Ready for this easy unstuffed pressure cooker cabbage soup with ground beef and rice? If you love your Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot and cabbage then this may become your favorite dinner!
You’ve got to try making this unstuffed cabbage soup. It is amazing with ground sausage or beef! If you’re ready for some more easy Instant Pot recipes perfect for cooler weather, this is it!!
Ninja Foodi Cabbage Soup
Similar to cabbage rolls but easier to make, it will become your favorite meal if you love this green veggie. You can make it as a Ninja Foodi recipe too using the lid that is not attached to saute and then get all the ingredients tender.
Yes you can make a batch of slow cooker stuffed cabbage soup but that takes a lot longer if you can imagine. Both are great hearty meals with vegetables, meat and rice all cooked together in one pot, but this takes a fraction of the time.
I made this unstuffed cabbage dish once but it came out thick, so I called it Instant Pot stuffed cabbage casserole. This time I added more broth and tomato sauce to this electric pressure cooker soup and it came out perfect.
It’s totally up to you, use what you have on hand and what you love I always say. Pair it with some pull apart bread and a complete dinner is served!
What type of cabbage is best for soup?
Typically you are going to have two choices, green and purple (sometimes called red). The difference between the two other than the color is that green leaves wilt and soften quicker and is better for soup for sure.
If you’ve never made any simple cabbage recipes they’re really great and bring a great texture with the addition of this vegetable that doesn’t get nearly as much credit as it should in my opinion.
Is cabbage soup good for weight loss?
This isn’t that kind of cabbage soup since this is loaded with flavorful ground sausage and/or ground beef. Weight loss soup wouldn’t include meat. People have reported losing weight but only because you’re reducing your calorie intake, not the healthiest method in my opinion.
Instant Pot Cabbage Soup Ingredients
For the meat I typically will just use a roll of Ground beef. If you want to make it on the spicier side I would choose Jimmy dean HOT sausage which has WAY more flavor. Olive oil is used to saute the meat initially in the first step.
You want a Cabbage head chopped up into large bite size pieces, a small one is large enough. Really you can add less if you just want some in there.
To make things easier we are going to use a jar of Spaghetti sauce as the base of the soup believe it or not. With some diced tomatoes which gives it a bit of chunk to it and some beef broth to thin it out your liquid is set.
We always add Rice, white, measured uncooked and is added into the liquid and cooked together right in the broth
Optional other add ins are Onion, carrots, celery – just dice or cut them into small dials
What kind of rice is best for cabbage soup?
I like to use long grain or Jasmine, white in general because the cook time is fastest. Do not add Minute variety as the texture isn’t as great and to me becomes too mushy.
Can you cook raw rice in soup?
Yes, this is by far the best part. You don’t even have to precook your rice beforehand. You just throw it right into your Instant Pot with everything else and it cooks in the broth itself giving it a ton of flavor. Every grain comes out perfectly tender in just about 15 minutes for a hearty meal.
Can you make without rice?
Yes you can, as I said before you can leave the rice out if you would rather but I think it comes out as a heartier meal with it personally.
How Long to Cook Cabbage Soup in Instant Pot
20 minutes is about all the time you need, that includes the time it takes to reach pressure. When it’s done you’ll have a hearty dinner soup ready. Let me tell you that this Instant Pot cabbage soup is fantastic the next day if there are any leftovers.
It does thicken up a bit as it sits, and the next day so there is less “soupiness” but makes no difference in the overall taste. It. Is. Amazing.
Pressure Cooker Cabbage Soup Recipe
Equipment
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, or ground sausage, spicy
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce, 24 oz
- 1 can diced tomatoes, petite, 14.5 oz.
- 32-40 oz beef broth, depending on how soupy you want it
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup rice, uncooked white rice
- 6 cup cabbage, cut into 2×2″ squares, cubed then separate chunks
Instructions
- Turn your pressure cooker to saute and add your olive oil, diced onion and 1 lb. of ground sausage. Add minced garlic about half way thru. Cook until sausage is no longer pink then turn your pot OFF.
- Dump your can of diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, Worc. sauce, and broth into your pot and stir. (we add 32 oz. of broth, then add another cup when it is all done if we want it thinner/soupier)
- Pour your uncooked white rice into your liquid, DO NOT Stir. Separate the leaves in your chunks of cubed cabbage and measure out about 6 cups.
- Put your 6 cups of cubed cabbage leaves into your Instant Pot and gently push down into your liquid.
- Put your lid on, close your steam valve, and push your rice button.
- It will automatically set to low, for 12 minutes.
- Do a quick release when done and enjoy, great with some shredded parmesan on top!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
After you try this Instant Pot cabbage soup we have a few more easy pressure cooker soups. Added to our long list of Instant Pot soup recipes it is a complete meal with a TON of flavor. Instant Pot lasagna soup is a quick meal.
Pressure cooker bean soup, no soaking required is a great meal. And our 17 minute homemade Instant Pot split pea soup recipe is always a hit.
Can you freeze leftovers?
Make a double batch of this cabbage soup recipe so you can freeze half of it for a quick dinner!! First let it cool completely before putting it into an airtight container and putting it into your freezer. It will keep for about 2-3 months.
Find more Instant Pot cabbage recipes here and below: with our Pressure cooker fried cabbage or make a batch of Instant Pot stuffed cabbage is a family fave. You can make unstuffed cabbage casserole in the oven here too. Our Instant Pot corned beef and cabbage is best in Feb.
Can you use jasmine rice? This looks so yummy, making this tomorrow and will update.
should be fine
I made this yesterday and it is DELICIOUS! Thank you so much. This will become a ‘go to’ soup recipe in my house. I left it a little thicker and did not add a cup of water at the end. I was thinking that, next time, I will add green beans although wife thought any veggie addition would be fun (peas, corn, etc.).
So glad it was a hit
What makes you think that every one has an insta pot? Every time I try to get a recipe for my pressure cooker you people only give a recipe for an insta-pot.
I don’t that is why it is called pressure cooker. Doesn’t matter what brand you have. IP, crockpot express or ninja foodi using the lid that is not attached and pressure cook button works the same way.
I’m curious about adding sauerkraut, when and how much?
Wonderfully delicious. Used instant pot. One package of coleslaw was exact amount needed. Used Prego sauce from Costco.
OH yay!
What do you do if you don’t have a race button? I looked up rice on my ninja foodi and it said to put it on pressure high for 15 minutes. I don’t actually have rice in it, but I think that might be a good amount of time, I hope. I am totally new with this. My mom had a pressure cooker years and years ago, The whole time I was growing up. I was terrified of it. I wouldn’t go near it. This is the second time I’ve used my ninja foodi. I love it! I just hope I did it right.🤪
@Janet Luciano, I made it in my 8qt Ninja Foodi. I simply pc Hi for 12 minutes. Good luck!
Feeling stupid but what kind of ground sausage?
I made this today and since I’m doing ww, I used turkey kielbasa instead of sausage. It was very good. Probably didn’t have as much liquid in it as yours.
Can I use bagged cabbage aka Cole slaw instead of head of cabbage? It’s what I have on hand. This recipe looks sooo good!