One-Pan Ground Beef, Cabbage, and Rice
A quick and delicious one-pan dish that's just perfect for make ahead meals!
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One-pan beef, cabbage, and rice is the perfect dish for when you don’t have the energy to make a difficult meal for dinner but you want it to be tasty, full of flavor, and able to feed a whole family. It’s a great step away from traditional ground beef favorites because it uses homestyle steak seasoning and butter to provide a creamy, rich flavor rather than a heavy sauce or casserole-style recipe.
I love making one-pan beef, cabbage, and rice early in the week when things are pretty busy and I might not have my ducks in a row. It satisfies the need for something fresh and tasty but quick to cook from ingredients that you have handy, all with connections to classic comfort food.
I’ve listed the different herbs and spices that make up the flavor base in the recipe below, but essentially they’re a small scale version of my Homemade Steak Seasoning. If you don’t want to drag these different spices out of your pantry and into the dish, then you can utilize a simple store bought seasoning and it will do the job well.
Frozen veggies is a quick way to add color and more ballast to the meal without taking away from the central elements of cabbage, ground beef, and rice (which I recommend you cook prior to making the dish). If you prefer fresh veggies then don’t be afraid to make it with them instead. Also, be careful not to add too much soy sauce or it will become an extravagant fried rice, which also tastes delicious but is a long way from this flavorful, buttery delight.
One-pan beef, cabbage, and rice is also perfectly suited for a delicious make-ahead meal or deep freezer option down the track. Two minutes in the microwave along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, plus a dash of hot sauce makes it a great tasting meal again without feeling tired and meh.
One-Pan Ground Beef, Cabbage, and Rice
Ingredients
- Spray cooking oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 green cabbage, chopped
- 1/2 cup mixed frozen veggies
- 2 cups rice (pre-cooked)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Dice the onion and chop the cabbage into roughly 1/2-inch pieces. Mix dried herbs together in a mixing bowl to combine, then gather other required ingredients for quick sautéing.
- Spray a large frying pan with cooking oil and heat at a medium-high temperature. Add the onion and cook until the onions are soft.
- Add the ground beef and herb mix and cook until the meat is fully browned. Add the chopped cabbage, water, and frozen veggies to the frying pan. Sauté until the cabbage has softened.
- Add the cooked rice and butter to the pan and fold in all the ingredients. Lower the pan’s temperature, then continue to stir through until the butter is melted and rice is heated through.
- Season the beef and rice with 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce, as required. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and black pepper to taste, then serve immediately.
Recipe adapted from Budget Bytes