Instant Pot Cabbage (With Bacon!)
Recipe Snapshot
PREP + COOK TIME: 31 minutes (including time to pressurize)
METHOD: Instant Pot
OTHER TOOLS: knife and cutting board
TOTAL INGREDIENTS: 10
Cabbage is often an underrated veggie, but it’s a terrific side dish for many different meals. If you haven’t tried making cabbage in the Instant Pot, this is the best way to cook it! Plus, with the addition of bacon and onions, it could not turn out tastier.
What’s To Love About This Recipe
- Cabbage is an easy side dish with amazing health benefits! It is full of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, and it can help reduce inflammation. Cabbage, like other cruciferous vegetables, is also a good source of fiber that’s easy to integrate into your meals.
- Who doesn’t love bacon? Unless you opt to keep this a vegetarian side, adding a little bacon is a great way to add some flavor and get the kids to try some cabbage! (You might find it easier to convince yourself to eat it, too!)
- The Instant Pot is the best way to cook cabbage. It turns out perfectly and is ready in minutes.
- With this recipe, you don’t need a lot of fancy ingredients to make a tasty side. You’ll love that it’s simple, economical, and doesn’t require a lot of planning.
Ingredients Needed
- Olive oil – You only need a small amount of oil to sauté the bacon and onions in the Instant Pot. It also adds a bit of extra flavor.
- Bacon – Bacon might just be the key to reaching your goals for more veggies in your diet! I like to use uncured bacon without added sugar (such as bacon from Coleman All Natural Meats).
- Onion and garlic – This pair can make any veggie tasty! With the Instant Pot, you can quickly sauté them before pressure cooking, which brings out richer flavor and complexity. I like to use jarred minced garlic for convenience and dice a yellow onion for a bit of sweetness.
- Cabbage – I prefer using green cabbage with bacon and onions. When you shop for cabbage at the store, look out for one that has crisp, green leaves and does not have any blemishes. It should also be firm to the touch – not wilted.
- Stone ground mustard – This is an easy addition that adds so much flavor! Stone ground mustard adds a slightly tangy, earthy taste.
- Chicken broth – Broth creates the necessary steam and infuses flavor. Choose bone broth for even more health benefits, like extra protein and vitamins.
- Smoked paprika – This pairs nicely with the stone ground mustard and gives a hint of smoky flavor to the cabbage.
- Add salt and pepper to taste after cooking.
How To Make Cabbage In The Instant Pot
- Turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode and add olive oil.
- Chop bacon into bite-sized pieces and add them to the preheated Instant Pot.
- Cook until the bacon is browned and crispy, adding a splash of the chicken broth as needed to deglaze the pot. Then, remove the bacon, place it on a paper towel, and set aside.
- Add chopped onion to the remaining bacon grease in the pot and cook until slightly browned and tender.
- Turn off the Instant Pot.
- Cut the cabbage in half and remove the core. Then, cut the halves into large pieces about 1 1/2 – 2 inches square.
- Add cabbage to the onions in the Instant Pot.
- Whisk together garlic, mustard, broth, and paprika and pour over the cabbage.
- Cover, seal, and set to high pressure for 6 minutes.
- Once the cooking time has completed, perform a quick release to release pressure before removing the lid.
- Return the bacon to the Instant Pot.
- Stir the cabbage and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pro Tips
- Before cutting the cabbage, remove the tough outer leaves and rinse the cabbage well.
- The quick steam release prevents the cabbage from overcooking and becoming too mushy.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
If you want to experiment with how to serve cabbage, you could add some thinly sliced carrots to the Instant Pot. For a little added spice, add some red pepper flakes either into the pot or on individual servings.
To increase the smokiness, add a pinch of chili powder or cumin for a smoky flavor. Add a little butter to the finished dish for a smoother flavor!
How To Serve Instant Pot Cabbage
Instant Pot Cabbage is the easiest side dish that complements lots of different main dishes! It’s also a great choice when you have a more complicated or hands-on entrée since it doesn’t involve much prep.
Serve cabbage and bacon with grilled meats or a hearty Gluten Free Meatloaf. Another great main dish is Instant Pot Chicken Thighs With Gravy, or you could use the air fryer to make Herb Crusted Pork Chops. Add a side of Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes or Sauteed Carrots for a nutritious meal!
Storing and Reheating
Store leftover cabbage in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. (Leftovers will not freeze well.) Reheat in a skillet with a splash of olive oil or a small amount of butter.
Instant Pot Cabbage (With Bacon!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 oz bacon
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 head cabbage
- 2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté mode and add olive oil.
- Chop bacon into bite-sized pieces and add to preheated Instant Pot.
- Cook until bacon is browned and crispy, adding a splash of chicken broth as needed to deglaze pot. Then, remove bacon, place on a paper towel, and set aside.
- Add chopped onion to remaining bacon grease in pot and cook until slightly browned and tender.
- Turn off Instant Pot.
- Cut cabbage in half and remove the core. Then, cut halves into large pieces about 1 1/2 – 2 inches square.
- Add cabbage to onions in Instant Pot.
- Whisk together garlic, mustard, broth, and paprika and pour over cabbage.
- Cover, seal, and set to high pressure for 6 minutes.
- Once cooking time has completed, perform a quick release to release pressure before removing the lid.
- Return bacon to Instant Pot.
- Stir cabbage and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Remove tough outer cabbage leaves prior to chopping and rinse thoroughly.
- Store leftover cabbage in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheat in a skillet with a bit of olive oil or butter as needed.
- Add a little butter to the finished dish for a smoother flavor.
