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Why You’ll Love Instant Pot Cabbage Soup
If you’ve tried my Instant Pot lasagna soup, you know how easy it is to whip up a cozy, filling meal with this magical kitchen gadget.
This delicious Instant Pot cabbage soup recipe is cooked with ground beef and is jam-packed with healthy, hearty vegetables. While the cabbage is the main star of the dish, there are also onions, carrots, celery, and even diced tomatoes, which are the perfect complement, adding a tangy tomato flavor.
Pressure cooking this cabbage soup in the Instant Pot helps it come together quickly and easily (just like this Instant Pot chicken soup), and I just love how all the veggies cook to a perfect tenderness. It’s just the best thing to cozy up with on a cold day.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This is a really great budget-friendly recipe, and it’s easy to find all the ingredients at the grocery store. They are mostly kitchen staple items, so you may already have them on hand!
- Ground Beef: You will need 1lb of ground beef for this recipe. Use whichever fat content/brand you prefer.
- Veggies: Onion, minced garlic, carrots, celery, green cabbage.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes: You’ll need a large, 28oz can of diced tomatoes.
- Avocado Oil: Or any of your favorite cooking oil works, like ghee, olive oil, or coconut oil.
- Spices: Dried oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Bone Broth: If you don’t have bone broth on hand, you can substitute it with beef broth or beef stock. Chicken broth will also work in a pinch.
How to Make Instant Pot Cabbage Soup
Step 1: Turn on the Instant Pot to Sauté, then add avocado oil. Once it indicates that it’s “hot,” add onion and garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant.
Step 2: Add ground beef, salt, pepper, and oregano, and sauté until the meat is lightly browned.
Step 3: Add carrots and celery and cook stirring for 5 minutes to soften.
Step 4: Turn off the Instant Pot and add cabbage, broth, and diced tomatoes. Stir to mix. Close the lid and set the pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Once it beeps to a finish, release pressure naturally for 15-20 minutes until the lid opens easily.
Recipe Variations
- Meat: Instead of ground beef, you can substitute chicken to make chicken cabbage soup. Use ground chicken, shredded chicken breast, or the meat from a rotisserie chicken. You can also try this recipe with ground pork or turkey or even my Instant Pot shredded beef!
- Veggies: If you want to bulk up or switch out the veggies, you can add cauliflower, zucchini, green beans, broccoli, spinach, and/or even sweet potatoes.
- Vegetarian: This cabbage soup will still be flavorful if you omit the meat and add cooked rice, beans, or pasta. Use vegetable broth in place of beef broth.
- Spicy: If you like spicier dishes, feel free to add red pepper flakes to give this soup a kick.
- Grains & Beans: You can add rice, beans, or pasta to add extra heartiness. Use cooked white rice, brown rice, or pasta, or add in a can of drained and rinsed pinto beans, white beans, or lentils. Make sure the beans, rice, or pasta are cooked before adding them to the soup.
If you love cooking with cabbage, try my reader favorite ground beef and cabbage stir fry, and these cabbage rolls with shrimp.
Storage Tips
- To store, cool the soup completely. Store in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy for up to 4-5 days. If you can’t finish it, I suggest freezing it using the steps below.
- To freeze:
- Cool the soup completely.
- Place in airtight freezer-safe containers in individual portions. Leave about an inch of room at the top. The soup will expand as it freezes.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Defrost each container in the refrigerator overnight so you can eat it the next day!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! If you don’t have an Instant Pot, use a large soup pot or Dutch oven and follow these instructions:
1. Heat avocado oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and stir cooking for 5 minutes until fragrant and translucent.
2. Add ground beef, salt, pepper, and oregano, and sauté until the meat is lightly browned. Add carrots and celery and cook, stirring for 5 minutes until soft.
3. Stir in cabbage, broth, and diced tomatoes, cover, and bring to a boil. Bring down the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Serve alongside this gluten-free cornbread, sweet potato cornbread, or regular crusty bread to dip into the soup. This makes a great stand-alone meal, but also would be a great starter to heartier dishes like this whole roast chicken or this roast beef.
More Instant Pot Recipes
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Instant Pot Paleo Hamburger Soup (Whole30)
30 Minutes or Less
Instant Pot Meatballs in Tomato Sauce (Paleo, Whole30)
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Instant Pot Cabbage Soup with Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp avocado oil, or your favorite cooking oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 5 cups chopped green cabbage, about 1/2 medium cabbage
- 4 cups bone broth, or beef broth
- 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Turn the Instant Pot on to Sauté and add avocado oil. Once it indicates that it's "hot," add onion and garlic and cook stirring for 5 minutes.2 tbsp avocado oil, 1 small onion, 4 cloves garlic
- Add ground beef, salt, pepper, and oregano, and sauté for 5 minutes until the meat is lightly browned.1 lb ground beef, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp dried oregano
- Add carrots and celery and cook stirring for 5 minutes to soften.3 carrots, 3 stalks celery
- Turn off the Instant Pot and stir in cabbage, broth, and diced tomatoes. Screw on the lid and set the pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on Manual at high pressure for 15 minutes. Once it beeps to a finish, release pressure naturally for 15-20 minutes until the lid slides open easily.5 cups chopped green cabbage, 4 cups bone broth, 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
- Add more salt if needed, and serve hot.
Stove Top Method
- Heat avocado oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook stirring for 5 minutes until fragrant and translucent.2 tbsp avocado oil, 1 small onion, 4 cloves garlic
- Add ground beef, salt, pepper, and oregano, and sauté for 5 minutes until the meat is lightly browned.1 lb ground beef, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp dried oregano
- Add carrots and celery and cook stirring for 5 minutes to soften.3 carrots, 3 stalks celery
- Stir in cabbage, broth, and diced tomatoes, cover, and let everything come to a boil.5 cups chopped green cabbage, 4 cups bone broth, 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
- Bring down the heat to medium low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add more salt if needed, and serve hot.
Notes
- Sautéing the vegetables and the ground beef before pressure cooking results in a better flavor and texture. I’ve pressure cooked all the ingredients together without sautéing, just from pure laziness, and I had a much better result when I didn’t skip this step. However, it’s not necessary. You can skip this step for the slow cooker as well.
- Serve it alongside this Cornbread or regular crusty bread to dip into the soup. You can also serve it as a starter to any of these entrees: roasted chicken, roast beef, or pork chops.
- To store, cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge. You can enjoy this soup for up to 4-5 days if stored properly in an airtight container. If you can’t finish it, I suggest freezing it using the steps below.
- To Freeze:
- Cool the soup completely.
- Place in airtight freezer-safe containers in individual portions. Leave about an inch of room at the top. The soup will expand as it freezes.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Defrost each container in the refrigerator overnight so you can eat it the next day!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Eating a bowl of this now! So incredibly good. My picky middle schooler loves it, too. Thank you!
Yay, thank you!!
Omgoodness, this soup is delicious. I had to separate the recipe in half and cooked in 2 batches in my 3qt instant pot. This is definitely a keeper. Thank you so much for sharing it.
I’m so glad it worked in a smaller Instant Pot!
I made this today in my instant pot. Delish!! My daughter and granddaughter (a fussy eater) loved it. So tasty, low cal, and low carb and economical
Thanks so much!
Making this as I write this! Just wondering…when you say cook in “high” does that mean the manual setting or soup setting? I have an IP lux 8 qt…..
Sorry I just saw this. Manual!
So quick and easy but very tasty. Perfect for cold nights!
I like your recipe. Great and delicious. Its taste is amazing. I did it over the weekend. Everyone loves it. Thank you for your recipe so easy and effective. Yummy…
I am doing my whole30 right now! I can’t wait to try this recipe
This soup tastes amazing, everyone in my family loved it. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Is it possible to double this recipe with the same results. Also, only have chicken broth…
Yes, you can double the recipe without changing the cook time. And chicken broth should work fine!
What is a serving size (ie: 1 cup, 1.5 cups)? I’m cooking this tonight for 8 people (some are picky eaters) and need to know if I should double it. Plus, there are some of us calorie counting :😁
It will vary from batch to batch, but around 1.5 cups. Each batch makes 6 servings.