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Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup Instant Pot recipe is the deconstructed version of your classic cabbage rolls in the soup form. This savory Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup get’s done in less than 30 minutes and is filled with huge flavors. Don’t miss the tips & the recipe video.

unstuffed cabbage roll soup instant pot in a grey bowl with spoon — Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup

Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup

Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup is packed with hot Italian Sausage (you can also use ground beef or even pork & beef in equal proportions), white rice, fresh cabbage and lots of great seasoning in a tomato based soup base.

This soup is an insanely filling, economical and extremely flavorful healthy meal so perfect to feed a large crowd or a big family. We love garlic bread as a side or sometimes need nothing at all.

Ingredients

Find the Ingredients with actual measurements at the bottom of the post. The list below is just a reference.

Ground Meat: We used hot Italian Pork Sausage casings removed. You can use both ground beef and pork in equal proportions or use only ground beef. Choice is yours.
Cabbage: We picked fresh organic cabbage and used half head of a medium cabbage.
Uncooked white rice: Use long grain white rice or White Jasmine rice. We would not recommend using Basmati rice because it has a distinct aroma which will change the aroma of the unstuffed cabbage roll soup.
Tomatoes: 3 varieties is all you’ll need. Crushed Tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste.
Aromatics: Yellow onion and garlic.
Seasonings: Paprika, ground black pepper powder, Italian Seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. This combo will give the soup amazing flavor boost. You can certainly play around with the quantities and make it your own. For a spicy kick you can also throw in some red pepper flakes. We didn’t use any.
Bay Leaf.
Oil: You can use any neutral oil. We use light olive oil.
Stock: You can use chicken stock, vegetable stock or even beef stock. We chose better than Bouillon (chicken) and diluted the amazing paste in warm water.

unstuffed cabbage roll soup in instant pot with a ladle — Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup Instant Pot Recipe

Tips & Tricks

Low Carb Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup: Omit the white rice and reduce the stock quantity ( 1 cup). You can also replace the white rice with cauliflower rice (2/3 cups cauliflower rice for todays recipe). In that case do not change the stock quantity.
Cabbage: Chop the cabbage into large squares about 1 inch, this will make a hefty soup. If you chop the cabbage fine it’ll completely disintegrate and turn mushy in the soup.
Amount of stock: Todays Instant Pot cabbage roll soup is thicker and resembles the consistency of a stew. We love it that way. However, If you prefer a thinner soup use 7 cups stock.
Ground Meat: For a complex flavor make the recipe with 1:1 ground beef : ground pork or sausage. You can also make the recipe with exclusively ground beef. We used hot Italian Pork sausages with casings removed and skipped beef.
Brown the meat: This will add tons of complexity and bold flavor to the soup.
Seasoning: There’s no right amount of seasoning for a cabbage roll soup recipe. Add as much as you love or as little as you want 🙂 We love well seasoned unstuffed cabbage roll soup that’s so rustic.
Canned Tomatoes: Use crushed or diced canned tomatoes. You can always go for extra flavors and use fire roasted spicy canned tomatoes or diced canned tomatoes with oregano, garlic and chilies. We used regular caned crushed tomatoes and went heavy on the seasoning part.
Rice: Pick either long grain white rice or Jasmine rice. Do not use minute cooking rice. You can also use left over rice from previous day. In that case mix the rice after the pressure cooking cycle is over. The consistency of the soup will change and it will be slightly on the thinner side as there will be no starch from the rice to thicken the soup.

Method

Find the detailed step by step recipe along with measurements + Video at the bottom of the post.

Step #1 Brown the Meat

browning the ground pork sausage in instant pot — Brown the meat

Brown the ground meat first. I nicely browned the hot Italian sausage with casings removed in olive oil and use the SAUTE on HIGH heat setting. This will add tons of hefty flavor to the cabbage roll soup and make it taste outstanding.

Once the meat is nicely browned you may drain the excess fat or use it. I drained the fat with the help of a ladle.

Step #2 Pressure Cook the soup

pressure cooking cabbage and sausage — Pressure Cook to make Cabbage Roll Soup

cabbage roll soup in the instant pot in a ladle — Super healthy & filling Cabbage Roll Soup

Add the onion and garlic and saute with the meat until the onions begin to become translucent. Now, pour in the chicken stock and de-glaze the pot very well with the help of a spatula scarping the sides and the bottom of the pot.

This will help loosen any stuck food particles. This step is absolutely essential to avoid the BURN error!

Add all the seasonings and salt. Add the rice, tomatoes, give everything a good stir. This will help incorporate the tomatoes in the stock, especially the tomato paste. Add the cabbage, CANCEL the SAUTE function, close the lid and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for just 4 minutes followed by a quick pressure release (QPR).

Open the lid carefully, check for seasoning, add more salt if needed. Serve the Instant Pot unstuffed cabbage roll soup with chopped fresh parsley. We love it with garlic bread, so Yum!

What goes with Cabbage Roll Soup?

A light green salad, garlic bread or a simple crusty bread goes very well with Instant Pot cabbage roll soup.

Can Cabbage Roll Soup be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze cabbage roll soup for upto 2 months. We love to freeze it in individual freezer safe bags. Thaw them over night in the fridge and re-heat on the stove top over medium heat.

The consistency of the soup will not remain the same once thawed and re-heated. The rice will become slightly over cooked and also the cabbage.