Ready for this easy unstuffed pressure cooker cabbage soup recipe with rice and ground sausage? If you love your Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot and cabbage then this may become your favorite dinner! It’s gluten free too.
You’ve got to try our pressure cooker 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!! (affiliate links present)
Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Soup
Similar to cabbage rolls but easier to make, it will become your favorite meal if you love cabbage. You can make it as a Ninja Foodi recipe or in your Crockpot Express too. Any brand with the high pressure cook function will work just fine.
Yes you can make a batch of crockpot stuffed cabbage soup but that takes a lot longer if you can imagine. Both are great hearty meals with ground beef, sausage or leave it out and make it vegetarian.
Let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then LIKE our IP Facebook page for new ideas daily.
- This is a great InstaPot cookbook to grab too.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot. It is easier to clean and will avoid the burn message too.
For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have and use for all recipe creations.
Ninja Foodi Cabbage Soup
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. In a Foodi you just use the lid that is not attached and the pressure cook button to make either.
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!
Savoy cabbage is best. You’re unlikely to find a bunch of varieties at the store other than purple or organic but possibly at a farmers market that may be different.
It depends on where you live really. I call it unstuffed cabbage soup but if sauerkraut is added some say it is sour shchi.
This is what we typically use to throw this baby together.
Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup
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.
- My grandma cooked with cabbage all the time and when I was younger it wasn’t anything I was about to try. I must be getting older though because I’m all about cabbage in just about everything now.
This was a total winner and great as is without anything else, maybe a roll on the side if you wanted.
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.
Pressure Cooker Cabbage Soup Ingredients
- Ground sausage – I like spicy version, could use ground beef but sausage has WAY more flavor
- Cabbage head chopped up into large bite size pieces
- Olive oil to saute the meat initially
- Spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce but we prefer the above
- Diced tomatoes gives it a bit of chunk to it
- Beef broth is better than water
- Rice – white, uncooked is added and cooked together in the broth
- Onions are optional, diced
- Seasoning is up to you (we like it as is) but could add salt and pepper
Optional other add ins are Onion, carrots, celery – just dice or cut them into small dials
What kind of rice is best for 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 unstuffed cabbage 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 does it take to make soup with rice in a pressure cooker?
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.
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
- Pressure cooker bean soup – no soaking required
- This pressure cooker sausage and cabbage you’ll love too
- 17 minute homemade Instant Pot split pea soup recipe
If you’re making Ninja Foodi cabbage soup adjust by: Setting to high pressure for 12 minutes (since it doesn’t have a rice button)
Can you freeze cabbage soup?
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:
- Pressure cooker fried cabbage
- Instant Pot stuffed cabbage is a family fave
- You can make unstuffed cabbage casserole in the oven here too.
- Easy Instant Pot corned beef and cabbage
Pressure Cooker Cabbage Soup
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground sausage, 1/2 regular and 1/2 lb. spicy is best
- 1 c 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
- 1/2-1 c rice, depending on how much you want inside your soup, we add 1 cup – uncooked white rice, raw
- 6 c cabbage, cut into 2×2″ squares, cubed then separate chunks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
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.
I’d like to try this! What size is your instant pot ? How would you tweak the recipe for the 3 quart Instant Pot Mini ?
Could you swap quinoa for the rice? Would this affect cooking time?
Thanks!
Casey
Usually quinoa doesn’t take quite as long, I might try 5 minutes?? Basing that off this recipe I have with quinoa. https://temeculablogs.com/pressure-cooker-chicken-quinoa-casserole/
your cabbage soup recipe was so good I made it twice it helped me
Appreciate the pressure pot , thank you . Martin
Would any adjustments to the liquids be needed if the rice isn’t included ?
Probably wouldn’t adjust unless you want your cabbage to come out firmer then you could do a few fewer minutes.
Dear,
I like your explanation.
is that your traditional recipes?
This cabbage soup will be the perfect thing to come home to after a long day. So hearty and full of flavor!
This soup looks delicious! My family loves hearty soups like this when the weather turns colder and we love our IP so much, use it almost everyday.
I am definitely making this recipe this week! Looks like such a flavorful soup recipe!
This looks so hearty and tasty! Bonus that it’s easy to make!
Why yes, I DO love cabbage and my Instant Pot! Love the flavor combos you created here. Can’t wait to give it a go!
I am following the Weight Watchers plan and this cabbage soup seems like the perfect thing for me. I like how it is filling and healthy. With the cooler weather I am making lots more soups these days.