Instant Pot 3-Minute Ham and Cabbage Soup
Comforting, filling, and so good for us, this soup is teeming with mild flavors, perfectly complimented by the chunks of ham and tender cabbage. All this soup needs is a good, crusty bread for soppin’ up the delicious ham broth.
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Things to Love About This Recipe –
- It’s flavorful, easy and fast.
- It’s broth-y. You will need bread!
- It’s a great way to use up leftover ham.
- It’s very budget-friendly.
I’m a soup lover through and through. That said, I honestly didn’t think I’d turn out to be a fan of Ham and Cabbage Soup…boy, was I wrong!
Though my family isn’t exactly on board with this soup (they aren’t cabbage lovers, I guess), I love how broth-y this soup is, making it really perfect for dipping a big crusty hunk of bread down into it….you can almost eat this soup without a spoon!
And, in reality, how can one not admire a soup that takes just 3 quick minutes to cook in your Instant Pot?? I’m totally on board with that.
If you’re a soup lover like I am, you might enjoy some of my other favorites – Instant Pot Tuscan Bean Soup with Bacon, Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, as well as Chicken Soup with Chick Peas and Cilantro. (Can you tell how much I love cooking soup in my Instant Pot???)
How to Make Ham and Cabbage Soup in Your Instant Pot in Just 3 Easy Steps
- In your Instant Pot, use the saute setting to cook the bacon until almost crispy; remove and reserve. Brown the ham chunks in the bacon drippings, then reserve with the cooked bacon.
- Add the vegetables to the same drippings in the Instant Pot and cook them for just a few minutes. Add the cabbage, broth, and the butter.
- Cook the soup under pressure in the Instant Pot for 3 minutes. Remove the pressure from the Instant Pot, take off the lid and give the soup a stir; serve at once with crusty bread.
Helpful Tips for Making Ham and Cabbage Soup
What if I’d like this soup to be more creamy than
broth-y?
- This is a super easy fix. After you’ve cooked the soup, just stir in a bit of whipping cream. Yep, that’s it….you have creamy ham and cabbage soup! This will add a few more calories, but it’s very delicious.
Is ham and cabbage soup low carb?
- It’s definitely a low-carb, healthy option that offers great nutrition. is low-calorie and is also low-fat….unless you use lots of that crusty bread I’ve mentioned. Adding cream to this soup after it has pressurized will still keep it low-carb, but it’s no longer as low-calorie or low-fat.
Does ham and cabbage soup offer good nutrition?
- Cabbage is very nutritional and offers lots of health benefits. Cabbage helps lower cholesterol, fights cancer, and boosts your immune system, and aids with improved digestion…..just to name a few.
How do I make sure this soup is low calorie and low fat when I make it?
- If you’d like this soup to be lower in fat and calories, don’t add the butter when you add the cabbage and broth. You could also decrease the amount of bacon and ham you use to make the soup.
Would this soup be good with potatoes or beans added?
- These additions are such a great idea! You could easily stir in small cubed potatoes and/or canned beans (that have been drained and rinsed) when you add the cabbage, broth, and butter. As for the beans, I think Great Northern, cannelli, chick peas, or pinto beans would be delicious, but you could probably add nearly any type of canned bean.
Can I freeze ham and cabbage soup?
Ham and cabbage soup will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. It freezes great
Other Soup Recipes to Enjoy –
- INSTANT POT BROCCOLI CHEESE NOODLE SOUP
- INSTANT POT SAUSAGE, BACON AND POTATO SOUP
- SPEEDY INSTANT POT VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP
- DAIRY-FREE INSTANT POT ORZO CHICKEN SOUP
- INSTANT POT HAM AND BEAN SOUP
- INSTANT POT CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
- HEARTY INSTANT POT RAVIOLI SOUP
- HILLBILLY CHILI WITH CINNAMON ROLLS
- TEX MEX CORN CHOWDER
- 30-MINUTE INSTANT POT CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
Looking for a great soup side dish….that’s perfect for “soppin’ up”? This is it: Cheddar Mashed Potato Waffles!
Instant Pot Ham and Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
- 6-8 slices bacon, chopped
- 3 cups cubed cooked ham, approx. 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch in size
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
- 1 small head cabbage, cut into large bite-size chunks
- 4 cups nice strong ham broth, I use water combined with Better Than Bouillon ham base to get a nice, hearty broth
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Using the sauté setting on the Instant Pot, cook the bacon until it’s beginning to brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the Instant Pot; reserve. Keep 2-3 tablespoons of bacon fats in the Instant Pot, removing the rest if there's excess.
- Still using the sauté setting, add the ham pieces to the bacon drippings, cooking just enough to brown them slightly; remove the ham, placing it with the reserved bacon.
- Add the carrots, celery, onions and Italian seasoning to the drippings in the Instant Pot; sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If this mixture needs a bit of moisture as it sautes, add a bit of the ham broth.)
- Add the cabbage to the vegetables in the Instant Pot, along with the ham broth and butter; bring soup to a boil, still using the saute setting.
- Turn off the sauté setting, then lock the Instant Pot lid into securely into place, making sure the valve is set to the sealing position. Choose the High Pressure setting for 3 minutes, bringing the Instant Pot to full pressure.
- When the timer sounds, perform a Quick Release to immediately remove all the pressure from the Instant Pot. Unlock and carefully remove the Instant Pot lid, giving the contents a gentle stir as you add the reserved bacon and ham. Taste the soup; season with salt and pepper, as needed. Serve at once.
Notes
Nutrition
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