Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Vegetable Soup {or Instant Pot!)

 

  Simple, quick-to-make and flavorful, this Italian sausage vegetable soup can be made in a traditional slow cooker, in an Instant Pot used as a slow cooker, or in an Instant Pot fully to be ready in about an hour.

Some links in this article are affiliate links and if you click on them and purchase I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.

Our family loves this Italian sausage vegetable soup made easily in a slow cooker (or quicker in a pressure cooker) – it’s a warm, hearty one-pot meal that is ready when we are. It needs only a slice of easy artisan bread to make it complete (of course, you can forgo the bread, but my family never would!).

My favorite slow cooker recipes use normal ingredients, are quick-to-make, and are flavorful – and this recipe fits the bill perfectly. I also love how easily it can be adapted based on whatever’s in season: early spring spinach and summer chard works just as well as autumn and winter cabbage, as do either garden fresh or frozen green beans. If you’ve got leftover rice or pasta, throw it in, too – or not – it’s good both ways.

Since getting an Instant Pot, I’m pretty much using it for all my slow cooker recipes now, whether I want them cooked slow or fast. I love how I can brown meat and sauté ingredients before setting the slow cooker timer – it just makes slow cooking that much easier.

And on those days I forget to put this in early, I can use the quicker pressure cooker function, too.

Italian Sausage Vegetable Soup

Precook the Italian sausage using the Instant Pot sauté button, or cook in a skillet before adding it to a traditional slow cooker bowl (note: if using fully cooked links, omit this step and just slice and add them with the other ingredients). If using raw sausage links like I show, remove them to a cutting board and cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Sauté the onions and garlic and then add all the remaining ingredients and cook on high for4 hours (or low for 8 hours). I just love using slow cookers to have dinner ready at the end of the day! If you want this ready in about an hour, follow the pressure cooker instructions in the printable recipe.

Instant Pot Tip: buy this glass lid to make it easy to use your pot as a slow cooker and be able to see inside – I love it.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with shaved or grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

This also goes well with Quick Breadsticks if you need bread in a hurry.

Click the arrow for the full printable Italian Sausage Vegetable Soup recipe!