Atakilt wat, a comforting Ethiopian vegetable stew, can be made faster and tastier in an Instant Pot. Not only will this quick-and-easy recipe get on the table sooner, but it’s also low carb, Whole30, and vegetarian-friendly!
What is Atakilt Wat?
Atakilt Wat is a tender, aromatic Ethiopian vegetable stew with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots simmered in a delicious sauce flavored with turmeric and cumin. The mild seasoning makes it a perfect side dish to balance the fiery meat dishes that are popular in Ethiopian cuisine.
The Instant Pot to the Rescue
Although Atakilt Wat is traditionally made on the stovetop, I like to make it in a pressure cooker because it’s faster and easier. I don’t cook a lot of vegetables in the Instant Pot because they normally come out soft—but in this case, that’s exactly the texture I’m aiming for!
No Instant Pot? Make my stovetop version by clicking here.
Cauliflower as a Potato Imposter
I love white potatoes, but sometimes I want a lighter, low carb version of atakilt wat. That’s when I turn to cauliflower florets in place of the traditional spuds. Cauliflower’s a tasty replacement because the texture is similar, and just like potatoes, it absorbs the flavors of the mild sauce. Make sure to cut the cauliflower florets into bigger pieces than you think, because they’ll soften quickly once pressure cooked.
If you want to use cubed white potatoes in place of cauliflower florets, increase the cooking time to 3 minutes under high pressure.
Time to make Instant Pot Atakilt Wat!
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 medium carrots (about ½ pound) cut into 1-inch rounds
- 2 pounds cauliflower, cut into large florets
- 1½ pounds cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth
Equipment:
- All of my recommended kitchen tools are listed here.
- My favorite Instant Pot models are listed here.
Method:
Turn on the sauté function on the Instant Pot. Once the metal insert is hot, swirl in the ghee.
Stir in the onions and sauté for 1 minute. Add the minced garlic and stir until fragrant.
Dump in the carrots, cauliflower, and cabbage. (I know it looks overly full, but the vegetables will cook down. Trust me!)
Sprinkle on the salt, turmeric, cumin, and black pepper. Stir well.
Pour in the broth, making sure it reaches the bottom of the metal insert.
Lock the lid and program the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 1 minute.
Release the pressure manually when the stew is finished cooking.
The cauliflower and carrots should be fork tender. If they’re still crunchy, add another minute of cooking time.
Stir well and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Make an Ethiopian supper and serve with Doro Wat, a.k.a. Ethiopian Chicken Stew!
The leftover Atakilt Wat can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Instant Pot Atakilt Wat (Ethiopian Cabbage Stew)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch thick coins
- 2 pounds cauliflower cut into large florets
- 1½ pounds cabbage cored and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
Instructions
- Turn on the sauté function on the Instant Pot. Once the metal insert is hot, swirl in the ghee.
- Stir in the onions and sauté for 1 minute. Add the minced garlic and stir until fragrant.
- Dump in the carrots, cauliflower, and cabbage. Sprinkle on the salt, turmeric, cumin, and black pepper. Stir well.
- Pour in the broth, making sure it reaches the bottom of the metal insert.
- Lock the lid and program the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 1 minute.
- Release the pressure manually when the stew is finished cooking.
- The cauliflower and carrots should be fork tender. If they’re still crunchy, add another minute of cooking time.
- Stir well and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve with your favorite protein!
Video
Notes
- The leftover Atakilt Wat can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
- Make an Ethiopian supper and serve with Doro Wat, a.k.a. Ethiopian Chicken Stew!
Ajah says
I love this dish! I always order it at the restaurant. I really need to get an instant pot.
Holly says
Hi Michelle, do you think this would turn out okay flavor wise with red cabbage instead of white? I really want to make this and I can’t tolerate white cabbage. However if that’s going to ruin the flavor profile then I don’t want to do it. Thanks in advance.
Connie says
This looks and sounds delicious but I would like to cut the recipe in half. Would I jut halve everything and still cook for 1 minute? Thanks.
FromPA says
I have to complain about your website. Right now, on Firefox, I have a massive video of you, then about two lines of text (into which I’m now typing). That’s it. I cannot view the text or pictures of the recipe. I cannot get rid of the video. I cannot minimize it. There is an up arrow in the upper left corner, but if I hit that, I get to the beginning of the page. If I scroll down at all, I get the massive video that covers almost everything.
My wife and I have all your cookbooks, but I can no longer come to your website, as it’s unreadable.
Robin Claire Barnes says
Love this dish! I’ve prepared it twice now with cauliflower and with sweet potato. It’s a terrific comfort food dish and my kids like it on top of brown rice. Great addition to our meal rotation.
Shawna Klein says
Hi! If we wanted to raise the protein content of this to serve as a full meal, what would you suggest? Can we add meat of some sort?
Charlette Lim Yankowitz says
This looks delicious and I cannot wait to make this weekend. Just noticed, under the Printer-Friendly Recipe Card, “cabbage” in the title has a typo :(.
Christina says
darn it I added too much salt – I didn’t taste the vegetable broth first. Now its WAY Too salty. Any suggestions on how to fix that or do I have to scrap the entire pot? 🙁
RJ, Hudson Vlley says
Hi, I recently oversalted for the 1st time. I added more veggies– I had frozen green beans, and peas—
let us know how it goes– hope you don’t dump it all. PS if you eat them, white potatoes a chef I knew used them to absorb too much salt.
LucyDC says
Excellent recipe, so tender and the garlic and turmeric were incredible. Will definitely make multiple times.
Pamela Jordan says
My family loved this. I will make this again. A very easy, healthy recipe. Thank you for sharing this.
Mimi says
Hi, I made this with some berebere spice mix I had instead. Loved it- Thank you!
Keely says
Any thoughts on whether frozen cauliflower florets would work? They’re cheaper, and we’ve mostly been sticking to buying frozen or canned vegetables just in case we don’t get to recipes as quickly as we thought so we don’t waste food. Would frozen alter the taste and texture or the cook time?
Michelle Tam says
Frozen will work! The cauliflower will probably get even softer, but that’s okay!