Instant Pot Cabbage Soup

Instant Pot Cabbage Soup is loaded with nutritious vegetables in a flavourful tomato-based broth. There are so many ways to customize this healthy soup! It’s perfect for meal prep and freezer friendly.

This cozy soup is great served with crusty bread or my 5-ingredient biscuits!

Cabbage soup is such a great example of simple ingredients coming together to make something super delicious. I love to make it in my Instant Pot because it’s hands off and pressure cooking helps the flavours develop as though it’s been simmering much longer. This soup stores and reheats beautifully, so it’s ideal for meal prep!

Ingredients

Here’s an overview of the ingredients and steps to make Instant Pot Cabbage Soup. See the recipe card below for all the details!

• Olive oil – for sautéing
• Carrot
• Celery
• Onion
• Garlic
• Vegetable broth – I like to use vegetable Better Than Bouillon and water
• Italian seasoning – an easy way to add lots of flavour to the broth
• Frozen green beans – they’re cost effective and require no prep!
• Green cabbage – half a large head, cored and thinly sliced (about 15 oz). If you’re interested, here’s a great tutorial for how to cut cabbage.
• Canned petite diced tomatoes – I prefer the texture of petite diced in this recipe, but fire-roasted tomatoes or regular diced tomatoes will work too
• White wine vinegar – to brighten the flavour after pressure cooking
• Salt & pepper – to taste (how much salt you add will depend on the saltiness of your broth)

How to make it

First, use the Sauté function on the Instant Pot to sauté the onion, celery and carrot in the olive oil. Once the onion is softened, turn off the Sauté function and add the minced garlic. Cook the garlic for about a minute in the residual heat.

Next, pour in a small amount of broth and deglaze the bottom of the liner with a flat-bottomed turner (only if necessary, I didn’t find much food stuck to the bottom for this recipe). Pour in the remaining broth, sprinkle in the Italian seasoning and add the frozen green beans.

Layer the cabbage evenly on top, then add the tomatoes. Do not stir.

Close the lid and set the vent to sealing. Pressure cook on High for 15 minutes. It will take about 25 minutes to come to pressure. At the end of cooking time, allow for a 10-minute natural release (just leave the pot alone), then quick release the remaining pressure.

Stir in the white wine vinegar, then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately garnished with fresh parsley, if desired.

Tips and Variations

Layer the ingredients as directed. Make sure the tomatoes are on top and do not stir. If tomato-based ingredients touch the bottom of the insert, this can cause a burn warning.

Season with salt after pressure cooking. It’s better to add salt when you can taste as you go. Depending on your broth, you may not need much added salt!

Add meat. Sauté ground beef or ground Italian sausage as the first step, remove the meat to drain excess fat and add it back to the pot after you sauté the vegetables and deglaze. Follow the rest of the recipe as directed. You could also add cooked diced rotisserie chicken after pressure cooking.

Add plant-based protein. Add extra-firm diced tofu or cooked beans (chickpeas, kidney beans, or white beans) in an even layer before adding the cabbage. If you prefer firmer beans, you can stir them in after pressure cooking.

Add some heat. You can add a small amount (up to a quarter teaspoon) of red pepper flakes along with the Italian seasoning. Fair warning though: if you have leftovers, the heat intensifies as it sits in the fridge! To keep it kid-friendly, we skip the flakes and add a bit of hot sauce to individual bowls.

Add brown rice. Add half a cup of rinsed brown rice just before the cabbage. Make sure it’s submerged in the broth, but do not stir it to the bottom.

Use coleslaw mix. For faster prep, you can use coleslaw mix instead of sliced cabbage.

Can I freeze cabbage soup?

Yes! To freeze, transfer the soup to a storage container, leaving about half an inch at the top to account for expansion (the soup will expand as it freezes). Cool the soup completely, then place the lid on the container. Freeze for up to three months.

Can I make this in a slow cooker?

Yes! I prefer to make it in the Instant Pot because I can sauté the onion, celery and carrots right in the pot. But, you can totally skip the sauté and add everything to the slow cooker (or do the sauté step on the stove top). Stir all the ingredients together and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours. The soup is done when the veggies are tender.

More Instant Pot soup recipes

• Instant Pot Lentil Soup (vegan)
• Instant Pot Black Bean Soup (vegan)
• Instant Pot Golden Cauliflower Soup (vegan)
• Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
• Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup
• Instant Pot Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili (vegan)

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