Ingredients
Method
- Chop the cabbage, bell peppers, and onion into bite-sized pieces, and mince the garlic. Getting this done first makes the rest go quick.
- Heat a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium. Add the ground beef and turkey sausage together and cook, breaking the meat into crumbles, until browned. Drain off the extra grease if there's a lot, leaving a little behind for the gravy.
- Sprinkle the flour over the meat and stir until everything is coated. Add the tomato paste and cook it for a minute, stirring the whole time. That quick cook takes the raw edge off the paste and deepens the flavor before any liquid goes in.
- Pour in 1 cup of the beef broth, then stir in the Worcestershire, beefy onion soup mix, Italian seasoning, and complete seasoning. Add the bell peppers, onion, and garlic. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add more broth only if it looks dry, since the cabbage releases water as it cooks and you don't want it too loose to start.
- Add the cabbage, toss it through the meat and gravy, cover, and cook another 8-12 minutes, until it's tender but still has a little bite.
- Give it a good stir, taste, and adjust the seasoning (keeping in mind how salty the soup mix already is). Serve hot.
Notes
Don't cook the cabbage past the slight-bite stage. Once it goes fully soft it weeps liquid into the pan and thins out the gravy. Pull it while there's still a bit of chew and it stays saucy.
Start with just 1 cup of broth. The cabbage adds its own water, so add more only if the pan looks dry.
Cook the tomato paste for a minute before adding liquid; it cooks off the raw, tinny taste and deepens the flavor.
Taste before adding any salt, since the soup mix, Worcestershire, and complete seasoning are all salty.
Slice the cabbage close to cooking time; pre-cut cabbage releases water as it sits and makes the dish watery.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat gently with a splash of broth. Freezing softens the cabbage, so it's best fresh.