This Instant Pot stuffed cabbage casserole is so tasty! Simple pressure cooker cabbage recipe to make for dinner, and unstuffed cabbage is so much easier to make than the traditional method. Only 12 minutes for the perfect comfort food that will remind you of your childhood.
Ok so I set out to make pressure cooker stuffed cabbage soup but it came out looking more like a casserole and even better than I thought it would be!! This Instant Pot stuffed cabbage casserole as we called it was full of flavor, the cabbage maintained a perfect not too soft and not underdone consistency, and overall was a healthy meal for all 5 of us. Definitely one of our favorite Instant Pot recipes now! (originally published 1/18)
Have you ever had stuffed cabbage?? Well I hadn’t until I met my husband and he raved about this dish his grandmother used to make so I gave it a whirl years ago and shared it here on my slow cooker stuffed cabbage post. It was delicious but pretty time consuming and my kids never really ate the cabbage part because of the consistency.
- I have also made a slow cooker stuffed cabbage soup that was amazing but of course took all day to cook
- Then I made this pressure cooker cabbage soup we loved & is now included in our list of Instant Pot soup recipes, but thought I’d try it with less “juice” to take on a more casserole texture like you see here
This cabbage casserole we call this came out SO good!!
I thought about this dish the other night since I hadn’t made it in a while and thought I should try it in my pressure cooker but make it much easier to put together and eat, thus I created a sort of deconstructed Instant Pot stuffed cabbage casserole style dish that just took 12 minutes to make and I didn’t even have to precook the rice beforehand!
I love being able to dump and go with my pressure cooker and have a complete meal in under 30 minutes including the time it takes to pressurize.
- The cabbage cut up into little squares works perfectly when you’re ready to eat and makes it the perfect consistency once it is done.
I don’t like it too wilted and soft or super crunchy either, but this came out better than expected and even the kids said it was a winner of a dinner. 😉
All in all this is a pretty healthy Instant Pot recipe with meat, carbs, and vegetables all wrapped into one incredible comfort food.
My mother in law was over and raved about it too. You could use ground turkey if you rather, and topped with grated parmesan cheese at the end is a must!
If you have the burn notification display here is how to deglaze your Instant Pot which you may not have done properly, and will help avoid that.
This is what you’ll need to make this easy Instant Pot stuffed cabbage casserole
- 1/2 head of cabbage
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce (I just grabbed what was on sale)
- 1 can tomato soup (on sale store brand again)
- 1 lb. ground beef….or ground sausage is amazing – this is how to defrost Instant Pot frozen ground beef in case you forgot to thaw it out the night before. 😉
- Garlic
- 1 onion
- Beef broth….could use water but broth is so much better
- Spices
Like I said, it is a really easy dinner to put together and probably something new you haven’t tried before.
If you love Instant Pot casseroles we have a few here on our site so after you’ve tried and love this you should head on over and make our Instant Pot chicken parmesan casserole too. 😉
Here’s a video showing you how I make this stuffed cabbage casserole
If you’re looking for more easy Instant Pot sausage recipes we have more to enjoy!
Here are the printable instructions as well:
** NOTE: It will thicken quite a bit as it cools and sits in the pot, will be a bit thinner right when it’s done (allow it to sit and thicken if you want the consistency in the photos before serving).
Instant Pot Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or ground sausage
- 3 1/2 c beef broth
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 c rice white, uncooked
- 1 onion diced
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce 20 oz
- 1 can tomato soup 10 oz
- 1 dash hot sauce optional
- 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 c cabbage cut into small chunks 2x2 pcs
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute, normal. Add a bit of olive oil, ground beef and diced onion. Cook until beef is not pink and onions soften
- Turn Instant Pot OFF/cancel button and deglaze your pot. Important step so pot does not overheat and can cool off while draining grease and adding other ingredients. If you do not turn it off in between you may have an error/burn code come on as it senses it is overheating.
- Add in all other ingredients except rice and cabbage. Do not stir.
- When all other ingredients are added pour uncooked rice in, do not stir.
- Break up chunks of cabbage and add to top of your mixture, gently push down into the liquid. (make sure pot is not more than 3/4 full or it may not reach pressure)
- Put lid on and close steam valve.
- Push pressure high for 12 minutes (or if you don't have that option push your rice button which will automatically set for 12 minutes).
- Do a quick release.
- Lift lid carefully, stir, and serve! Can top with chives or even parmesan cheese!! It will thicken more as it sits.
Video
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We love this with ground turkey, chicken stock, and brown basmati rice, everything else the same. Adding the soup and sauce after the stock lessens the burn (which comes off easily after a soak, then a gentle rub with baking soda or salt and hot water).
So glad you loved it too.
Made this for my husband’s dinner today. He is not a fan of Polish golumpki (stuffed cabbage roll). Made this, he LOVED it! Did one stupid thing, stirred the rice into the sauce and meat. Had a rice-sticking-to-the-bottom-of-the-IP issue. Not a bad one, but I will know not to next time I make this recipe. The only MAJOR variation that I did was to NOT add any salt. He is on a salt restricted diet, so I used no-sodium broth and no-sodium pasta sauce.
I typically don’t add salt to things either, so glad he loved it!
I noticed a comment above, but didn’t see a response. First, I browned my meat on the stove to avoid the burn error. When I hit my rice setting, it set for 12 mins at LOW pressure. I didn’t watch the video until after – just followed the directions. I’m guessing it should be set to HIGH pressure? Mine came out more soupy but still tastes great! Beats making regular stuffed cabbage! Just looking for clarification. Thanks!
High for 12 or you can use the rice button if your pressure cooker doesn’t have high/low. It thickens a lot as it cools and sits a bit so it will thicken for sure in no time at all.
Thank you! Yes, my rice setting has a low and high pressure setting. I’ll make a note to make it on the high setting next time!
It worked great for me. Looks good, tastes good. It was good!
So glad you loved it too, our fave.
This was really yummy. I love cabbage rolls but they are so time consuming. I browned a mix of ground pork and beef in a pan before hand on the stove and substituted the pasta sauce for 1 can crushed tomatoes and 1 can tomato sauce. It was amazing and I even shared the recipe with my mom. The comfort of cabbage rolls without the work!
So glad you loved it, it is one of our faves.
The directions say ” Press Rice button and it will automatically set it to low for 12 minutes “, the video says ” 12 minutes High “. I’m going to try the Rice button but would like to see this clarified.
I tried this recipe. Didn’t know at the end of 12 minutes when it’s said and done, press cancel and then quick release ! I left it on for an extra four minutes.
So ? How did it turn out ? It looks like Cabbage Casserole Soup and I’m not sure if this step made the difference. As well unsure if using the ” Rice ” button was a good idea or if I should have pressed ” High ” and the outcome dish is because one of these two elements. So far sitting before it cools down to serve wondering if it’ll thicken up.
Did this without the rice and broth. Hubby is doing low carbs. Tastes great without rice, but i had rice on the side to add if anyone wanted. It does make it taste like the cabbage rolls I’ve made which take hours and a lot more effort and time.
Glad you liked it, like stuffed cabbage soup then!
Did you just substitute water for broth?
Yes
I don’t have the IP. I have a power pressure cooker. I made this recipe and it is great. It reminds me of the time consuming cabbage rolls my Mom made when I was a kid.
I am going to try it today. I’m using my homemade spaghetti sauce which I made in my IP. I love my instant pot. I use it every day. Always trying new recipes. I’ll let you know how I do. I always read the comments to get all the hints.
Awesome!
Burn notice came on three times. All was in pot for about 20 minutes. I did a quick release. Cooked except for some of the cabbage core was still a little tuff. There was a little burning but not enough to affect casserole. I too followed directions, so not sure 🤔 what went wrong. Tasty 😋 nonetheless.
Remember to turn your pot off and deglaze the pot after cooking your ground beef, that will trigger the burn error.
I cut the cabbage core out of it too when chopping in to pieces.
5 stars all around!! easy peasy, no problems and so flavourful. Followed the recipe and was very happy.
This was my second time making this recipe. I wanted to make a double batch, so started with 2 lbs ground beef and doubling all the rest. I discovered that the pot would be too full, so I removed half the contents to cook separately.
As many have noted, my pot wouldn’t come to pressure due to burn warning. Had to restart three times, and finally got it going. When I emptied contents in order to do 2nd batch, there was a thick layer of burned rice on bottom. After thoroughly cleaning and letting pot cool, started batch #2 and was careful to barely push rice and cabbage down. This time everything worked great and the consistency was much better.
My family loves the flavor of this dish. Thank you. Deducting 1 star due to learning curve of recipe.
So, this is the 2nd time making it. First time, I used brown rice, added a little more time and it was perfect. This time I did the same exact thing and kept getting the “burn” light. I tried to switch it to rice mode, but it still said burn. I dumped everything into a regular pot and put it on the stove to get the rice to cook. There was burned rice on the bottom of the instant pot. I am not sure what I did wrong- I let it cool, I didn’t stir, and used the same exact ingredients. The rice cooked slowly on the stove and it tasted fine. I will have to try it again, because we love this recipe.
A few others have said this has happened to them and I honestly don’t know. I have made it a few times and have never had an issue with it reaching pressure or saying burn so I’m stumped. I do think some pots/models are a bit more sensitive than others when it comes to the burn message but since it hasn’t happened to me so I’m not sure why.
I think the problem some have had may have something to do with the liquid amounts and thickness. Some types of rice need to absorb more moisture and spaghetti sauces are of different consistencies. I am a new Instant Pot fanatic and have never had a problem stirring ingredients before cooking provided that there is enough, thin, liquid in the pot. It is easy to thicken a too-thin dish later by taking the lid off and setting it to sauté, or adding a mashed potato.
Good insights!! Quite possibly. I have never had an issue with it and it turns out amazing.
I attempted to make this tonight, I failed! I kept getting the burn message. I followed your directions to a “T”. I made sure that there wasn’t anything stuck on the bottom after draining the greese. What happened?
You need to make sure your turn the pot off and deglaze the pot after cooking the ground beef so it doesn’t trigger the burn message.
How do you deglaze?
There’s a link to directions above the recipe card.
I tried this for the first time. Delicious!!! The only thing I did different was use tomato and roasted red pepper soup. That was all I had handy and it worked great.
think you could use a crockpot? As I don’t have a pressure cooker
I am working on a crockpot version as we speak!
Crock pot recipe would be much appreciated.
Just posted, it is great: https://temeculablogs.com/slow-cooker-stuffed-cabbage-soup/
Would I need to add more time for brown rice?
Yes brown rice definitely takes longer, I haven’t done that yet so I am unsure of the time.
On round 3 of cooking this…guess it takes a lot longer!! 😬
It was perfect after 30 min. total.
Could you use cauliflower instead of long grain rice?
I haven’t tried that but would imagine it would take much less time.
I used cauliflower rice & it turned out like soup.
Cauliflower rice is totally different than traditional rice when it comes to cook times. It takes just a fraction of the time so I wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe unless you just put it in for maybe 1-2 minutes.
Deglaze works. But my ultra IP also indicates burn a lot of times when other items previously have been cooked in it. I’ve learned to make sure IP is completely cool prior to use by using my second pot with couple cups of ice cold water. Takes about 10 minutes and no burn signs.
Where in this recipe does it say *do not mix liquids with beef*? It just says do not stir rice in. I kept getting the burn too, stirred a few times, still getting burn. Added more liquid and put it on the rice setting. Here’s hoping it works.
States do not stir in recipe after cooking meat, that is important to prevent it from potentially burning. Meat on bottom creates a barrier. Also turning it off after cooking meat as stated helps prevent burn message from coming up on pot. It has never burned and always turns out well for us using the directions stated.
I agree. It states do not stir after adding the rice in step four, nothing about not stirring the sauce in step three. Could have been clearer. I didn’t get a burn error, but it would only come up to pressure for a split second. I tried it twice before reading all the comments; both partial fails. Flavor is great, so I may try it again with this clarification…
Three starts for the flavor – it will be a five if it’s fully successful.
My family loved this and it was so easy!
I’m so glad!!
Well, despite my ‘messing up’ by mixing the liquids with the beef (oops), this came out deliciously! (Fortunately, I didn’t mix in the rice or cabbage…just the beef.) I used basmatti as it was the only rice I had on hand. I feel it could be cooked less than 10 min; my rice was a wee bit mushy at that point, but it was still wonderful 🙂 Also, because I’m a cabbage fiend, I may just cook up the other half of the cabbage and mix it in, because I think that would still taste delicious!
I got 10 very full cups worth out of this recipe! I put it in myfitnesspal and made it 10 servings instead of 8 and got 258 calories per serving 🙂 ty!
So glad you loved it!
Thank you for sharing the calorie count.
Just made this for dinner. I thought it was missing something but couldnt figure out what. We all agreed that the cabbage needed to be cooked a little longer. I really think that would have made it much better.
It is personal preference, just set it for 1-2 more minutes next time you make it if you want it really soft.
Can you use instant rice & set on manual for less time?
I don’t use instant rice for recipes so I am not sure.
I’ve made something very similar to this in a casserole for many years. How many cans of tomato soup would I need if I wanted to skip the spaghetti sauce? One or two add’l (to the one already on the recipe)?
This recipe looks good. My Insta pot should be here by Wednesday. Can’t wait!
It is wonderful.
If you want to make it into soup, do you add broth before cooking and how long would you cook for? Thank you!
Can this be made in a croc pot?
I haven’t done that yet.
The picture shows that there are tomato’s added. Can a can of drained diced tomato be added??
It is spaghetti sauce and tomato soup.
Could I use tomato sauce instead of soup in this recipe?
It would have a different flavor, blander, but you can try it.
Unfortunately my Instant Pot, a 6-quart, kept coming up with the “burn” code with this recipe. I scraped the bottom well while trying not to mix the rice in too much. Restarted and got the same problem. 2nd time I scraped and added in 1 cup additional beef broth but still got the burn code. After 4 times of the burn code issue and adding more broth, I gave up. Fortunately by that point the ingredients had been boiling for so long that it was cooked. I loved the flavor, so did my husband, I would love to be able to have this recipe work in my Instant Pot. Any idea why I keep having the issue?
It states to not mix ingredients when adding to the pot after ground beef is done, that is probably the issue. If you mix them up it will stick more as the ground beef acts as a buffer on the bottom while cooking. You just make sure rice is covered with liquid by gently pushing down, not stirring.
I’ve found that after using the saute function, you must deglaze, and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to make sure nothing is stuck, or you will get the burn code.
Why does it say not to stir the rice in?
Isn’t an Instant Pot the same thing as a pressure cooker?
It has 7 functions, 1 of them is a pressure cooker.
Made in what size a Instant Pot?
I have a 6 qt but 8 would work too.
Do you use instant rice or long grain rice?
Long grain rice. Not instant.