage and sprinkle with the remaining seasonings, stirring to combine with the meat and potato mixture. Stir in the broth and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and cook 20-30 minutes until the potatoes and cabbage are tender. Combine the water with the cornstarch stirring until smooth and add to the skillet to thicken the sauce. Stir to combine. Serve.