Beefy Poblano Cabbage Bake may conjure in your mind a humble, unappealing casserole harkening back from the 50s, along with all of the other not-so-wonderful foods from that era. Jello mold, alnyone? Well, in my modern kitchen this simple dish lays claim to the simple-is-better ethos, a tasty respite from our hurried and worried, crazy world.
So, Beefy Poblano Cabbage Bake checks my boxes. This casserole is vegetable forward, so it makes me feel good – check! There’s no rice or pasta to fill out the dish – check! There’s no big slab of meat, only ground beef and some clean TVP – check! But this dish also offers the ease and comfort of a classic casserole – warm, and typically cheesy in the best way possible.
Ron commented that if you squint, you could pretend that you’re eating a plate of loaded nachos, with the cabbage standing in for the tortilla chips. If you make this Beefy Poblano Cabbage Bake, I promise you, you won’t miss the carbs one bit!
Beefy Poblano Cabbage Bake
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion
- 2 poblano peppers
- ½ head green cabbage
- 4 cloves garlic
- 16 ounces pepper jack cheese
- ½ cup TVP
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 T taco seasoning
- 1 cup frozen corn
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- fresh scallions and cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Prep – Peel and chop the onion. Destem and deseed the poblanos; cut into wide 2-inch slices. Core and chop the cabbage. Peel and mince the garlic. Grate the cheese. Hydrate the TVP according to the package directions.
- Saute the ground beef – Heat the oil in a large skillet. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and saute until softened. Add the ground beef and break it up with your spoon. Add the garlic and the taco seasoning, and cook until browned through. Remove the ground beef from the skillet and combine it with the hydrated TVP.
- Saute the veg – Add the peppers and cabbage to the skillet, and cook until they are very soft. Then add the corn and cook for another minute or so, until fragrant and the corn is warmed through.
- Assemble and bake the casserole – Spread a layer of marinara across the bottom of your baking dish, then layer as follows: half of the cooked veg, half of the ground beef mixure, the grated Parm, the rest of the cooked veg, and then the rest of the ground beef mixture. Spread the rest of the marinara across the casserole, then top with the shredded cheese. Cover and bake for 45 minutes to one hour, uncovering for the last 10 minutes to brown the cheese topping. While the casserole is baking, slice the scallions and chop the cilantro.
- Garnish and serve – Allow the casserole to rest for 10 – 15 minutes after you remove it from the oven. Garnish with the fresh scallions and cilantro, and enjoy!
INGREDIENT NOTE: If you have the time and inclination, I recommend making Taco Seasoning from scratch. So much flavor, yet so easy.
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