Braised Cabbage with Ground Beef

Braised beef cabbage on a pot, garnished with lemon and bay leaves.

This braised cabbage with ground beef recipe is inspired by an Albanian recipe called "gjelle me laker dhe mish'. This is a fantastic winter comfort food!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Albanian, Mediterranean

Keyword braised cabbage with ground beef, mish me lakra

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 15

Servings servings

Calories 414kcal

Author Sonila

Equipment

1 Large Soup Pot or Dutch Oven

Ingredients

1 cabbage head
1 yellow onion
1-2 carrots about 1 cup full of sliced carrots
2-3 peppers red peppers is better
3 tbsps olive oil extra virgin
1.5 lbs ground beef
2 bay leaves I used a little more because mine were on the smaller size
0.5 tsp paprika
0.5 tsp crushed red pepper add more if you like spice
0.5 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp sea salt
3 tbsps tomato paste
1 lemon
0.5 cup water or beef broth up to 8 ozs

Instructions

Wash and pat dry or air dry the cabbage. Remove the outer layers and cut the core out. Slice the cabbage as thin as possible because it makes the braising time faster.
Dice the onion, slice the carrots or cut them in strips. Slice the peppers too.
Start sauteing the ground beef on olive oil in medium to high heat. You want to brown the meat using a wooden spoon to prevent it from sticking to the pot or burning.
Slowly add in onions and carrots, then few minutes later the red peppers and few minutes later slowly add the cabbage in. Its volume is bigger than the pot, so make sure to add to the rim then wait for it to wilt or cook down, then add more. Lower heat to medium.
Once all cabbage is cooked down, then add seasoning, tomato paste and water or broth. You want to add enough liquid to make it look like a thick stew, not too much. Add salt at this point too.
Once you see the stew bubble and boil, lower heat to low and cover the pot. Let the stew braise for at least 1.5 hours. Add few tbsps of water as needed if it gets too thick.
Once it's all cooked, drizzle fresh lemon juice on the pot as well as lemon slices to serving bowl. Serve with warm bread and a salad. Enjoy:).

Video

Notes

This recipe yields approximately 4-6 servings.
I always tend to use the whole cabbage head when making this recipe, so weight fluctuates on size. That means that sometimes I need to cook it a little longer or add a bit more water etc.
You can use less meat if you're trying to lower meat consumption.
If you can't find fresh peppers, use roasted red pepper sauce.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for few days.

Nutrition