Cabbage Roll and Rice Soup | Instant Pot | Stove Top | Oil-Free

Are you a soup lover? I wasn’t for a long time. It wasn’t that I didn’t like soup–it just never seemed satiating enough, thus not making it worth my time. Silly me. That was way back in the day when I ate out of boxes and cans. Campbell’s Chicken and Stars was my go-to. Thank goodness the love affair with whole foods came into my life, because with that came my love for soup. This soup turned out thick, hearty, and just downright delicious.

To make this picture Instagram worthy, I should have sprinkled chopped parsley on top! DOH!

What I love about this soup is that it is loaded with veggies, texture, and flavor, which equates to a delicious-nutritious-good-for-the-belly meal. If you own an Instant Pot, use it! If you don’t own one, you might want to look into purchasing one. But it’s undoubtedly not a requirement, as I provided stove top instructions as well. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

I often like to go over why I use the ingredients that I do, but for the most part, everything here is pretty straight forward. The only ingredient that might leave you scratching your head is the addition of kombu seaweed. What the heck, Amie Sue?! I don’t want my soup to taste fishy! Trust me, it won’t affect the flavor at all, but it WILL ramp up the nutritional content! Let me share a brief explanation as to why I add kombu seaweed to my soups, rice, beans, etc.

Why I Add Kombu Seaweed and What It Is

Kombu is a type of sea kelp that is rich in vitamins and minerals, including potassium, calcium, and iodine. It is a great ingredient to keep stashed in your pantry, as it makes grains and legumes more digestible when added to the cooking water.

It is high in vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B6, and B12. Seaweed also contains a substance (ergosterol) that converts to vitamin D in the body. In addition to essential nutrients, seaweeds provide us with carotene, chlorophyll, enzymes, and fiber. And while we are at it…it is high in iodine, which is essential for thyroid functioning! So next time you make soup, oats, rice, vegetable broth, or beans, add a strip into the pot and reap the nutritional benefits of seaweed. Read more (here).

Batch Cooking

This soup yielded ten lovely cups. Now, that’s a lot of soup. Of course, depending on the size of your family, it might be a single dinner serving. It’s just Bob and me, so I plan to freeze half of it in pint-sized freezer-safe jars. I must have been an army cook in a previous life, because I always seem to make a lot of food. But I have come to learn that it is actually a blessing. I love to take about half of whatever I make and freeze in single portions. By doing this, I am naturally building a surplus of a variety of foods.

Soup Tips

One of the many things I love about this soup is that it’s nice and thick. If you prefer a different texture, add 2 more cups of vegetable broth.
If you are salt sensitive, hold off on adding the 1 teaspoon of sea salt. You can always add salt to each bowl served. Plus, it all depends on the ingredients you use. Vegetable broth and canned tomatoes can have salt in them, and coconut aminos are salty.
Make it a day ahead of time so the flavors can really infuse together. It’s delicious right out of the gate, but leftovers will be even more delicious.
Freeze half of the soup in pint-sized freezer-safe jars, to build a stock of foods for days when you don’t have time or energy to cook.

Making Every Bite Count

This recipe was designed to be fat-free and oil-free, but if you want, you can use oil to sauté your onions.
Adding the kombu seaweed is entirely optional. It doesn’t affect the taste of the soup; I am just trying to make every bite count. Make the soup even if you don’t have kombu on hand, but look into getting some if you can. It is dried and will keep in your pantry for a long time.
Soaking the lentils is an option, but let me explain why I do it. The outer shell of lentils contains anti-nutrients that can interfere with digestion. My solution is to soak them for eight hours, thereby neutralizing the anti-nutrients. Start by rinsing them, then soaking with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Once they are done soaking, give them a rinse, and add to the soup mix.
I also soak rice in the same manner, for the same reasons!
Eat one mouthful at a time. Put less on your spoon. Chew more (even soup). Put your spoon down between bites. Let your digestion savor the soup just as much as your tastebuds.

Ready to make some soup?! I will meet you in the kitchen. Please leave a comment below and have a blessed day, amie sue

Ingredients

yields 10 cups

2 Tbsp water
1 large onion, diced
6 cups chopped cabbage
2 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup dried brown lentils, soaked
2 cups uncooked brown rice, soaked
2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes in juice
2 Tbsp coconut aminos or tamari
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Kombu seaweed, one 4″ piece

Preparation

Soaking Rice & Lentils

Place the rice and lentils in a large bowl, cover with double the amount of water, 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar.
Cover with a dishtowel and let it sit on the counter for 8-24 hours.
Once soaked, drain and rinse. Proceed with the recipe.

Instant Pot Method

Place the chopped onions and water into the Instant Pot and hit the sauté button. Stir while cooking, add more water if needed, so the onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Add a dash of salt to help the onion sweat. The salt breaks down the cell walls, helping the onions soften.
- If the bottom of the pot starts to brown, add a splash of the veggie broth to deglaze it.
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds until it becomes aromatic. Be careful that you don’t burn the garlic, or it will give the soup a bitter flavor.
Add the remaining ingredients, secure the lid, and turn the pressure valve to “seal.”
- Chop the cabbage to bite-sized pieces. It will condense down as it cooks, but we want to make sure we don’t have big floppy pieces that could be difficult to eat.
- Kombu–Don’t be concerned about the exact size piece that you use. Mine was roughly 2″ x 4″.
Push the “Manual” button, set on “High” pressure, and adjust the timer to 20 minutes. Then walk away, my friends, and let the magic happen while you busy yourself with some other fun task.
When the cooking time is complete, allow the pressure to come down naturally for about 30 minutes. If the pressure remains after 30 minutes, quick-release the pressure and enjoy!
- Important Note – Kombu can be eaten if you want everything it has to offer in the world of nutrition. Just dice it up and stir it into your dish. You can also save it in the fridge after the rice has cooked and reuse it a couple of times before tossing it.

Stove Top Method

Add 2 Tbsp of water to the bottom of a large pot and place it over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until it begins to soften–about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it, so it doesn’t start to stick to the base of the pan. Add another Tbsp of water if need be.
- Add a dash of salt to help the onion sweat. The salt breaks down the cell walls, helping the onions soften.
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds until it becomes aromatic. Be careful that you don’t burn the garlic, or it will give the soup a bitter flavor.
Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce to a gently simmer, cooking for about 20-30 minutes (until the rice and lentils are cooked).
- Chop the cabbage to bite-sized pieces. It will condense down as it cooks, but we want to make sure we don’t have big floppy pieces that could be difficult to eat.
Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust any other seasonings to your liking.
Serve and enjoy!

Food Storage

When it comes to storing hot foods, we have a 2-hour window. You don’t want to put piping hot foods directly into the refrigerator. However, If you leave food out to cool and forget about it, you should, after 2 hours, throw it away to prevent the growth of bacteria. (source) Large amounts should be divided into smaller portions and put in shallow, covered containers for quicker cooling in a refrigerator that is set to 40 degrees (F) or below.

Fridge – In a sealed container, it will keep for up to 5-7 days.
Freezer – You can also freeze the soup in individual or meal-sized portions for up to 3 months.