Ground Beef & Cabbage (Easy One-Pot Dinner)
Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs
on Feb 18, 2026 (last updated Mar 20, 2026) 
This easy ground beef and cabbage recipe is a quick one-skillet dinner that’s simple, cozy and truly weeknight-easy. Made with lean ground beef, tender cabbage, and a lightly saucy tomato base, it comes together in about 30 minutes on the stovetop!
5 star review
“Very delicious! Made this tonight for supper and served it with rice. We all loved it!”
– Mireille
Who Knew a Cabbage and Ground Beef Recipe Could Be So Delicious?!?
Now, I understand it might be hard to get excited about cabbage and ground beef of all things, but this easy skillet dinner might just change your mind! I created it because I wanted a true one-pan dinner that feels hearty and cozy, but is still surprisingly light. And of course, because it’s coming from me, it’s just so darn easy. All you have to do is brown the beef, soften the onion, and then everything else goes into the same skillet.
Then the cabbage cooks down in the tomato-brothy sauce until it’s tender but still has a little bite, and the flavor is familiar in a really comforting way. Think unstuffed cabbage rolls, but without any rice (no shade to rice, which I love in my cabbage & ground beef rice casserole!) Smoked paprika and Italian seasoning give it that savory, almost old-school skillet-dinner vibe, while tomato paste, Worcestershire, and a splash of balsamic vinegar add depth without making it sweet or heavy.
This is the kind of dinner I make when I want something filling and grounding, but also fast and low-stress. It works just as well for a weeknight dinner as it does for leftovers the next day, and you can finish it however you like. I almost always add sour cream and a solid dousing of hot sauce, but honestly it’s solid straight out of the pan. And if you love simple ground beef dinners, my ground beef and potatoes is another easy one-pan option.
Welcome to My Kitchen, Let’s Make Ground Beef and Cabbage!
Testing Notes from My Kitchen to Yours
- When I tested this, I found that chopping the cabbage into true bite-size pieces makes a big difference. Too large and it stays crunchy, too small and it melts away.
- I’ve tried both simmering it covered the whole time and uncovering at the end, and letting it finish uncovered for a minute or two gives you a thicker, more satisfying sauce.
- When I tested this with leaner beef, I didn’t need to drain anything, but with higher-fat beef, I’ll spoon off a little fat before adding the tomatoes so it doesn’t feel greasy.
Ground Beef & Cabbage (Easy One-Pot Dinner)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, small diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- ½ cup low‑sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ head green cabbage, core removed and chopped into bite‑sized pieces (about 5-6 cups)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Equipment
Instructions
- Cook the Meat: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the onion softens. Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, and tomato paste. Cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the Liquids & Cabbage: Add the diced tomatoes, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine.
- Add the chopped cabbage. Season with black pepper. Push the cabbage down so it’s mostly submerged in the sauce.
- Simmer Until Tender: Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 8-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender but still has some structure and the sauce has slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt or pepper if needed.
- Optional Topping: Chopped fresh parsley, sour cream (highly recommended!), or hot sauce.
Notes
- Optional Topping: Chopped fresh parsley, sour cream (highly recommended!), and hot sauce.
- Cabbage: As much as I love a cabbage slaw mix for convenience, you really do need to chop the cabbage yourself for this recipe, as the finely chopped slaw just melts and turns into mush.
- Half a Cabbage: I know it’s annoying to only use half a cabbage for this recipe, but that’s what works best in terms of ratios. You can ask the produce person at your local grocery store to cut a cabbage in half for you though, and they are almost always happy to do it!
- Cook Time: For best results, avoid overcooking the cabbage. However, I’ve found that cabbage texture is personal preference, so if you like a bite, cook according to instructions, and if you like it truly soft, keep going until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Gluten-Free: Be sure to use a gf Worcestershire sauce.
- With Rice: Try my top-rated Beef, Cabbage & Rice Casserole!
Great weeknight dinner. I added a couple of small zucchini too and it was delicious. Could serve over rice as well.
Kim, so glad you enjoyed this one, and great idea to add zucchini! Thanks for sharing our tips and leaving a review!
Very delicious! Made this tonight for supper and served it with rice. We all loved it. I think I’ll make it again next week to use up the rest of the cabbage.
Mireille, fantastic, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one, and agree, making it two weeks in a row is a the perfect (yummy) way to use the other half cabbage! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and leaving a review!