One-Pan Chipotle Dirty Cabbage
A smoky, juicy one-pan mix of browned beef mince, tender cabbage and peppers cooked with The Paste Co. Chipotle Paste. High-protein, packed with vegetables and ridiculously easy to make.
Watch the recipe
Ingredients
- 500g beef mince, ideally around 10% fat
- 1 medium green cabbage, around 700–800g
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 heaped tsp The Paste Co. Chipotle Paste
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 200ml beef stock or water
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tbsp ghee or olive oil, only if needed
- Fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to finish
- Fresh lime, to finish
- Sliced spring onions, to finish (optional)
Method
- Prepare the cabbage. Remove the tough outer leaves from the cabbage. Cut it in half, remove the hard core and roughly chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces. Don't cut it too finely. You want the cabbage to soften but still have some texture in the finished dish.
- Brown the beef. Heat a large deep frying pan or casserole pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef mince. If your mince is particularly lean, add a small amount of ghee or olive oil first. Spread the beef around the pan and let it sit for a minute or two before breaking it apart. Cook for around 5–6 minutes, allowing some of the beef to develop a proper dark golden crust. That browning gives the whole dish much more flavour.
- Add the vegetables. Add the onion, red pepper and green pepper. Cook for another 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.
- Add the Chipotle flavour. Add 4 heaped tsp Chipotle Paste, 1 tbsp tomato purée and ½ tsp salt. Mix everything through the beef and vegetables. Cook for around 1 minute so the tomato purée and Chipotle Paste coat everything.
- Add the cabbage. Pile the chopped cabbage into the pan. It will look like far too much at first, but it cooks down considerably. Pour over 200ml beef stock or water. Give everything a good mix, bringing some of the beef mixture up and over the cabbage.
- Cover and cook. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover with a lid and cook for around 10 minutes. Remove the lid and stir everything thoroughly. The cabbage should now have reduced enough to mix easily with the beef.
- Finish uncovered. Cook uncovered for another 5–8 minutes, stirring occasionally. This allows excess liquid to reduce and lets the cabbage pick up all the smoky Chipotle and beef flavour. You're looking for cabbage that's tender but not completely mushy, with very little loose liquid remaining in the bottom of the pan. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
- Finish and serve. Turn off the heat. Squeeze over some fresh lime juice and scatter with coriander. Add sliced spring onions if you like. Serve straight from the pan.
Tips
- Brown the mince properly. Don't immediately stir it into tiny grey pieces. Letting parts of the beef develop a crust gives you much deeper flavour.
- Don't worry when the cabbage fills the pan. It loses a lot of volume once covered and steamed.
- Don't add too much liquid. The cabbage releases water as it cooks. Around 200ml should be enough to help everything steam without ending up soupy.
- Finish without the lid. This is important. It concentrates the sauce and lets the Chipotle flavour coat the cabbage instead of leaving liquid sitting underneath it.
- Use a big pan. The uncooked cabbage takes up a lot of space before it collapses.
- Finish with lime. The little bit of acidity works really well against the beef and smoky Chipotle Paste.
Nutrition (per serving, approximate)
Add a starch
| Energy | 400 kcal / 1,674 kJ |
|---|---|
| Fat | 21g |
| of which saturates | 8g |
| Carbohydrates | 22g |
| of which sugars | 12g |
| Protein | 33g |
| Salt | 1.2g |
Made with
Frequently asked questions
What is dirty cabbage?
The viral dirty cabbage trend is essentially a one-pan cabbage and meat dish, commonly made with beef and/or smoked sausage, peppers, onion and bold Cajun-style seasonings. It's often described as being inspired by the flavours of dirty rice, with cabbage replacing the rice.
Do I need sausage as well?
No. A lot of versions use smoked sausage, but for The Paste Co. version I'd keep it to beef mince. The Chipotle Paste already gives you the smoky flavour, and using one meat keeps the recipe easier.
Can I use 5% beef mince?
Yes. Add a little ghee or olive oil when browning it because very lean mince releases less fat.
Can I make it spicier?
Yes. Add another heaped teaspoon of Chipotle Paste towards the end and taste before adding any more.
Can I serve it with rice?
Definitely. It's substantial enough on its own, but basmati rice would make it a bigger meal.
Could I add cheese?
You could add a little mature Cheddar over the top, but I wouldn't put it in the main recipe. I think the beef, smoky Chipotle cabbage and lime are stronger without making it cheesy.
Can I meal prep it?
Yes. This is actually a very good meal-prep recipe. Keep it refrigerated and reheat thoroughly before serving.