This Braised Cabbage recipe warms you from the inside out. It’s a classic Eastern European recipe with tender bites of beef and shredded cabbage simmering in a savory mix of vegetables and spices. I grew up eating this, and it’s particularly good served with crusty bread and pickles for an easy, crowd-favorite dinner.
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Helpful Reader Review
“Natasha, Thank You so much for this recipe! It is the BEST braised cabbage recipe I’ve ever tried…hands down! I’ve made it about 5 times already…in the past 3 weeks…and I keep getting more requests for it! Thank You!” – Sveta ★★★★★
Braised Cabbage with Beef
Braised Cabbage is fairly cheap and easy to make and serve, which is probably why it’s so popular generation after generation. I grew up eating my mom’s braised cabbage, and to this day, I still find it one of the most comforting dishes, because it uses simple, humble ingredients, but the flavors are so satisfying, not to mention the fall-apart tender morsels of beef. It also keeps well and reheats beautifully.
The inspiration for this recipe came from my husband’s cousin Angelina, who also shared her fabulous recipe for Easy Bread Kvas. This is so hearty and delicious, especially paired with a slice of Sourdough Bread and pickles on the side (a weird and wonderful combination).
Braised Cabbage Ingredients
The simple ingredients in this braised cabbage recipe mean it’s easy to make, but you won’t believe the flavors!
- Cabbage – You can buy pre-shredded or use two medium heads. I prefer green cabbage for its milder flavor.
- Beef – the recipe calls for chuck roast beef, but you can use top sirloin beef or substitute the beef – like I did with my Braised Cabbage with Pork.
- Steak Seasoning – my favorite is Montreal Steak Seasoning
, but you can use a different brand if you prefer, or just season with salt and pepper.
- Vegetables – diced onions and grated carrots add depth and aroma.
- Sauerkraut – drain well. Try my Homemade Sauerkraut or store-bought versions. It’s the secret ingredient to the best braised cabbage!
- Sauce Ingredients – tomato paste, brown sugar, heavy cream, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and olive oil.
How to Make Braised Cabbage With Beef
Braised cabbage comes together in a large pot on the stove and then simmers away until tender and flavorful.
- Marinate – in a zip-top bag, mix beef (cut into 1/2″ pieces) with steak seasoning and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Boil a large pot of water, and then shred and stir in 1/2 of the cabbage (1 head). Turn off the heat and soak for 30 minutes then drain and squeeze out any extra water and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Shred the second head of cabbage and add to the mixing bowl along with the drained sauerkraut and mix to combine.
- Sear the beef – Brown the beef chunks in batches in a 6qt Dutch oven on medium-high heat until a slight crust has formed, but don’t worry about cooking through, since it will cook with the braised cabbage. You may need to use two pans. And then, add the browned meat to the cabbage mixture.
- Make the Sauce – saute the onion and carrot in the skillet until softened. Add tomato paste, heavy cream, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and water to the pan, let it cook, and then add the veggie mixture to the cabbage, and toss to combine.
Pro Tip:
It’s important to cook the beef in 2 batches; otherwise, the pan will cool too quickly, causing the beef to steam cook instead of getting a good sear. Steam cooking will result in tough beef.
- Cook – Transfer the cabbage mixture to the Dutch oven and add bay leaves. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook on medium-low for 25 minutes, stirring a few times to prevent sticking (add 1/4 cup of water if needed). Then lower the heat to low and cook for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and then serve. Note: A Dutch oven is ideal for braised cabbage because it has a heavy bottom for even cooking that is less prone to scorching.
To Serve Braised Cabbage
Traditionally, braised cabbage is served with bread, like my No-Knead Bread or Dutch Oven Bread, or Soft Dinner Rolls, and a pickle (of course). What is it with our fascination with pickles? And what Russian or Ukrainian person doesn’t have a can of pickles in the fridge at all times?
It’s a hearty meal on its own, but you can also serve it alongside Mashed Potatoes, Rice, or a slice of Cornbread (try this homemade recipe, you won’t be disappointed!)
Helpful Reader Review
“I do it the same way except instead of heavy whipped cream I add sour cream. Love this stuff…grew up on it too.” – Tina ★★★★★
Everything about this braised cabbage with beef is so comforting, with good-for-you veggies, tender beef, and all the flavor that develops as it simmers. I’ll never get tired of this classic braised cabbage recipe.
Braised Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1.5 – 2 lb chuck roast beef, or top sirloin beef
- 2-3 Tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
- 2 medium heads of cabbage, 20 cups finely chopped
- 1 cup sauerkraut, well drained
- 6 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, grated
- 4.5 oz tomato paste, 3/4 of a 6-oz can
- 1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream, or half and half, or sour cream
- 1/2 cup water, plus more as needed
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Marinate beef – Cut beef into small 1/2" thick chunks, add steak seasoning, place it in a plastic sealed bag & leave it in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
- Boil a large pot of water and stir in 1 head of shredded cabbage. Turn off the heat and let it sit 30 minutes to soften, then drain and squeeze out excess water and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Shred Second Cabbage -While the first cabbage soaks, finely shred the second head of cabbage (discard the core) and place it in the mixing bowl. Drain 1 cup of sauerkraut and add it to the bowl as well.
- Sear beef – Meanwhile, set a 6 qt Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 2 to 3 Tbsp oil. Add half of the beef and sear until browned on all sides. Don’t worry about cooking it through, and cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan*. Add cooked meat to the bowl with cabbage.
- Make the sauce – Add 4 Tbsp of oil to the same large skillet used to cook meat and sauté diced onion and grated carrots until soft (about 7-8 min). Add 3/4 can of tomato paste, 2 tbsp of heavy cream, 1/2 cup of water, 1 tsp of salt, 1.5 Tbsp of brown sugar, and sprinkle with some black pepper. Mix well and let it cook for a few minutes. Mix it into the cabbage mixture.
- Braise cabbage – Transfer the mixture to a Dutch oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid and add 2 bay leaves. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 25 minutes, stirring a few times to prevent scorching the bottom. If the mixture seems dry while cooking or is sticking to the bottom, add 1/4 cup of water. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer covered for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent scorching the bottom.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Hearty Soups and Stews
This braised cabbage recipe brings me back to childhood with every bite. For more comfort stews that will warm you up, try these recipe favorites:
- Lamb Stew
- Beef Chili
- White Chicken Chili
- Meatball Soup
- Slow Cooker Chili
- Mushroom Soup
- Beef Stew
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Borcht
This recipe suffers from lack of specificity. What’s a large carrot? A medium size of cabbage? I did my best but the final mix didn’t fit into my 10 quart Dutch oven for braising. This isnt some tiny cocotte, but the unbraised cabbage overfills and you have no room to stir.
The recipe calls for placing things in bowls only to move the mixture to a Dutch oven in the next step… so why cant i just move it from the skillet to the Dutch oven directly? The recipe calls for more large mixing bowls than I own, especially because I needed bowls for piroshka dough also. I own 4 large mixing bowls.
Hi, make sure you don’t skip the soaking cabbage step. It is a lot of cabbage but it should shrink down quite a bit and should definitely fit a 10 qt dutch oven. The one in the photos is a 6-quart dutch oven that I used. Also, make sure you are using medium-sized heads of cabbage. If you use large ones, you’d probably be ok using just 1 1/2 of them.
Wow. To say the recipe lacks specificity is just weird. Everyone should adjust receipts to fit their own tastes. Some people love carrots, others like beets. Some like a little heat (peppers, curry, etc). Make it your own. Don’t just copy. Jeesh.
Love the recipe… I’ve also switched proteins, Chicken and pork work well to…
great recipe
So great to hear that your substitutes worked well too! Thanks for sharing that with us.
I have made this several times and it never disappoints. A couple of shortcuts: I don’t bother with precooking some of the cabbage. I use about a 3 lb head, finely sliced (as for cole claw). Also, I cook this in 325º oven for 1.5 – 2 hours, stirring only once. Makes a ton, but leftovers are even better.
Thank you for the great feedback, Larry. Your tips are definitely helpful thanks for sharing them.
Amazing recipe, I’m glad I could find this since I have a bunch of cabbage I’m harvesting from my garden and needed to make something yummy with it, definitely is a plus that it freezes easily! My personal preference is that I cook my beef almost to perfection before I add the cabbage in bc I love my beef extra tender! In step #9 of print out menu “remove from hear” should be “heat”
Thank you Katie! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
What an amazing and healthy dish, thank you!
I made it without the cream to keep it dairy free, and it came out amazing. I did add a drop of vinegar to add a bit of acidity to complement the meat and salty sauerkraut.
Quick question, why does the recipe call for one softened and one raw cabbage? Why not soften (or not) it all?
Hi Daniel, It’s the way I was instructed to make it. 😉 I think it’s to keep the textures more interesting, Otherwise, it might get a little soggy.
My family Really like this recipe but we like it better with no tomato.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha,
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes.
I love the bowls in this recipe! Any chance do you remember where you purchased them?
Thank you in advance!
Laura
Hi Laura, I’m so glad you are enjoying our recipes. It has been awhile since I purchased those but I believe they were from Cost Plus World Market.
My boys love this dish, as we make it often as part of our Russian Christmas spread to honor their heritage/adoption. My question while I’m getting mentally prepared for another year of cooking, is have you tried this dish in an Instapot to save time? Curious minds, thanks!
I have not but that is a great idea! If you experiment with that I would love to know how you like that!
Could purple cabbage be used?
Yes, purple cabbage can be used as well 😀
Sorry, I just made this and the steak seasoning was a total Sabaka! The cabbage was good, the dough was a pain since it was so wet (i made Пирожок and it was tasty). There has to be more authentic seasoning, garlic and dill maybe? I don’t know but the steak seasoning was bad.
Hi Jeremy, I haven’t had that experience using steak seasoning and I am always happy to help troubleshoot. It’s best to let the beef marinate per the recipe (the longer the marinating time, the richer the flavor). You could add garlic and dill if you prefer – that should still work great.
Hi, Natasha!
If I use this recipe as the filling for your savory baked piroshki recipe, will I have lots of filling left over?
Hi Victoria, I never measured how much was leftover but I’m guessing you will have about half or maybe a little less than half left over if you do the full batch of baked piroshki with braised cabbage.
Hi Natasha😊 I absolutely love this cabbage recipe – I have made it on countless occasions and it is FANTASTIC! I was wondering if it might be possible to freeze the leftovers – since my mom and I are the only cabbage lovers in my family, the quantity this recipe makes can be a bit overwhelming! I noticed that your cabbage roll recipe was freezer-friendly – do you think I could do the same with this recipe?
Hi Emily, I haven’t tried freezing this particular recipe but I do think you could freeze portions of this without issues. All of the ingredients are freezer friendly :).
Awesome!! I do plan on using some of the leftovers for piroshki – I’m already so pumped to start cooking! 🙂
This recipe is awesome! It was my first time making anything like this and it came out perfect! Huge hit at our house, even with my mom who can be a tough critic (like a typical Russian mom ha ha). I was wondering though, what is the purpose of soaking cabbage in boiling water?
Thank you for the great review Irina! The purpose of soaking the cabbage helps to remove any bitterness in cabbage, also helps to better fit in the pot.
Made this yesterday and it was delicious ! Thank you for such a yummy recipes 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hey Natasha, We love this recipe. Thank you for sharing it.
Btw where did you get those beautiful ramekins/oven dishes?? They are sooo cute.
You are welcome Julia, I’m glad you like the recipe 😄. I purchased these dishes/ramekins at Cost Plus World Market.
I cooked this one in the same pan (the metal pan you have listed in the beginning) and never transferred it to the Dutch Oven and it turned out beautiful! Full of flavor and taste. I also added some paprika, chili powder, dill and parsley and it turned out awesome! Thank you so much for a great recipe once again! 🙂
Ksenia, I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us and nice job improvising 😀.
Hello from South Africa !
I have a lady-friend in Russia, and when I looked up her town on the internet i came upon some lovely Russian recipes.
I have gone a few times to your site, and am wondering if you have any more recipes that are similar to piroshky, or small pies with meat or other fillings.
Thanks for the YUMMMMMMYrecipes !
Oh yes, absolutely! I have plenty of fried and baked piroshki to choose from 🙂
If I was to put this in the slow cooker would steps 1 through 10 be the same? Thanks! Love your recipes!
Hi Julia, I haven’t tried this one in the slow cooker so I can’t guarantee the results or advise you on how long to slow cook it. Are you planning to cook it in the pot and keep it warm in the slow cooker or just complete steps 1-8 and then slow cook it? Either way would probably work. You may have to stir a couple times if using a slow cooker though so it doesn’t scorch to the sides.
Thanks! Yes I’ll try to cook it in the slow cooker and then leave it to warm. I’ll make sure to stir it often. Thanks for your help!
HI Natasha, I’ve previously made a similar braised cabbage meal in a crock pot -low setting over night, and the cabbage was really overcooked and turned brown, wasn’t too pretty or tasty. Just an fyi.
Planning to try this one soon by the recipe, thanks for all of your hard work!
Thank you for sharing that with me Valentina and you are welcome 😀.
Great recipe! I only used one head of cabbage, which still ended up being quite a lot so I didn’t use all of it, but it came out pretty delicious. Now I have a lot left over for making piroshki with!
Andrew, thank you for the great feedback, and the thought of piroshki with cabbage is mouthwatering :D.
This is excellent. I followed the recipe except for making my own steak seasoning–3 TBs. Meat was marinated overnight, and was not at all over-seasoned as I feared. I also sweated the cabbage down a little, then cooked everything in a 325 oven for 1 hour. Delicious! Re the amount of cabbage, I used 1 1/2 heads totaling about 3 pounds, and I found this amount to be perfect. I think a sour cream garnish would be great with this.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂 Now I’m craving it too! 😉
I used 2 LBs of “beef for stew” and it took me more than 2 hours to cook it to fork tender. The 45 minutes specified in the recipe was not working for me. I also cut down to 1 head of cabbage, and there was a lot of cabbage.
Hi Meiling, stew meat is usually a tougher cut of meat so it takes longer to cook it. I think you’d have better results with the chuck or sirloin per the recipe. The cabbage shrinks down quite a bit as it cooks and wilts, but you can use less if you want a smaller portion. Cabbage sizes vary widely also – a large cabbage can be the same as 2 smaller ones.