Instant Pot Recipe: Corned Beef and Cabbage

 Happy St. Patrick's Day 2026!

Equipment:

6-qt Instant Pot "Duo"

Steamer pot

Steamer insert

Ladle

Knife for chopping vegetables

Ingredients:

Prepackaged corned beef brisket

5 lbs bag of carrots

5 lbs bag or red potatoes or your favorite variety

one head of green cabbage

Note:

Once upon a time, we used to use the crock pot overnight to get a tender brisket, but now This is *the only* way we make corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day... 

The corned beef comes out tender and you won't over cook the vegetables that accompany the dish.

We've tested this recipe using a variety of different brands and styles of brisket, and they come out great!

Instructions:

First, get yourself an Instant pot... at least the 6 quart Duo variety if you don't already own one. Or borrow your one from a friend.

The Instant Pot is where you will cook the corned beef only for two hours with three cups of water.

Once the two hour time is up, quick release the vent and then transfer the meat to a carving dish and slice into servicing size pieces.

The second part of this recipe is prepping and steaming the vegetables that go along with this dish.

Get out the largest soup pot that you own and place a steamer insert in the bottom. Add enough water to reach the bottom of the steam insert. We are going to call this the steamer pot.

*Prep the carrots cutting them into one inch pieces. Place the carrots in the bottom of the steamer pot so that there is about two layers of carrots. (We love carrots in our house and are always running out of them hence two layers of carrots.) 

*Prep the potatoes. This year, we are using red potatoes, but you can use your favorite variety for this dish. You can quarter the smaller ones, and for the bigger ones, you can cut them in thirds and then half the middle section. You are going to prep at least 6 potatoes and add them to the steamer pot. 

*The last layer of vegetable will be the cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half through the core, then in quarters and then two halfs in quarters so you are left with 8 pieces of cabbage. Lay the cabbage on top of the potatoes in the steamer pot and check to make sure that the lid will sit on the pot because it will be full of these cut vegetables.

The steamer pot will need to be cooked on the stove top on medium heat for 30 minutes. So watch the timer on the instant pot and when it gets to 35, start the steamer pot full of vegetables.

To Serve: 

Add one or two slices of corned beef to the bowl, then add the steamed vegetables.

Using a ladle, add some broth from the cooked corned beef onto the vegetables in the bowl. 

Season to taste. We usually add butter on the potatoes with salt and pepper.

Instant Pot Recipe: Chicken Tortilla Soup

OK, now this is not a 100% recipe you can make in the InstaPot, but I did cook the chicken from frozen in a broth that I also added to the saucepan on the stovetop.

I started this recipe with three frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs because they are more flavorful.

Into the InstaPot they went with 2 glasses of water and 2 tablespoons of Knorr chicken bouillon and one tablespoon of montreal chicken seasoning. This cooked on the meat setting for 30 minutes, then quick released after it was done.

In the meantime, on the stovetop, I placed my large saucepan with about 2-3 tablespoons of canola oil on low. I diced one sweet onion and  then simmered the diced onion in the oil and added kosher salt. Stir occasionally. After the onions become translucent (about 3 minutes) I added freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, and cumin to bloom the spices.

Then I added one can of diced tomatoes with the juice, and one drained can of kernel corn. 

I drained one can of cannellini beans and one can of organic black beans in the colander in the sink and ran water over beans until the water was clear. Otherwise, if you just dump the black beans in the pot without straining and cleaning them, your soup will turn an unappealing color of black/gray due to the little bits of beans left over from processing in the can. Don't skip this step.

Then I added the drained and cleaned beans into the saucepan. Add one tsp of taco seasoning.

By this time, the InstaPot will be done and you can fish out each cooked chicken thigh with thongs, placed it into a bowl and shred it before transferring it into the saucepan on the stove.

Then I found a soup ladle and added 3 ladles of the chicken broth from the InstaPot into the saucepan. Add no more than three three ladles and definitely not the entire thing otherwise your soup will end up being way too salty and greasy.

Add more water if needed so your soup is not so chunky.

Serve with crushed tortilla chips on top as a garnish or in the bottom of the bowl.

Note: I have family members who do not like green chiles, cheese nor cilantro but they could also be used as a garnish.

Instant Pot Recipe: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

3 frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 can kernel corn, cannellini beans, organic black beans - drained

1 can diced tomatoes, do not drain

Knorr chicken bullion

montreal chicken seasoning, taco seasoning

1 medium diced onion

3 tbsp canola oil

water

taco seasoning or just ground cumin or both

freshly ground black pepper

garlic powder

salt

Cabbage Roll Soup v.2

Ingredients:

1 lb of lean ground beef

one chopped medium brown onion

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp smoked paprika (can use regular or omit)

1/2 tsp coarse grounded garlic powder

1 tsp Italian spice mix.

2 cans tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 head of chopped green cabbage

Black Pepper to taste

1 cup rice (uncooked)

Directions:

Remove the wire grate from the instapot and set it aside. 

Using the "saute" setting, add 1 lb of lean ground beef, 1 chopped medium onion, Worcestershire sauce. Break part while cooking until browned. Add salt, pepper, smoked paprika, 1 tsp Italian spice mix and 1 tsp coarse ground garlic powder. Stir.

Add 2 cans of tomato sauce and 1 can of diced tomatoes. Add one can of water. Add chopped green cabbage and mix.

Turn off instapot and then using the "Soup" setting, cook for 15 minutes.

Cook 1 cup of rice on the stovetop while the soup is cooking and then merge the cooked rice into the instapot soup once the soup is done.

serves 6-8.

Instant Pot: Cabbage Roll Soup

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil (I used canola oil because it has a milder taste than olive oil does.)

1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean (I used 4 frozen Angus beef patties.)

1 onion finely diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic (I used Lawry's California Garlic Powder Coarse ground.)

4 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage (I use 1/2 medium head of cabbage.)

2 carrots peeled, quartered and sliced

4 cups beef broth (I used 4 tbps Knorr beef bullion and 4 cups of water)

3-8 ounce cans tomato sauce (I used 1-15 oz can)

1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice (I used one measure of the same cup used for the rice cooker.)

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons brown sugar (omitted this)

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Stovetop Instructions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula until beef is browned, approximately 4-5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the cabbage, carrots, beef broth, tomato sauce, rice, bay leaf, and brown sugar to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove bay leaf and discard.

Instapot Instructions:

Heat the Instapot on the "Saute" setting. You don't have to wait for it to say "Hot" on the display before adding 1/2 cup canola oil and four frozen Angus beef patties. Cook until defrosted with the lid ajar to stop splattering. Then chop up with a steel spatula into small morsels while browning. Once brown, add chopped onion, stir and cook for a minute. Then add bullion, garlic powder, tomato sauce, carrots, rice. Add four cups of water, then add chopped cabbage on top. The food should be at the max line if you use a 6-quart Instapot. Close the Instapot lid and the seal and change the setting to "Soup" for 10 minutes.

InstaPot Recipe: Beef Pot Roast

Ingredients:

2.75 lbs Boneless Beef Chuck Roast, cut into 1 x 2-inch pieces
3 red potatoes, cubed into 1 - 1 1/2 inch chunks
3 carrots, cubed into 1 - 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 large turnip, peeled and cubed into 1 - 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
Canola oil
steak seasoning
coarse ground garlic powder
1 Knorr beef bullion cube, crushed
1 cup hot water


Directions:

Note: Prepare in a 6 quart LUX InstaPot (1000 watt).

Cut the roast up into pieces that are 1 x 2 inches each. Remove the trivet from the Instapot. Turn on the Instapot to "saute", and add about a tablespoon of canola oil. Wait until the InstaPot says "Hot". Brown all of the beef chunks off then stage on a plate.

Add one cup of hot water and scrape off any bits of meat that stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the trivet back into the Instapot. Layer the vegetables the hardest ones on the bottom of the pot first:
1) turnips
2) carrots
3) potatoes
4) onion

Then add the browned beef on top. Season with one teaspoon of steak seasoning, one beef bullion cube crushed and 1/2 teaspoon of coarse garlic powder.

Seal the Instapot and cook on the "Stew" setting for 45 minutes. Once the cooking time has been completed, let stand for 5 minutes and then use the quick release method to vent.