My cabbage stew with beef is an easy and hearty one pot dinner. It's a traditional German stew called Jägerkohl that's on the table in just 45 minutes.
Chopped cabbage combined with ground beef, ground pork and bacon, slowly simmered until fork-tender and infused with delicious spices? Give me more, please!
This ground beef and cabbage stew is perfect comfort food for colder days.
It is my version of Hunter's Cabbage, which is a popular stew in Germany. "Jägerkohl" is a dish that's traditionally served during hunting season.
In my opinion, it is one of the most nourishing and tastiest meals you can make with cabbage!
Also try my keto cabbage soup and this egg roll in a bowl.
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What's To Love About This Recipe
So much Flavor - Cabbage is a perfect paring with rich meaty flavors. I promise, you're going to be a cabbage LOVER after tasting this stew.
Feeds A Crowd - Cabbage and beef stew is a family-friendly and satisfying one pot dinner. It's filling!
Great for Meal Prep - The recipe is easy to scale to make a larger amount. It's also freezable.
Low Carb - I have substituted the potatoes in the traditional version with turnips. This way, the cabbage stew is only 7.6g net carbs per serving.
Ingredients
Let's talk ingredients. You'll find exact quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but I wanted to give you a bit of extra info right here:
- Cabbage - Savoy cabbage tastes best in this recipe. It has crinkly leaves and tastes milder and sweeter than regular cabbage. Prepare it by removing the outer leaves. Then, halve it, cut out the stems and chop it into bite-sized pieces.
- Meat - You can make the recipe with just ground beef. In this version, I am using half beef mince and half ground pork. This mixture is a classic combination for Jägerkohl. We also need unsmoked bacon for extra flavor.
- Turnips - I peel the turnips and then cut them into cubes.
- Onion & Garlic - Chop the onions finely and mince the garlic.
- Spices - I used smoked paprika, cayenne and caraway seeds. Caraway is popular in German cuisine. It also reduces bloating, which is a common issue people have with cabbage!
- Stock - In this version, I use chicken stock. Beef stock is also a possibility. Just use whatever you have to hand.
Instructions
It is simple to make a German style ground beef and cabbage stew. Here are the basic steps.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed method with ingredient amounts, timings and nutrition information.
STEP 1
Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Sauté the onion and bacon until the onion softens and the bacon begins to brown. Then, add the garlic for 1 further minute.
STEP 2
Add the ground beef and pork and cook until it is browned.
STEP 3
Stir in all the spices and seasonings.
STEP 4
Add the chopped cabbage, cubed turnips and stock. Cover with a lid. Bring the stew to the boil, then turn down the heat.
Simmer until the turnips are soft and the cabbage is tender.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Katrin's Top Tips
#1 Stir the stew towards the end of cooking and top up with stock if necessary. You don't want the liquid to evaporate completely because the stew would burn at the bottom!
#2 As with all stews, German Hunters Cabbage tastes even better on day 2, once the flavors have had time to mingle.
Slow & Pressure Cooker Instructions
To make this stew in the Slow Cooker:
- Saute the onions and brown the meats.
- Then, add everything to the slow cooker and let it stew on low for 3 hours.
How I make this cabbage stew in my Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker:
- First, I brown the onions and the meats on the saute setting.
- Then, I cancel the saute setting and add the rest of the ingredients.
- I seal the lid and select Pressure Cook.
- Now, all that's left is to let the stew cook for 10 minutes.
- If I want to eat straight away, I do a quick release. Otherwise, I let the steam release naturally.
Substitutions
Here are ideas how you can change up the stew. It's versatile!
Meat - Omit the ground pork and use only beef mince. You could also use beef strips. I don't recommend beef cubes - they take longer to cook. The recipe could also work with Kielbasa (a smoked Polish sausage).
Vegetables - Sweetheart cabbage or white cabbage are an alternative to the savoy cabbage. Leek or carrots also pair well.
Vegetarian version - White beans could be a protein replacement for the meat (note that this would increase the carbs). I would also add peas, a few tomatoes and dill as well as carrots to make up for the rich meaty flavors.
Serving Suggestion
This cabbage stew is a stand-alone meal. Very hungry eaters may enjoy a bread roll on the side. Try my almond flour biscuits or these cheesy keto biscuits.
Storage
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Cabbage stew is also great for freezing. When I make a larger batch, I divide it up into single servings and freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating: In the microwave or on the stovetop. Add a splash of water of stock if you reheat directly from frozen.
More Hearty Stews & Soups
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Recipe
German Cabbage Stew With Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced (70g)
- 4 strips bacon cut into 1 inch strips (60g)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 9 oz ground beef 250g
- 9 oz ground pork 250g
- ⅓ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ - 1 teaspoon flakey sea salt depending on how salty your stock is
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or use regular paprika
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- Pinch of cayenne
- 1 savoy cabbage ***see recipe notes, roughly chopped, 1 small head / 420g / 6 cups
- 2 cups turnip, ½ inch cubes 9 oz / 250g
- 1.5 cups chicken or beef stock 360ml
TO SERVE
- 2 teaspoon parsley fresh, finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or large soup pan.
- Add the diced onion and chopped bacon and sauté for for 4- 5 minutes until the onions are soft and the bacon begins to brown. Add the minced garlic for 1 minute.
- Add the ground beef and pork and sauté for 5 - 6 minutes until the meat is cooked through.
- Stir in the spices - salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne and caraway seeds.
- Now add the chopped cabbage, cubed turnips and the chicken or beef broth. Cover with a lid. Bring the stew to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes until the meat is tender and the vegetables are soft.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve.
Lenore Ashton
I need sauce. What could I put in there to make it a bit saucy please.
I love and follow your recipes.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Lenore, you could add more stock and then thicken it with beef collagen peptides.
Rosie Sullivan
Just made this for dinner tonight
Tastes amazing already
Going into my favourite list
Katrin Nürnberger
So happy that you liked the recipe!
Niki
This stew is absolutely delicious. I actually used some venison mince along with pork mince and the mix was really tasty and very filling.
The only thing that I would possibly change would be to add mushrooms but that is only because mushrooms are my favourite thing ever.
I used powdered beef broth with mine if I try it again I may try the chicken broth just to see the difference.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do these recipes because it certainly gives us an opportunity to eat tasty food without any carbs or sugar.
Cindy
Can I substitute turkey in place of ground beef for this recipe?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, of course!