Why spend your entire night making cabbage rolls? This Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup has all the comforting flavors of a cabbage roll with the ease of a “throw it in the pot and walk away” philosophy. Healthy, nourishing soup that will delight your soul with every bite.
This is one of THOSE recipes.
THOSE recipes that every bite leaves you feeling happier, lighter, and more optimistic about your future.
Dirty shoe prints, cleaning bathrooms of young boys, refolding laundry after someone digs through it to find “that one shirt” . . .
All of those things feel simple, easy, and non-irritating as warm, tomato-based, veggie-loaded soup fills all the holes of despair and discouragement.
Cabbage Roll Soup – You Save Me.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE INSTANT POT CABBAGE ROLL SOUP
- NOURISHING TO THE MAX: Warm flavorful tomato-based broth, tender bites of meat, whole grain wild rice, and piles of tender cabbage all in one spoonful.
- SIMPLE: Unlike the time-consuming task of rolling and cooking cabbage rolls, the prep time for this soup is less than 15 minutes and then you simply let the pressure cooker do the rest. Go for a run, take a nap, play Go Fish with your kids – the Instant Pot's got this.
- LIGHT AND COMFORTING: Unlike most “comfort foods” that are laced in carbs and grease, this soup brings all the comfort while staying light on the belly.
HOW TO MAKE CABBAGE ROLL SOUP IN THE PRESSURE COOKER
- Brown the sausage with the onions and spices
- Add the rest of the liquids and place the cabbage on top; pressure cook
- Dinner is served!
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST CABBAGE ROLL SOUP
- CUT THE CABBAGE INTO BIG CHUNKS: We still want the cabbage to have some bite here, so cut it into wide strips and place it right on top of the liquids – do not stir it in!
- SAUSAGE EQUALS MORE FLAVOR: I've used both regular ground meat and ground sausage and the sausage beats out on flavor every time. I prefer a lean sausage because it doesn't make the broth greasy. Use the kind in a tube, or buy the uncooked sausage in the casings and cut the casing away before crumbling it into the pot.
- USE WHOLE GRAIN RICE: The wild rice is one of my favorite parts of this soup but brown rice would make a great substitute. I haven't tried it, but I also think farro would be amazing. Stay away from white rice – it will be very mushy. If you prefer white rice, cook it on the side and add scoops of rice to each bowl when serving.
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE CABBAGE ROLL SOUP
- Store: Cool the soup to room temperature then refrigerate in a sealed container for up to five days.
- Reheat: Warm soup on the stovetop or in the microwave until hot.
- Freeze: This soup freezes okay, but the cabbage becomes a little softer than I like. If that doesn't bother you, freeze flat in a ziptop bag for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, let it thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat as directed above.
MAKE AHEAD TIPS FOR CABBAGE ROLL SOUP
Have onions diced and cabbage chopped before the night of making the soup. It will make it come together very quickly.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH SOUP
VARIATIONS OF CABBAGE ROLL SOUP
- Spicy Cabbage Roll Soup: Add a big pinch of red pepper flakes or use spicy sausage.
- Vegetarian Cabbage Roll Soup: Omit the sausage and use vegetable broth instead of beef.
- Low Carb Cabbage Roll Soup: Omit the rice, it's still hearty and delicious without it.
When your soul is in need of some wholesome comfort, I do hope you will turn to this soup to chase all your worries away.
And if your soul isn't aching, and life is bright, happy, and optimistic, well then gosh darn it, eat yourself a big ol' bowl of happy Cabbage Roll Soup and bring some to your neighbor too. Share the love!
Enjoy!
MORE INSTANT POT SOUP RECIPES TO SOOTHE THE SOUL
- Instant Pot Spring Soup with Chicken Ricotta Meatballs
- Instant Pot Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Instant Pot Creamy Ravioli Butternut Squash Soup
- Instant Pot French Onion Soup
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT CABBAGE ROLL SOUP
- Instant Pot
- Meat Chopper
- Tomato Paste in a Tube (the best!)
Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup
Healthy, wholesome, Cabbage Roll Soup, guaranteed to make you feel good in no time flat!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: European
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound lean ground pork or turkey sausage
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ¾ cup wild rice
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 cups V8 juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium head cabbage, core removed and coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Select saute on the pressure cooker and add oil. When hot, add onions, garlic, and pork. Sprinkle paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper on the pork. Brown and crumble the pork until it’s cooked through and the onions are soft.
- Add rice, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, V8, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf; stir. Place chopped cabbage on top – DO NOT STIR.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 20 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, use a natural release for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
- Remove bay leaf and serve hot. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Can swap wild rice for brown rice with no change to the cook time. If using white rice, you may want to cut the cook time in half.
- The 20 minute cook time will not overcook the cabbage as long as the cabbage is cut into wide strips and placed right on top of the liquids.
Keywords: Instant Pot Soup, Cabbage Rolls, Healthy Soup
Wow! I started this without checking if I had all the ingredients (I actually know better!) anyway, I didn’t have V8 or tomato paste so I used a can of tomato soup instead. Didn’t have white wine vinegar so I used rice wine vinegar. Also used hamburger. My husband and I were crossing our fingers to see if it would turn out ok. We both love it! Next time I want to try the recipe with the correct ingredients because it will probably be even better!!! It is definitely a keeper. Thanks so much for all you do.
Beverly, now you are a true cook! I’m impressed with your improvising skills but now I’m dying to know what you think in comparison to how I wrote it! Report back if you do 🙂
The wild rice will cook in 20 minutes? Last time I made wild rice it took for-stinking-ever. Like HOURS. I’ve been using a pressure cooker for about 10 years, but haven’t tried wild rice…
Love your recipes! I don’t cook often, but will have to try this one.
Victoria, I promise it works! It takes a while for it to come up to pressure because of the liquids from the soup, so it’s actually a bit longer than 20 minutes if you take that into consideration. It’s so amazing. It’s food for my soul. I get excited for it everytime, haha!
I did not have v8 around so I used zing zing Bloody Mary mix. I also added at the end some Spanish paprika to amp up the spice a bit. Excellent soups. And yes the wild rice cooked just fine.
I love your recipe tweaks! Way to think on the fly 🙂
What can be used to substitute the V8 juice? I’m not a fan of the juice.
Enjoy all of your recipes. Always look forward to your emails to see new recipes.
Thank you Joann! I’m happy to have you here 🙂 I think tomato sauce would swap for the V8 just fine.