Tag: #EasyDinner

Posted in Skillet Meals

Rustic Beef & Cabbage Skillet

Posted on by simplegoodfood

Cabbage is one of those vegetables that doesn’t get nearly enough credit.

It’s inexpensive, keeps well in the refrigerator, and can turn a small amount of meat into a satisfying meal. The trick is knowing how to cook it without reducing it to a pile of mush.

This Rustic Beef & Cabbage Skillet keeps things simple: browned ground beef, plenty of cabbage, onions, carrots, and a handful of familiar seasonings. Everything cooks together in one skillet until the cabbage is tender but still has enough texture to make the dish interesting.

It’s the kind of meal that feels old-fashioned in the best possible way — hearty, economical, and uncomplicated.

And because we’re talking about Cooking Today, Planning for Tomorrow, you can easily cook an extra portion or two to use later in the week.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Cabbage does a lot of work for very little money.
  • One skillet keeps cleanup easy.
  • The flavors are mild and familiar, rather than heavily spiced.
  • Ground beef makes it filling and protein-rich.
  • It reheats well, making it a natural make-ahead meal.
  • The vegetables can be adjusted according to what’s already in your refrigerator.
  • It works equally well on a stovetop or in an electric skillet at the campground.

🥬 Kitchen Confidence: How to Cook Cabbage Without Making It Mushy

The secret is simple: don’t drown it.

Cabbage naturally releases quite a bit of water as it cooks. Adding a lot of liquid at the beginning can turn a skillet meal into boiled cabbage.

Instead:

  1. Cut the cabbage into bite-sized pieces. Thin ribbons cook quickly; slightly wider pieces give you more texture.
  2. Cook the cabbage in stages. Give the firmer vegetables a head start.
  3. Let the cabbage have contact with the skillet. A little browning adds wonderful flavor.
  4. Don’t cover the pan for the entire cooking time. Trapped steam makes cabbage soften much faster.
  5. Stop cooking when it’s tender-crisp. It will continue softening slightly from the residual heat.

You want cabbage that’s tender enough to eat easily but still has a little bite.

simplegoodfood's avatarsimplegoodfood

Rustic Beef & Cabbage Skillet

This Rustic Beef & Cabbage Skillet keeps things simple: browned ground beef, plenty of cabbage, onions, carrots, and a handful of familiar seasonings.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 365
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil if needed
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 2 medium carrots peeled and thinly sliced
  • 4 cups chopped green cabbage about ½ small head
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Optional
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for serving
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice for a brighter finish

Method
 

  1. Brown the Beef
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Add the ground beef and cook for 5–7 minutes, breaking it into crumbles as it browns.
  4. When the beef is cooked through and nicely browned, drain excess fat if necessary.
  5. Kitchen Confidence reminder: Let the beef sit against the hot skillet for a minute before stirring. Constant stirring prevents the browning we’re after.
  6. Add the Onion and Carrots
  7. Reduce the heat to medium.
  8. Add the onion and carrots to the skillet with the beef.
  9. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften and the carrots are starting to become tender.
  10. Add the Cabbage
  11. Add the chopped cabbage in a couple of handfuls, stirring as it begins to wilt.
  12. Don’t worry if the skillet looks ridiculously full at first. Cabbage has a magical way of collapsing once it heats up. 😉
  13. Cook uncovered for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  14. Season Everything
  15. Add the garlic, parsley, thyme, paprika, salt, and black pepper.
  16. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds.
  17. Finish the Skillet
  18. Whisk together the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard.
  19. Pour the mixture into the skillet and stir well.
  20. Cook uncovered for another 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender but still has some texture and most of the liquid has cooked away.
  21. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  22. Brighten It Up
  23. If you’d like a little more brightness, add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice just before serving.
  24. That small splash of acid helps balance the richness of the beef and brings out the flavor of the cabbage.

Notes

🍽️ Serving Suggestions
This is a complete meal on its own, but it can also be served with:
  • cooked brown or white rice
  • boiled or roasted potatoes
  • mashed potatoes
  • a slice of whole-grain bread
For a cook-once, enjoy-more-than-once approach, I especially like this over a small scoop of potatoes or rice. The vegetables and beef make the bulk of the meal while the starch stretches it a little further.

Make It Your Own

Have extra cabbage? Add another cup or two. Just give it enough room in the skillet to cook down.

Have leftover vegetables? Carrots, mushrooms, green beans, zucchini, or even a handful of spinach can find a home here.

Want to change the flavor later? Keep the base seasoning mild. That makes leftovers much easier to transform into another meal.

Using leftover beef from Sunday’s skillet? You can absolutely do that. Skip the beef-browning step, start with the onion and carrots, then add your cooked beef once the vegetables begin to soften.

That’s a perfect example of the week’s theme: tonight’s cooking can make tomorrow’s cooking easier.

Storage & Reheating

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate in a covered container.

Use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days.

For longer storage, portion the cooled skillet into freezer-safe containers, label with the date and contents, and freeze.

Reheat gently in a skillet or microwave until heated through. If the mixture seems dry, add a tablespoon or two of water or broth while reheating.

Posted in Skillet Meals

Family-Style Beef & Vegetable Skillet

Posted on by simplegoodfood

There is something wonderfully practical about cooking a little more than you need.

Not a week’s worth of meals. Not an entire Sunday spent chopping, portioning, and labeling containers. Just enough extra to make the next meal easier.

This Family-Style Beef & Vegetable Skillet is built around that idea. Ground beef is browned with onions, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, and green beans, then finished with a simple savory seasoning that lets the vegetables and beef do most of the work.

Serve it as-is for an easy one-pan dinner, or cook a little extra and set some aside for another meal later in the week. That extra beef and vegetables can become the starting point for a rice bowl, fried rice, or another quick supper when you don’t feel like starting from scratch.

It’s simple cooking with a little bit of tomorrow built in.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

One skillet does most of the work.

It’s packed with vegetables without feeling like a vegetable-only meal.

Ground beef keeps it affordable while adding plenty of protein.

The flavor is flexible, so the leftovers can easily become something completely different.

It’s practical for smaller households. Four servings means dinner tonight plus a couple of portions to use another day.

It fits the campground kitchen, too. An electric skillet works beautifully if you’re cooking away from home.

🥘 Kitchen Confidence: How to Brown Ground Beef Without Steaming It

If you’ve ever ended up with gray, watery ground beef instead of nicely browned meat, the problem probably wasn’t your beef. It was the pan.

For good browning:

Preheat the skillet before adding the beef. A hot cooking surface helps the meat brown instead of immediately releasing moisture into a lukewarm pan.

Don’t crowd the skillet. If you’re doubling the recipe, brown the beef in batches.

Let it sit for a minute or two. Resist the temptation to constantly stir. The meat needs contact with the hot skillet to develop those browned bits.

Break it up as it browns. Once you have some good color, continue breaking the beef into bite-sized crumbles.

Drain excess fat if necessary. With lean ground beef, you may not need much draining at all.

Those browned bits left in the bottom of the skillet are flavor. When the vegetables go in, they’ll help pick up all that goodness.

simplegoodfood's avatarsimplegoodfood

Family-Style Beef & Vegetable Skillet

There is something wonderfully practical about cooking a little more than you need.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 390
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound lean ground beef preferably 90% lean or leaner
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 medium zucchini diced
  • 1 cup green beans cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon cold water
Optional Serving Ideas
  • Serve the skillet as-is or spoon it over:
  • cooked brown or white rice
  • mashed potatoes
  • cooked barley
  • egg noodles
  • crusty whole-grain bread

Method
 

  1. Brown the Beef
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it into small pieces as it browns, about 5–7 minutes.
  4. Once the beef is browned, transfer it to a plate or bowl. Drain excess fat if needed.
  5. Start the Vegetables
  6. Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil to the skillet.
  7. Add the onion and carrots. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  8. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes.
  9. Add the Quick-Cooking Vegetables
  10. Add the zucchini and green beans.
  11. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are beginning to soften but still have some texture.
  12. Add the garlic, parsley, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
  13. Bring Everything Together
  14. Return the browned beef to the skillet.
  15. Whisk together the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and pour into the skillet. Stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
  16. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3–4 minutes.
  17. Thicken the Sauce
  18. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth.
  19. Pour into the skillet while stirring.
  20. Cook for 1–2 minutes, until the broth becomes a light, savory sauce that coats the beef and vegetables.
  21. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
  22. Serve — and Save Some for Tomorrow
  23. Serve immediately over rice, potatoes, barley, or noodles, or enjoy it on its own.

Notes

If you’re cooking ahead, allow the extra portion to cool before transferring it to a shallow storage container. Label it with the date and refrigerate or freeze according to your meal plan.
Tip: If you’re intentionally making this for future meals, don’t sauce every portion quite as heavily. A slightly less-saucy beef-and-vegetable mixture gives you more flexibility when you turn it into another dish later.

Make It Work for Your Kitchen

Campground kitchen: An electric skillet works perfectly. You can also make this in a large cast-iron skillet.

Smaller household: Divide the finished skillet into four portions. Enjoy one or two for dinner and refrigerate or freeze the rest.

Want more vegetables? Add whatever needs to be used first — bell pepper, cabbage, spinach, or leftover cooked vegetables all work.

No fresh green beans? Frozen green beans are perfectly fine. Add them directly to the skillet.

Planning another meal? Reserve 1–2 portions of the beef and vegetables before serving. Those portions become the foundation for later meals without requiring another round of cooking.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container and use within 3–4 days.

For longer storage, portion the cooled beef and vegetables into freezer-safe containers, label with the date and contents, and freeze.

For best quality, thaw refrigerated portions overnight before reheating.

Posted in Rice Bowls

Campground Fried Rice

Posted on by simplegoodfood

Sometimes the best meals are the ones you never planned.

Campground Fried Rice is the perfect example of turning leftovers into something completely new. A little cooked chicken, yesterday’s rice, a handful of vegetables, and a few pantry staples come together in one skillet for a quick, satisfying meal that’s ready in less than 20 minutes.

This is one of those recipes that’s meant to be flexible. Use the vegetables you have, swap in whatever protein is left from the week, and don’t worry about making it exactly the same every time. It’s a delicious way to clean out the refrigerator before your next grocery trip.

simplegoodfood's avatarsimplegoodfood

Campground Fried Rice

Sometimes the best meals are the ones you never planned.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 390
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups cooked rice day-old rice works best
  • 1½ cups cooked Simple Campground Herb Chicken diced
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 cup mixed vegetables peas, carrots, corn, green beans, or whatever you have on hand
  • 2 green onions sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil optional, but adds great flavor
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger optional
  • Black pepper to taste

Method
 

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or electric skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Scramble the eggs until just set. Remove them to a plate.
  3. Add the garlic and mixed vegetables. Cook for 3–4 minutes until tender.
  4. Stir in the cooked chicken and rice, breaking up any clumps.
  5. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, and ground ginger, stirring until everything is evenly coated and heated through.
  6. Return the scrambled eggs to the skillet and gently fold them into the rice.
  7. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and serve immediately.

Notes

Notes
  • Day-old rice makes the best fried rice because it stays fluffy instead of becoming sticky.
  • This recipe is perfect for using up small amounts of leftover vegetables.
  • No chicken left? Try turkey, pork, beef, ham, shrimp, or make it completely vegetarian.
    Do not be afraid to try a new addition to your rice. I’ve even added a handful of grapes one time, which my husband declared “Delicious!”

Leftover & Meal Prep Tips

This recipe is less about following exact measurements and more about using what you already have.

Some great additions include:

  • Leftover broccoli
  • Mushrooms
  • Bell peppers
  • Spinach
  • Cabbage
  • Zucchini
  • Water chestnuts
  • Bean sprouts

If it’s sitting in the refrigerator waiting to be used, chances are it’ll be delicious in fried rice.

Food Storage & Preservation

Cool cooked rice quickly and refrigerate it promptly. Fried rice should always be reheated until steaming hot before serving. If you’re freezing cooked rice or preserving ingredients for future meals, be sure to follow the latest USDA recommendations for safe food storage and preservation practices.