Curried Beef & Cabbage with Green Beans (French Onion Boost)

Savory, cozy mince curry with sweet oniony depth, served over fluffy rice with crisp-tender green beans.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked rice (any type you have)
• 500g beef mince
• 2–3 cups cabbage, thinly sliced (about 250g)
• 250g green beans, trimmed
• 1 packet French onion soup mix
• 1–2 tbsp curry powder (to taste)
• 2 tbsp oil (divided)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (pantry staple)
• 1 1/4 cups water (for the curry sauce)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

• 1

  Step 1: Cook the rice

  Rinse rice if you like, then cook according to packet directions. Keep warm.

• 2

  Step 2: Blister the beans

  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add green beans and a pinch of salt. Cook, tossing, until bright green with a few golden blistered spots, 4–5 minutes. Splash in 2 tbsp water, cover 30 seconds to steam-finish, then tip onto a plate.

• 3

  Step 3: Brown the mince

  In the same skillet, add remaining 1 tbsp oil. Add beef mince and cook over high heat, breaking it up, until deeply browned (not grey), 6–8 minutes. Season lightly with pepper.

• 4

  Step 4: Build the flavour base

  Add garlic and curry powder. Stir 30–45 seconds until fragrant (the curry will darken slightly).

• 5

  Step 5: Make the French-onion curry sauce

  Sprinkle in the French onion soup packet and pour in 1 1/4 cups water. Stir well, scraping up browned bits from the pan. Simmer 2 minutes until it starts to thicken.

• 6

  Step 6: Wilt the cabbage

  Add sliced cabbage. Toss and simmer 4–6 minutes until softened but not mushy, and the sauce coats everything nicely. Taste and adjust: add a splash more water if too thick; add a pinch of salt only if needed (the soup mix is salty).

• 7

  Step 7: Serve

  Spoon rice into bowls, top with the curried beef & cabbage, and serve green beans on the side (or stirred through at the end for a one-pan finish).

Tips

• **Control the heat:** Start with 1 tbsp curry powder; add more at the end if you want it punchier.
• **Best texture:** Brown the mince properly first—those dark bits are where the savoury depth comes from.
• **Make-ahead/storage:** Keeps 3 days in the fridge. Reheat with a small splash of water to loosen the sauce; rice reheats best covered.
• **Serving idea:** Mix the green beans through right at the end if you want everything saucy, or keep separate for contrast and crunch.

Nutrition (per serving, estimate)