Slow-Cooker Beef & Cabbage Stew

Ingredients

• 1 large head green cabbage — about 1–1.2 kg, chopped
• 500 g ground beef/minced beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 can (400 g) diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3–4 cups (750 ml–1 L) beef or chicken broth
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1–2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, optional
• 1 tbsp olive oil, if browning the beef
• 1–2 tsp sugar, optional, to balance acidic tomatoes
• 1–2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Optional additions

• 1 cup cooked or uncooked rice
• 1 diced potato
• ½ tsp chili flakes
• ½ tsp cumin
• A splash of lemon juice or vinegar at the end

Method

1. Prepare the cabbage.
   Remove the tough outer leaves and core. Chop the cabbage into roughly 2–3 cm pieces.
2. Brown the beef.
   Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for about 6–8 minutes, breaking it up, until browned. Drain excess fat.
   You can skip this step and put raw beef directly into the slow cooker, but browning gives considerably better flavor.
3. Add the vegetables.
   Put the onion, garlic and carrots into the slow cooker. Add the chopped cabbage on top.
4. Make the tomato mixture.
   Stir together the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, thyme and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Combine.
   Add the cooked beef and tomato mixture to the slow cooker. Don’t worry if the cabbage initially looks like it won’t fit—it shrinks substantially during cooking.
6. Slow cook.
   Cover and cook:
   • LOW: 6–8 hours, or
   • HIGH: 3–4 hours

   Stir once or twice if convenient. The stew is ready when the cabbage is very tender and the beef is fully cooked.

7. Finish and adjust.
   Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. If the tomatoes taste sharp, add 1–2 tsp sugar. A small splash of vinegar or lemon juice can brighten the finished stew.
8. Serve.
   Garnish with parsley. It’s excellent with crusty bread, rice, mashed potatoes, or simply on its own.

 If you want the rice version

For a more traditional cabbage-roll flavor, add ¾–1 cup uncooked long-grain rice during cooking and increase the broth to roughly 4 cups. Alternatively, stir in 2 cups cooked rice during the final 20–30 minutes so it doesn’t become mushy.

Nutrition — approximate

For 1 of 8 servings, using lean ground beef and without rice: