A few days ago when I was scanning through Facebook, I came across a recipe for a dish that had hamburger, cabbage, and tomatoes in it. Currently ensnared in the clutches of Weight Watchers, it caught my eye because there was a claim that the whole pot was only 7 or 8 points. I knew that that was ridiculous because any dish that starts with a pound of hamburger couldn’t possibly ring in at 7 or 8 total points.

I also remember thinking that it looked like deconstructed galumpkis. When I went back to actually jot down the recipe, it had retreated into the land of the missing, so I decided to wing it. This adaptation of the recipe has the same flavor profile as galumpkis, but requires practically no effort, and cooks in a fraction of the time.

Ingredients: (Two generous servings. Easily doubled.)
1/2 pound of ground beef
1 small to medium onion, diced
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped or shredded
1 15 1/2 oz. can small diced tomatoes with juice
2 TBS tomato paste
canola oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes
splash of cider (or balsamic) vinegar
cooked rice

Method:
1. Heat about a teaspoon of canola oil in a pot. Add the diced onion, and cook until wilted. Add the garlic. Cook for another minute until fragrant. Season with salt, pepper, and a couple of shakes of red pepper flakes.
2. Add the hamburger to the pot. Stir with a wooden spoon until completely cooked. I drained off the fat at this point because the Weight Watcher fairies were whispering in my ear, but it’s not really necessary.
3. Add the cabbage, tomatoes and tomato paste. You might want to rinse the can and add a little water if it doesn’t look moist enough. Add a little garlic powder and a little more salt. Stir to combine everything well. Cover the pot and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Stir things around a couple of times as it’s cooking.
4. When the cabbage is soft, taste for seasoning. You might want to add more salt and/or pepper. I added a splash of apple cider vinegar to brighten things up. You could also use balsamic.
5. Serve over white or brown rice.

Very reminiscent of galumpkis without the work.