Instant Pot or Crockpot Husband Soup is a tomato basil parmesan soup with rice, spicy Italian sausage and tons of flavor! Impress your husband or snag a husband with this amazing soup!

Instant Pot/Crockpot Husband Soup
I saw a recipe online called “get a husband stew.” I thought to myself what kind of soup would I make if I were trying to impress Greg? I came up with a creamy tomato parmesan soup with Italian sausage. He indeed loved it after he came home from a long day at work! Plus my kids loved it too. Try it and you may just impress your husband or wife too!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Ground spicy Italian sausage–or mild Italian sausage
- Diced onions–frozen or fresh
- Minced garlic–fresh or jarred
- Chicken broth–or beef broth
- Carrots
- Bay leaf
- Italian seasoning–or make your own
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Petite diced tomatoes–or crushed tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Uncooked rice–white or brown rice
- Evaporated milk, cream or half and half
- Shredded parmesan cheese
- Spinach–fresh or frozen. You can also use kale.
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the sausage and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown the sausage for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Add in bay leaf, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, tomatoes, tomato sauce and rice.

Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the soup button to 5 minutes for white rice or 22 minutes for brown rice. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Discard the bay leaf.

Temper the dairy by stirring a cup of the hot soup in with it before stirring it into the pot. (If you add evaporated milk you can just stir it straight in the pot).

Stir in the parmesan cheese and spinach. Salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and serve.

Notes/Tips
- I served this soup with breadsticks. Garlic toast or french bread are also great options.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 quart pot. Cut the recipe in half for the 3 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- This recipe is gluten free. Just make sure your broth is labeled gluten free.
- Try a pasta variation for this soup! Instead of rice add in 8 ounces of pasta but only pressure cook for 1 minute. The pasta cooks much quicker than the rice.
- Other recipes you can make with spinach are Instant Pot Spinach And Ravioli Lasagna and Instant Pot Spinach Artichoke Dip.

More Instant Pot Soup Recipes You’ll Love…
Instant Pot Tuscan Tortellini Soup
Instant Pot Tuscan Tortellini Soup is a creamy tomato based soup with white beans, tortellini, spinach and tender bites of chicken. Take one bite of this soup and you’ll quickly agree that this soup rocks the house.
Instant Pot (Tomato Based) Ham and Bean Soup
Save this recipe for later on Pinterest!
A healthy and quick soup recipe that’s full of bright flavor thanks to crushed tomatoes and fresh lemon juice. A perfect way to use up leftover ham.
Instant Pot Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
A creamy tomato based soup that is made from start to finish in 45 minutes thanks to the help of your pressure cooker. This is my favorite soup to make for company. I always get tons of compliments. I don’t believe I’ve tasted soup at a restaurant that is as good as this version.
Instant Pot Oprah’s Tomato Soup
Healthy and flavorful tomato soup recipe (can be vegetarian and dairy free). It tastes amazing with grilled cheese sandwiches!
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.


Husband Soup
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot or Crockpot Husband Soup is a tomato basil parmesan soup with rice, spicy Italian sausage and tons of flavor! Impress your husband or snag a husband with this amazing soup!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 7 cups chicken or beef broth
- 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup uncooked rice (white or brown)
- 12 ounces evaporated milk, cream or half and half
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 cups coarsely chopped spinach
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the sausage and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown the sausage for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
- Add in carrots, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, tomatoes, tomato sauce and rice.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the soup button to 5 minutes for white rice or 22 minutes for brown rice. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Discard the bay leaf.
- Temper the dairy by stirring a cup of the hot soup in with it before stirring it into the pot. (If you add evaporated milk you can just stir it straight in the pot).
- Stir in the parmesan cheese and spinach. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and serve.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add in the sausage and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown the sausage for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add to slow cooker.
- Stir in the broth, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, tomatoes, tomato sauce and rice.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or until rice is cooked through. Discard the bay leaf.
- Temper the dairy by stirring a cup of the hot soup in with it before stirring it into the crockpot. (If you add evaporated milk you can just stir it straight in the pot).
- Stir in the parmesan cheese and spinach. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and serve.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Great recipe! My husband liked it so much that it inspired me to set up a new category in my book marked recipe file, labeled “He Likes!”
★★★★★
NICE!! Haha I love that.
this is the most delicious soup I think I’ve ever had! especially considering how easy it is! my whole family liked it, picky toddlers included!
wow what a compliment! Thanks!
Yummmmmmm!! I made this because we’re all sick in my house and needed a new soup. So delicious!
★★★★★
Sorry you are sick but glad you got to try this soup!
don’t get caught up in the name that would bevreally childish and immature. this soup recipe is so so good. I’d even try it if was wifiepoo soup and not make silly comments. lol thanks for posting this amazing husband soup recipe.
Amazinggggggg!!! We are at the dinner table as we speak. My husband can take soup or leave it. He took one bite just now and said – oh I’ll eat that!!! The only things I did different was added beef, instead of sausage. That’s what I had on hand. Doubled the beef actually. And added potatoes. I was worried the potatoes wouldn’t be done in 5 minutes. And they were perfect!!! This soup is a keeper!!! Thank you! ♥️
★★★★★
I also used chicken broth. And added a spoonful of’Better than bouillon’, which added to the flavor.
★★★★★
Well I’m so happy to hear your husband liked it!!
Absolutely loved it; first made it for spouse and company (my sister and dher adult daughter), and it was a big hit!
Even my niece who doesn’t love soups and really doesn’t like spinach or cooked carrots loved it and had 2 servings! My packets of sausage were about 13 oz, so I used 2, as niece and spouse both like extra meat, but added in a bit extra onion & carrot.
Note to author: on the webpage version of the recipe, the instructions are correct, but the printer version omits the instructions on when to add in the carrots. I used the print version, but fortunately I have enough confidence & experience cooking that this didn’t faze me. 😀
★★★★★
Oh thanks for the heads up. I will fix that!
LOVED the soup but we tried doubling the recipe. There was no way all the liquid could fit in our 6qt. IP. Maybe it would work in an 8qt. Perhaps a note with the recipe or no doubling option? Thanks!
★★★★★
Good idea! Thanks Karin!
I used ingredients exclusively from my food storage, added some frozen corn for fun, and everyone loved it! even my 3yo. It was super easy, took hardly any time. will definitely make again
★★★★★
Thank you so much Julie for the 5 stars!
I was disappointed to realize it’s not called husband soup because it contains husband in it. Will not be trying this one.
LOL!
Lol ! Me too . I was so excited to see Husband soup , what a disappointed 🙁
I just knew I could trust you when I saw this recipe (I have made several of yours), and I was correct. It’s definitely a keeper. We really enjoyed it. I may try it again and see if orzo might work instead of rice – not that the rice wasn’t delicious. It was! Thank you!
★★★★★
orzo would be amazing!
the name is a little cringe but it was delicious 🤣
used arborio rice and cooked for 8 minutes
★★★★★
So glad you liked it Emily!
is it minute rice or regular rice?
regular rice
Made this today and followed it to a T, it is absolutely delicious! I taste tested without the cream/milk and it tasted delicious without it too, so I would say with or without the cream/milk it’s a keeper😊
★★★★★
Awesome! Good to know you could make it without the cream!
Sounds yummy! Do you think if I used coconut milk it would work? We don’t do dairy.
Sure but what about the parmesan?
Can I use kale instead of spinach?
yep for sure!
The ingredients show carrots but you don’t list them anywhere in the instructions.
Sorry about that. I have corrected it. You’ll add them in step 3.
You’re the best! Thanks for answering so quickly. I’m totally in love with your site. Haven’t had a bad experience yet. Hardly cook without the IP anymore. Getting ready to ditch ALL my other cookbooks and that’s saying something. This recipe looks especially good. Will try with rice first, then the orzo, which I love. Thanks again.
Oh you’re so nice! I’m glad you are enjoying the site and your IP!!!
Sounds delicious. If I used Orzo instead of rice, what cooking time would I use? TIA
I would use a 0 minute pressure cooking time.