Cabbage & Ground Beef (Slow Cooker Recipe)

📝Shopping list

To make this amazing slow cooker cabbage casserole dish, you will need these simple ingredients:

•  lean ground beef - cooked and drained of excess fat
•  head of cabbage* - chopped
• diced tomatoes - canned, fire-roasted tomatoes are my favorites here
• yellow onion - chopped
• red pepper* - diced
• tomato sauce
• mushrooms* - canned, sliced, and drained
• Italian seasoning
• garlic* - minced
• shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese - divided
• salt and black pepper - to taste
• non-stick cooking spray

🔪Instructions

Start by cutting up all veggies and browning your ground beef.

Ground beef can be cooked in a large skillet on the stovetop. However, I like to brown my beef in my slow cooker in bulk. I freeze it in recipe-sized portions so that I always have some on hand for various ground beef recipes.

This prep step makes so many great slow cooker recipes just a fraction of the work come assembly time.

How ever you cook it, be sure to drain any excess grease from your cooked ground beef.

Spray your slow cooker with a non-stick cooking spray. Add in all ingredients, other than cheese and stir to combine. Your slow cooker may be very full, but that is ok. The cabbage will shrink as it cooks.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Turn slow cooker to warm until ready to serve.

15 minutes or so prior to serving, stir cheese into beef mixture. Cover and allow cheese to melt through. Top with remaining cheese at serving time for extra cheesy goodness.

_{If you like stretchy cheese, go for the mozzarella. If you prefer a little more flavor, sharp cheddar cheese is the way to go!}

Just about any time your crock pot is involved, you know you are getting a warm, simple meal. This slow cooker casserole is no exception. The best part is that this great recipe is alway a big hit come dinner time!

🍽Serving suggestions

This amazing dish is a complete meal on its own. Add a side salad or cooked veggie, such as green beans or whole dijon cauliflower to round out your dinner.

This wonderful comfort food is great with pasta, mashed potatoes, white rice or brown rice if you're not counting carbs. If you are, try serving over riced or mashed cauliflower.

A nice crusty Italian loaf makes a wonderful side dish as does a crisp garden salad.

Top with a little bit of sour cream and some diced green onions for a great finishing touch.

🔁Substitutions*

1. Green pepper may be substituted for red pepper, but this will change the flavor of the final dish a bit.
2. I use jarred, minced garlic (lazy!!). 4 cloves of fresh minced garlic or about ½ teaspoon of garlic powder may be used instead.
3. Fresh mushrooms can be used in place of canned if you prefer.
4. Substitute ground turkey for beef to lighten up a bit.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers of this cabbage roll casserole in an airtight container or zip top freezer bag. They will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer.

😉Hints & hacks

1. If you are averse to cutting onions, chopped onion is generally available in the frozen vegetable section of the grocery store. Frozen onions work very well in slow cooker recipes!
2. Feeling too lazy to cut up a whole cabbage? Use a large bag of pre-cut coleslaw mix instead. This is a great way to save time on super busy days.
3. This crock pot cabbage & ground beef recipe is a great one to assemble in advance. Store all ingredients other than the cheese together in a large food storage bag overnight in the refrigerator.
4. This is a great dish if your people will be eating at different times. Once cooked, turn your slow cooker to the warm setting (or have it automatically switch if you have this feature). Everyone will have a hot and filling meal, no matter what time of the evening they are ready to eat. 
5. I always recommend the use of a slow cooker liner. Of course, this is an optional step. I like to purchase my liners in bulk for a less expensive per-piece price. Here are the liners I buy.
6. In the market for a new slow cooker? I love mine!