As much as I love summer and all the light summer foods, I have to admit that I am ready for some warming foods. Roasted vegetables, soups and stews, slow cooker meals, and casseroles are some of my favorite ways to cook come Fall and Winter. I am a big fan of one pot meals and, like always, I try to stuff as many vegetables as possible into every bite.
Cooked cabbage is one of my favorite vegetables and one of my favorite ways to make. Partially because over the past several year I have discovered that it is delicious cooked in so many different ways. I love it sliced across to look like roses and then roasted. I like it thinly sliced and sauteed to make silky noodles. And I love it in this recipe.
Here’s how you do it:
1 cup Basmati rice
½ large green cabbage, finely shredded
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 T avocado oil
1 pound ground beef
1 cup fermented cabbage, with juice (optional- I used Ozuke red cabbage and calendula)
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 bunch fresh thyme
2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1 T red wine vinegar
2 tsp dried dill weed
Cook one cup of basmati rice however you prefer it cooked. I made mine with one cup of water in an Instant Pot on high pressure for 10 minutes, then let it natural release while I made everything else.
In a large dutch oven, heat the avocado oil over medium heat. Once it has warmed up, add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the ground beef and cook until there is no longer any pink. Add in a bunch of thyme, whole- don’t worry about removing the leaves, you are just going to let it infuse the beef and then remove it. Stir in paprika and let the flavors blend in for a few more minutes.
Turn on your oven to 375.
Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. In the same dutch oven, add in your cabbage, fermented cabbage, salt, pepper, dill and red wine vinegar. Stir and cook until the cabbage reduces in size by about half and it is nice and soft.
Add the beef mixture back into the pan and also add in your cooked rice. Give it a good stir to combine all the ingredients. Put the pan in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, pick out the stems of thyme, and serve.
This is also delicious as leftovers or served the next day. It is even good cold!
