• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Paleo Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • All Recipes
    • Instant Pot® Recipe Roundup
    • Paleo Packed Lunch Roundup
    • Whole30® Recipe Roundup
  • About
    • What’s Paleo?
    • About Michelle Tam
    • Nom Nom Paleo in the News
  • My Cookbooks
    • Ready or Not!
    • Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans
  • Paleo Meal Plans
  • Instant Pot Amazon Deals
  • Shop
  • Events
  • Podcast

Nom Nom Paleo®

Paleo recipes and more from New York Times bestselling cookbook author Michelle Tam!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Home » Blog » Recipes » Instant Pot Atakilt Wat (Ethiopian Cabbage Stew)

Instant Pot Atakilt Wat (Ethiopian Cabbage Stew)

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

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!

An overhead shot of a bowl of Atakilt Wat, Ethiopian cabbage stew. There is also a red banner that reads, "paleo, Whole30, Vegetarian, Low Carb"

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.

An overhead shot of an open Instant Pot with ghee melting inside.

Stir in the onions and sauté for 1 minute. Add the minced garlic and stir until fragrant.

Adding minced garlic to an open Instant Pot filled with sauteed onions to make Whole30 Atakilt Wat, Ethiopian Cabbage Stew.

Dump in the carrots, cauliflower, and cabbage. (I know it looks overly full, but the vegetables will cook down. Trust me!)

An overhead shot of an Instant Pot filed with cabbage to make low carb Ethiopian vegetable stew.

Sprinkle on the salt, turmeric, cumin, and black pepper. Stir well.

Adding the spices and seasoning to an Instant Pot to make Whole30 Atakilt wat, Ethiopian cabbage stew.

Pour in the broth, making sure it reaches the bottom of the metal insert.

Pouring broth into an Instant Pot filled with the ingredients for Ethiopian cabbage stew.

Lock the lid and program the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 1 minute.

An Instant Pot display showing "00:01" and the pressure cook button lit up.

Release the pressure manually when the stew is finished cooking.

A woman is manually releasing the pressure valve on an Instant Pot and there is steam coming out of the top.

The cauliflower and carrots should be fork tender. If they’re still crunchy, add another minute of cooking time.

An overhead shot of an open Instant Pot filled with low carb Ethiopian cabbage stew.

Stir well and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Scooping out a spoonful of Instant Pot Atakilt Wat, Ethiopian cabbage stew.

Make an Ethiopian supper and serve with Doro Wat, a.k.a. Ethiopian Chicken Stew!

An overhead shot of a brown bowl filed with Atakilt Wat, Ethiopian cabbage 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) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!


 PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

An overhead shot of a brown bowl filed with Atakilt Wat, Ethiopian cabbage stew.
Print Recipe
4.86 from 7 votes

Instant Pot Atakilt Wat (Ethiopian Cababge Stew)

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!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Ethiopian
Keyword: Instant Pot, low carb, nomnompaleo, paleo, Vegetarian, Whole30
Servings: 6
Calories: 139kcal

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
US Customary - Metric

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!
Tried this recipe?Mention @nomnompaleo or tag #nomnompaleo!

Nutrition

Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g

27

Thrive Market   LunchBots   Real Plans
Previous Post: « Tzatziki Sauce (Whole30, Keto)
Next Post: California Hand Roll (Whole30, Keto) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ajah says

    August 11, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    I love this dish! I always order it at the restaurant. I really need to get an instant pot.

    Reply
  2. Holly says

    August 11, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    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.

    Reply
  3. Connie says

    August 11, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    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.

    Reply
  4. FromPA says

    August 11, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    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.

    Reply
  5. Robin Claire Barnes says

    August 11, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    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.

    Reply
  6. Shawna Klein says

    August 11, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    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?

    Reply
  7. Charlette Lim Yankowitz says

    August 11, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    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 :(.

    Reply
  8. Christina says

    August 11, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    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? 🙁

    Reply
    • RJ, Hudson Vlley says

      August 11, 2020 at 2:30 pm

      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.

      Reply
  9. LucyDC says

    August 17, 2020 at 11:49 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe, so tender and the garlic and turmeric were incredible. Will definitely make multiple times.

    Reply
  10. Pamela Jordan says

    October 15, 2020 at 12:50 am

    My family loved this. I will make this again. A very easy, healthy recipe. Thank you for sharing this.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Logged in as . Log out?

Primary Sidebar

Archives

About Nom Nom Paleo Nom Nom Paleo Cookbooks Nom Nom Paleo App Nom Nom Paleo Podcast Nom Nom Paleo Shirts
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Popular Posts

  • A collage of nine Nom Nom Paleo Whole30 salads 9 Whole30 Salad Recipes
  • An overhead shot of a bowl of Instant Pot spaghetti squash topped with stir-fried ground pork and cilantro leaves. Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Spaghetti Squash
  • A collage of the cooking steps for Wonton Meatballs Wonton Meatballs (Keto, Whole30)
  • An overhead shot of four Nom Nom Paleo Easy Whole30 Sheet Pan Meals. 5 Easy Whole30 Sheet Pan Meals

Footer

COPYRIGHT© NOM NOM PALEO LLC. All rights reserved. The content on this website may not be copied or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission.

HOME  •  PRIVACY POLICY  •  CONTACT

Copyright © 2021