We all need comfort sometimes!
Spring might be in the air….but it’s still freezing cold air!
The sky has been grey all day, but no sign of rain, just that dreary, flat grey, unfriendly sky. I have been outside working all day. We are building a new pond for my beloved ducks; which means lots of rock hauling, stacking, digging in concrete-hard dirt….All very good Primal workouts, sure bound to work up an appetite!
After such a grey cold day my body craves meaty, soupy, rich, warming fare: beef stew! The perfect combination to come out of a slow-cooker!
Slow-cooker and a freezer…a match made in heaven!
Since I got the new (used) slow cooker, making dinner for a busy day has become a lot easier.
The day before, if I know I will be really busy , I just take out a piece of meat from the freezer; I have a 1/2 pastured steer in there, plus a whole mutton, some venison, and a few chickens, ALL straight from the farmer!.
Next I line up some veggies. Usually towards the end of the week veggies become scarce, as I shop on Saturdays at the Framers Market. One thing that seems to endure the week till the end is cabbage, as it does not wilt or spoil easily!
The healthiest food.
Did you know cabbage is one of the healthiest foods you can eat? Here are a few points to prove it:
- Cabbage is an especially good source of sinigrin. (A cancer-preventive glucosinolate)
- An excellent source of Vitamin K, Vitamin C and Vitamin B6
- Good source of manganese and copper
- Great source of fiber
- Also contains: choline, phosphorus, vitamin B2, magnesium, calcium, selenium, iron, pantothenic acid, protein, and niacin.
- Has been rated Excellent by “The world healthiest foods” website ()
If that was not enough, it is a very versatile vegetable, performing equally well from salads, to sautees, to soups and stews.
Just add some delicious bacony flavor, and a nice chunk of gress-finished beef to complete the picture, a perfect beef stew!

- ½ pound of organic uncured bacon, in strips
- 2 to 3 pound grass-fed and -finished chuck roast, cut in 2" pieces
- 2 large organic red onions, peeled and cut in slices
- 1 clove organic garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 small organic green or Savoy cabbage
- Celtic sea salt
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 sprig fresh organic thyme
- 1 cup of homemade beef bone broth
- To your slow cooker add in the following order:
- bacon slices to line the bottom
- onion slices and garlic
- the chuck roast
- the cabbage slices
- the thyme
- the broth
- add few pinches of sea salt and a liberal amount of freshly ground black pepper
- Cook on low for 7 hours.
- Serve in bowls.
Comments 53
Hello!
Is there only one cup of broth used for this stew? I have it in the slow cooker now and it just seems like I should be adding additional liquid.
Thanks –
Jenn
Jenn
When I make it the cabbage seems to release quite a bit of liquid. Just play it by ear, if it seems too dry by all means add more broth! I also like it extra brothy!
Let me know how it comes out!!
This turned out amazing!
Not sure why my cabbage didn’t release as much liquid but a few more cups of broth did the trick.
The kids, and by kids I mean a picky 16 year old and a 3 year old even pickier toddler liked it as well.
We have added this recipe to the list and we’ll have it again very soon.
Anything w/ cabbage though is a winner in my book, add in some onions and broth, even better!!
Jenn
Thank you Jenn! So happy you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
Dear Nourished Caveman,
I am wanting to make this but don’t own a crockpot. Would it be acceptable to make this on the stove top?
Thank you so much,
Johnnie
Hey Johnnie!
I would make it in a Dutch Oven if you have one, and if not, just use the heaviest bottom pot you have and cook it on a really slow flame for about the same time as is says in the recipe. Check it regularly, as it might be ready before! 🙂
Great! Thank you so much!!! Making this for tonight 😉
YAY let me now how it turns out! 🙂
Hi there, this looks fabulous! I’m making this tonight! Just one question: you say one “clove” of garlic. That seems a bit scant. Did you mean one “bulb”?
Thanks,
Scott
Haha! You are right Scott!! I should change it to 4 or 5 cloves!!
Apply garlic liberally 😉
hi there, can you tell me the nutritional information by any chance? thanks so much. sorry if I missed it.
Sorry Janet this recipe does not have it yet, as it’s an older recipe.
I added the ingredients up on myfitnesspal and for the entire recipe
Total: 3,427Calories 71Carbs 160Fat 381Protein 5,192Sodium 38Sugar
I guestimated about 8 servings are probably in this at least so that would be about
Per Serving: 428Calories 9Carbs 20Fat 48Protein 649Sodium 5sugar
Natalie thank you so much for doing that!!! Yes 8 servings sounds about right!!
Hi,
When you say grass-fed and “finished” chuck roast, do you mean it needs to be cooked or browned in any way before adding to the slow cooker?
Thank you!
Amy
No Amy it just means the cow ate nothing but grass 😉
Loved it. Was super simple and a perfect meal for a snowy day here in Colorado.
Nice! Glad to be of help 😉
I feel like I must have missed something: are you chunking up the roast into normal stew-chunks? or cooking it whole and counting on it to fall apart when it’s done?
Made this tonight in a Dutch oven, and it was delicious. The beef I had was very lean so I added a couple tablespoons of olive oil. I didn’t take into account the saltiness of my bacon and added too much salt. I should have listened to the recipe – just a pinch! I cooked it for about 2 hours on a medium to low flame on my gas range. Thanks for a simple and tasty recipe!
This is unbelieveably delicious.
Excellent recipe.
Didn’t have any bone broth, so used a cup of organic beef stock. I’ll have bone broth made next time.
I did add a smoked ham hock during cooking.
YAY Tad!!I love the idea of the smoked hock….YUMMM!!!
Excellent recipe!
Made it as prescribed, except I added a smoked ham hock to the pot during cooking. Shredded the ham and mixed it in the stew.
Looks fabulous!A great recipe .Thanks for this
YAY! Thank you Mary!!
Hello? Let’s try this again: I feel like I must have missed something: are you chunking up the roast into normal stew-chunks? or cooking it whole and counting on it to fall apart when it’s done?
Hi Staci, in the recipe it says, chick roast cut in 2 inch cubes! 😉
This was yum! And so simple, too! So nice to have a recipe without any fancy, expensive ingredients. I got the crockpot on later than expected and I forgot to cut the roast into chunks. I also used red cabbage and chicken broth as that is what i had on hand. I cranked up the crockpot on high for a few hours and then turned it down to low for several. I pulled out the roast and cut it down after it was mostly cooked and added it back in. The meat got *really* cooked, as in no pink at all, but it was still tender and quite yummy! We will add this to our meal rotation.
Sounds great!! Good job, I love when a recipe works for a reader! <3
What is the nutrional info.
How many carbs, protein. Etc
As this is an older recipe I do not have it. you can use My Fitness Pal to calculate it.
d about 8 servings are
Per Serving:Total: 3,427Calories 71Carbs 160Fat 381Protein 5,192Sodium 38Sugar
I guestimated about 8 servings are probably in this at least so that would be about
Per Serving: 428Calories 9Carbs 20Fat 48Protein 649Sodium 5sugar 428Calories 9Carbs 20Fat 48Protein 649Sodium 5sugar
This has been the best dish I’ve ever made in a slow cooker! Outstanding!
Hi, I’ve made this a few times now and its delicious! Thanks! Do you know the nutritional values and how many servings its meant to make? Thanks
Sorry for the late reply! Thank you so much for making the recipe! I will create macros as soon as possible, in the meantime for maximum accuracy you can plug YOUR OWN ingredients and exact quantities in to My Fitness Pal or Fatsecret and get the exact macros! That is what I recommend that my patients do. 🙂
Comfort food. This looks so good! Especially for a cold days.
Hi there. This sounds really good but I want to make it in my instant pot. I’m newish to instant pot cooking. Do you have suggestions on how long I might cook it under pressure?
Should be fine…use it on the stew setting!
This is a great recipe. I’ve made it several times since last year! Sometimes even weekly.
In a pinch, I’ve substituted lean ground beef instead of roast and that worked & tasted well too!