Loaded with vegetables and made with grass-fed beef, these Instant Pot sloppy joes are a healthier, more nutrient-dense version of your favourite comfort food. This recipe is gluten-free, paleo, and Whole30-friendly.
2tablespoonscoconut sugarbrown sugar can also be used
1stock cubeonion flavour, or 1 tablespoon onion soup powder
½teaspoonof black pepper
Pinchof chilli flakes
¼cupwater
For sweet potatoes
2mediumsweet potatoescut in halves lengthways
2tablespoonsolive oil
Salt for seasoning
Instructions
To make the sweet potatoes, preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F. Place the sweet potato halves onto a baking sheet covered with some parchment/baking paper. Drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven, middle shelf, for 35-40 minutes. We recommend doing this just before cooking the sauce, to get the timings about right. If making the sauce ahead of time, you can, of course, bake the potatoes at a later stage. Or, you can pre-bake the sweet potatoes or even boil them and reheat just before serving.
To make the sloppy joes, turn the Instant Pot on. Press the Sauté function key and allow the pot to heat up for 1-2 minutes. Add the olive oil, onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring a few times. Then add the rest of the ingredients and stir through really well. Please note, you only need a little extra water because you will have enough liquid from the tinned tomatoes plus juices from the vegetables and the meat. Press Cancel/Keep Warm to stop the Sauté process.
Place and lock the lid, making sure the steam valve is pointing at Sealing. Press Manual, HIGH pressure and adjust the timing to 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will beep three times and the pressure will start to build. Once the timer goes off, allow 10 minutes for natural pressure release and then use quick release method (QR) -by turning the steam valve to Venting – to let the rest of the steam and pressure out.
Open the lid, and press Sauté again. Cook the sauce for 10 minutes with no lid on, stirring frequently. This final stage is used to thicken the sauce further. You can also add a little tapioca or arrowroot flour - about 1 teaspoon - (cornstarch is also fine if you wish) right at the end, to thicken the sauce further.
Serve the sauce over baked sweet potatoes topped with favourite fresh herbs and maybe a lovely, crispy green salad.