Pressure Cooker Vegetable Beef and Rice Soup
This Pressure Cooker Vegetable Beef and Rice Soup is a delicious, hearty meal that comes together quickly and is on the table in a flash.
Marci, a Pressure Cooking Today reader, asked me to help her convert a stove top Vegetable Beef and Rice Soup to a pressure cooker recipe. The recipe looked like one my family would like too, so I went to the store and bought the ingredients I needed the next day.
In addition to changing it into a pressure cooker recipe, I also made a couple of other changes. I added garlic, chopped onion, and used Spicy Hot V8 juice to spice the soup up just a little bit.
Making Vegetable Beef and Rice Soup in an Instant Pot
When I’m adding frozen vegetables to a recipe, I like to thaw them first. To quickly thaw frozen vegetables, all you have to do is put them in a colander, run cold water over them and let them sit until it’s time to use them in your recipe.
I didn’t remember until we were eating the soup that I forgot to add the peas. It was great without them, but the green would have added a little more color and nutrition, so you should definitely add them when you make it.
Pressure Cooker Vegetable Beef and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1lb. lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
- 2 14-ounce cans beef broth
- 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 12-ounce bottle Original or Spicy Hot V8 juice
- 1/2 cup long grain white rice
- 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
- 2 carrots, peeled then sliced into thin coins
- 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Preheat the pressure cooking pot using the browning or sauté setting. Add ground beef to the pressure cooking pot and cook until browned. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels.
Add oil to the pressure cooking pot. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Add beef broth, tomatoes, V8 juice, rice, garbanzo beans, potatoes, carrots, and browned ground beef to the pot and stir to combine. Lock lid in place, select High Pressure and 4 minutes cook time. When timer beeps, turn off pressure cooker and do a quick pressure release.
Stir in peas and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
adapted from Iowa Girl Eats
When I make vegetable beef soup I use canned mixed vegetables. Can I pressure can leftovers?
Hi Donna – sorry, I don’t have any experience canning. I know you can do hot water bath canning in the electric pressure cooker, but not traditional canning.
Can you use Barely instead of rice?
Hi Elizabeth – I have a beef and barley recipe in my cookbook that’s great. If you want to cook this recipe with barley, you’ll want to do it in stages, cook the barley for 20 minutes with the liquids, then after a 5 minute npr, add the ground beef, beans, potatoes and carrots and cook it for 4 minutes.
I am trying to decide whether to buy or not buy an electric pressure cooker. I am looking up recipes and seeing what others are saying. I am really enjoying reading the recipes on your website. They all sound delicious! I am convinced that an epc would help me.
Thanks,
Lydia
That’s so great to hear – thanks Lydia! I’m sure you’ll love it.
Delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe! I added green beans too and it was excellent!
Sounds like a great addition – thanks Mindy!
I just made this and doubled it my 8qt EPC it barely fit! Only change I made was diced tomatoes instead of crushed because that’s what I had. It is delicious! Thanks for converting this from IGE, I make many of her recipes and now I have another person to get yummy recipes from.
Hi Jeannette – glad you enjoyed it! Generally, you only want to fill your pot 2/3’s full. If there’s not enough room to double it, you can add some of the broth after pressure cooking.
Can this be made in a slow cooker also?
Hi Tessie – sorry I haven’t tried this one in a slow cooker.
Is the rice supposed to be cooked before you add it to the pressure cooker?
Hi Katelin – no the rice will cook while you’re cooking the soup.
Perfect stick to your ribs kind of soup for a cold Michigan winter night. I left out the garbanzo beans and peas, but add red frozen green beans and corn. Can’t wait for the leftovers tomorrow for lunch. Thank you!
Made this for my under-the-weather hubby. Two thumbs up! Only change I made was I used farro instead of rice. Also did half ground beef and half ground turkey. I tried doubling it but it was too full. Fortunately I have an extra inner pot and poured half into it. So it was two separate batches.
Suggestions on a substitution for garbanzo beans….or just omit them? TIA!
Hi Susan – you could omit them if you’d like, or substitute Lima beans or White kidney beans.
I have a new insta pot, and this was a great first recipe for me. My family really liked the soup, and it was easy to swap out what’s in the recipe for vegetables I had on hand–and still turned out great. Thanks!
That’s great Lynne! Have fun 🙂
I don’t use white rice as it isn’t as healthy. If I soaked brown rice first could I use the same pressure time?
Hi Donna – you could try it but I think you’d be better off cooking the rice separately and adding it after pressure cooking so your veggies don’t get overcooked if the rice isn’t cook. The cook time in this article was 20 minutes with soaked rice http://www.thekitchn.com/does-soaking-brown-rice-really-help-it-cook-faster-putting-tips-to-the-test-in-the-kitchen-219644 – so it probably needs 7 – 10 minutes in the pressure cooker soak.
Can you tell me the adjustments if I substituted meatballs (cooked and frozen) for the beef? Also, I received my pressure cooker for Christmas 2015. I made one recipe and it turned out fine however, I can’t seem to get my nerve up to try another one. I would love to embrace pressure cooking. Any suggestions?
Hi Susan – you could substitute the meatballs without changing the cook time, just skip step 1.
If you’re a bit afraid of it, try bringing it to pressure a couple of times with just a cup of water in the pot. You could do a natural release the first time and then a quick release the second time. https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/quick-pressure-release-or-natural-pressure-release/
Then once you’re comfortable with it, this soup would be a great choice – you could let the pressure release naturally if you’d rather, or some other easy recipes. https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/easy-recipes-for-the-pressure-cooker/
If you have room, leaving it on the counter so you’re reminded to use it helps.
Hi Barbara, I just found your blog and have to say you’re cute as a button! I’m really looking forward to doing the recipes you’re sharing with us. They look delicious! Thanks for being who you are!
What a sweet comment. Thanks Amanda! Enjoy the soup 🙂
Hi –
I have a sort of technical question related to this recipe. I am planning on making this for a homeless shelter and need to get as many servings as I can out of one batch (we can’t cook at the shelter). I have a 4 quart electric cooker – do you have any advice on how much I can increase this recipe? And, with a fuller cooker, should I add additional time?
I’ve only had my cooker a short while, and all your recipes have turned out great, so I really appreciate your experience-based advice!
Hi Sue – how nice of you. I’m so glad you’re enjoying your pressure cooker and my recipes. How many people do you need to serve? You wouldn’t increase the cook time if the pressure is fuller. However, I wouldn’t recommend doubling this recipe in a 4 quart pressure cooker. You shouldn’t fill your pressure cooker more than 2/3 full. Do you have a big dutch oven?
Hi Barb –
I made this Saturday night and it’s fabulous, and like others have said, even better the next day. I served it with a new Artisan bread recipe that I proofed in the Instant Pot – it was all delicious! Many thanks for another great winner!
Thanks Brenda! I need to try proofing bread in the Instant Pot. A perfect addition to this soup.
I would love to try this recipe. What kind of and what size of pressure cooker did you use. I have a old 4 or 6 quart. I think its from my grandparent.
Hi Demaris – I use 6 quart electric pressure cookers, but this recipe should work fine in your 6 quart stove top pressure cooker. Just make sure your gasket is still soft.
We felt this soup, while quite good, had too much beef and not enough rice. We don’t like chickpeas so I left them out. I also left out the potatoes in case I wanted to freeze the leftovers. This soup wasn’t as filling as I wanted tonight, but we ate late because we were waiting for our daughter to get home from marching band practice. I’ll probably make this again, but with some modifications. I do enjoy your recipes.
Hi Tina – definitely change it up to suit your tastes. Thanks for the feedback.
I just made this as my very first pressure cooker meal! It turned out really well, and I think it will be even better as leftovers. I didn’t have any V8 so I used extra broth, and I also added zucchini since a coworker brought some from her garden today. Thank you!!
Welcome to the world of pressure cooking Lissa. Glad you first recipe was a big success. Glad that you made the recipe your own.
I’m new to pressure cooking, too. I received a Cuisinart cooker for my birthday, and it’s just been sitting for 6 months.
If I substitute beef chuck stew meat for the ground beef, I should pre-cook it? How long?
Thank you1
Hi Jacquelyn – we need to get your pressure cooking for sure 🙂 Yes, you will need to cook the stew meat before adding it to the recipe or you’d over cook the rice. I’d do steps 1 and 2 in this recipe https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-sirloin-tips-in-gravy/ then proceed with the soup recipe. Enjoy!
Hi Barbara, this soup is amazingly delicious. I absolutely love it and so does the rest of my family! I followed the adaptation listed above because I had stew meat and it came out perfectly!
Thanks Lisa! I need to try it with stew meat for sure.
If I substituted pearl barley for the rice, would there be any changes in the time, etc?
Hi Ann – I would pre-cook the pearl barley for about 20 minutes first. Otherwise your potatoes and carrots are going to be mush.
Oh, OK. I think I’ll stick with the rice~ You are my “go to” person for anything pressure cooker related. I am 70 years old and this is the first time I have ever used a pressure cooker, but I am trying all kinds of new things.
That’s so great Ann! I’m hope I’m as adventurous at 70. Have fun!
I love a hearty, delicious meal. I made this but used brown rice, added the peas, and beef stock. Those were my adjustments and it turned out wonderfully. Thanks for sharing.
Did you cook it longer with the brown rice?
My family loved the recipe..
We made this tonight! OMGosh!!! It is so YUMMY!!!
Thanks Andrew! Glad it was a hit 🙂
I’ve already made this twice this week, Thanks for posting!
Do you think it’d be possible to double this and still have it fit in a 6qt? we’re feeding a family of 12 🙂
Hi Chris – I think it would fit, but be sure not to exceed the maximum fill line. Also, it will take a longer time for it to come to pressure. Enjoy!
Hi Barbara
I wanted to let you know that I tried this wonderful recipe the other day & it was a winner. My husband and I like our soup slightly zesty but I didn’t have any spicy V-8 on hand so I used regular V-8 and added a few shakes from the hot sauce bottle. It was wonderful! My husband said it was even better the next day when he took some to work for lunch.
Thank you so much for all of your great recipes and helpful hints. I always come to your website for tried & true recipes and new adventures!
I’m definitely trying this recipe. I think I will use Ro-Tel instead of the crushed tomatoes so I can give it a little extra spice. I’m excited to see what the family thinks.
Hi Abby – adding Ro-Tel sounds like a great idea. Enjoy!
….and if we used oxtails or beef neck what would the cooking time under pressure be? or would it turn the rice to mush?
I am new to PC…and have a new Breville One Pot style cooker..
Hi Helen – you’d want to cook the oxtails or beef neck until they’re your desired tenderness and then continue to the recipe.
Is the rice pre-cooked?
Hi Chris – no, the rice isn’t pre-cooked.
Can you use the 5 mintue rice or does it have to be regular rice? My first time using a pressure cooker……..no clue of what works and what doesn’t!
Hi Sandy – you should be fine substituting 5 minute rice in this recipe, since the texture of the rice isn’t super important in soup.
That looks delicious Barbara. We do love our “soup night suppers” here. Bob would definitely like the Spicy V-8 too.