Hearty Beef and Cabbage Stew is an unforgettable combination of smoky bacon, tender chunks of beef chuck, cubes of ham, cabbage, apples and other veggies combined with a delicious beef broth.
Leave out one (optional) ingredient to make this stew gluten-free and grain-free.
Republished in Dec 2019.
Recipe Inspiration
This stew with beef, bacon, and ham is my #1 favorite soup recipe on this blog. YES! On a cold and blustery day, nothing warms your innards better than this meaty bowl of soup. It’s filling, but it’s not heavy on your belly since there is no gravy or cream sauce.
The secret to this beef stew is the beef broth. It’s slightly sweetened with invisible apples.
You can’t see them without close inspection, but they work magic in the broth. Honestly, I would be content with a piece of hot, crusty cornbread and a bowl of the broth alone. It’s that tasty!
Ingredients
Cubed Chuck Roast: Stew meat works perfectly. I try to buy chuck roast on sale, cut it up myself, and freeze it for future stew.
Ham: This soup is a great recipe for leftover ham. Or plan ahead. Around the holidays is an opportune time to pick up an unsliced ham on sale. Cut it into small half-inch chunks and freeze for this soup.
Bacon: Bacon is essential to this stew. If you want to use pre-cooked bacon pieces, be sure to add bacon grease to brown the stew meat. Although you can use oil instead, bacon grease adds a ton of flavor.
Onions: Yellow onions are the best for most soups, in my opinion. White onions will work, too. Frozen onions are also fabulous and more convenient.
Apples: The best apples will “melt” into this soup while cooking. I don’t want to see chunks of apple floating around in my soup.
The best apples will “melt” into this soup while cooking. I don’t want to see chunks of apple floating around in my soup.
My preferred apple for this recipe is Golden Delicious. Granny Smith would also work.
The recipe calls for 2 cups of finely chopped apples. This usually requires 2 medium apples or 3 small apples. A little more or less than 2 cups is fine.
Carrots: Scrape or peel regular carrots and slice about 1/4-inch thick. Save a little time by using baby carrots since you won’t have to peel or scrub. Cut them in about four slices since they are smaller in diameter.
Cabbage: The only important tip to mention about the cabbage is not to let it cook too long at the end. I like it to be a little bit soft with a little bit of crunch. Is it appropriate to say the cabbage should be “al dente”?
Is this beef stew recipe grain-free and/or gluten-free?
Yes, both, IF you leave out the optional Worcestershire sauce. It’s not a deal-breaker when it comes to this recipe. Your soup will still be delicious.
Stove-top, slow cooker, or pressure cooker?
Stove-Top
For the 25-30 years that I’ve been making this recipe, I did it on top of the stove. You can, too. Allow 2-1/2 to 3 hours. See the notes in the recipe for detailed instructions.
Slow Cooker
Then I started doing it in my slow cooker. After frying the bacon, brown the meat. Then add the onions, apples, ham, and carrots, along with the broth and other seasonings.
After cooking the meat and veggies all day, add the cabbage and bacon the last 10 minutes before you are ready to serve. This is a good plan if you can’t be home during the day.
Pressure Cooker
Are you a pressure cooker or Instant Pot fan? I sure am. You can make this hearty soup from start to finish in about an hour. Maybe not the first time. Much of that time is while the stew is in the pressure cooker, giving you time to throw together some cornbread if you like.
With a little practice, this extraordinary beef stew will come together fast. See the video for more details about making this recipe in a pressure cooker.
How to make Hearty Beef and Cabbage Stew with an Instant Pot
#1 Set the pot to SAUTÉ and fry the bacon until it is crispy. Remove from the pot and set aside. Leave the bacon grease in the pot.
#2 Using the SAUTE function, brown the beef cubes.
#3 When all meat is browned, add the onions and cook until softened.
#4 Add chopped apples to the pot.
#5 Add the remainder of ingredients except for cabbage and cooked bacon.
#6 Push the MANUAL button and set on High pressure for 35 minutes. Release pressure naturally. At this point, the stew can set on WARM (with the lid on) for hours until you are ready to eat.
#7 About 10-15 minutes before you are ready to eat, remove the pressure cooker lid and add chopped cabbage. Also, don’t forget to add the bacon you set aside earlier. Use the SAUTÉ setting to heat the soup for 10 minutes until cabbage is softened.
#8 Serve hot with cornbread, hot rolls, or crackers.
More recipes for soup lovers
Slow Cooker Steak and Mushroom Soup: A Busy Day Lifesaver
Beef and mushrooms dominate this hearty and filling soup.
Vegetable Beef Soup
This healthy vegetable beef soup is a great way to clean out the fridge and use up leftover pot roast. All ingredients and amounts are negotiable.
Texas Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Ground Beef
A spicy vegetable-beef mixture made heartier with the addition of two types of beans. I use pinto beans and black-eyed peas.
Leftover Steak Soup
Use leftover steak or beef roast to make a delicious soup full of mushrooms and seasonings. Sour cream stirred in at the end creates stroganoff-like flavors.
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Hearty Beef and Cabbage Stew Recipe
A beef-broth based soup recipe with beef stew meat, ham, bacon, carrots, cabbage, and apples
Ingredients
- 4 strips of bacon cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 pound boneless chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cups peeled and finely chopped apples (I prefer Golden Delicious)
- 2 cups sliced (1/2-inch) carrots
- 1 cup cubed cooked ham
- 1 cup beef broth (I like Better Than Bouillon beef base, 1 teaspoon + 1 cup water)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- 4-5 cups water
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 4 cups coarsely chopped cabbage,
Instructions
Directions for Instant Pot:
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté. Fry chopped bacon until crispy. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Sauté beef in two batches in the pot using the leftover bacon grease.
- Meanwhile, chop onions, apples, and carrots.
- Add chopped onion to the browned beef chunks (which have all been added back to the pot) and cook until onions are soft.
- Add apples, carrots, ham, broth, 4 cups of water, Worcestershire sauce, and a bay leaf. Cover and set to cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Allow the pot to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes. At this point, pot can sit unopened for hours until you are ready to eat.
- Ten minutes before serving, change the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add cabbage and bacon. Cook for about 10 minutes. Cabbage should still have a slight crispness to it. Remove bay leaf before serving.
Notes
SLOW COOKER:
If you prefer, add browned beef, onion, carrots, apples, and broth to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-9 hours. Transfer back to the pot on the stove to finish cooking ham, cabbage, and crispy bacon for about 10 minutes.
STOVE-TOP:
Cook's Prerogative: Adding more than 1 pound of chuck and 1 cup of ham makes the soup even heartier. I never measure it myself.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 bowlAmount Per Serving: Calories: 330Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 127mgSodium: 958mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 44g
