A recipe for delicious Sloppy Joes that cooks quick in the Instant Pot
If you are on leftover overload right now, this recipe is a great break from turkey and mashed potatoes. It is healthy with no refined sugars, and cooks up super fast using a pressure cooker. It tastes like the canned Sloppy Joe mix (Manwich anyone?) we used to eat in college, without the unhealthy additives.
My kids like to eat this on a toasted bun. They also put cheese on top, but I’m more of a Sloppy Joe purist if there is such a thing.
For gluten free or low carb options, you can eat this alone (it’s that good!) or over a baked potato. Sprinkle some green onions on top and your dish is ready, in less than 2o minutes!
Making this dish is super easy, and you probably already have all the ingredients. Turn the Instant Pot on to saute and add oil, then cook the onion and bell pepper until slightly tender. You can use any color bell pepper you have at home, I usually use green but today was a red bell pepper.
Add the ground beef and brown. Then add garlic, salt and pepper, and stir. Cook about 2 more minutes.
Turn off the pressure cooker and add all the remaining ingredients. Mix together, seal the lid and pressure cook on high for 7 minutes. Allow the IP to naturally release for 5 minutes, then do a quick release to open the seal. It’s ready to serve!
To make ahead of time
Sloppy Joe’s are the perfect weeknight meal and this recipe is great to prepare in advance to either serve later in the week, to freeze, or to take as a camping meal. Follow the above instructions all the way through until sealing and turning on the Instant Pot.
Pour all the ingredients together in a sealable container and either freeze or refrigerate for a few days until you are ready to serve. If frozen, thaw overnight before cooking. Once you are ready to prepare the Sloppy Joe’s, pour everything into the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 7 minutes.
Note: Even if it is not fully defrosted, you do not need to adjust the cooking time on the Instant Pot, it just may take a little longer to come up to pressure.
We love our Instant Pot and use it for fast soups like the Zuppa Toscana and Chicken Tortilla, and for other quick ground beef recipes like this Cuban Picadillo.
Let me know if you try this dish! It is a family favorite and my kids request it constantly, which is fine with me because it is so simple to make. Enjoy!
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Instant Pot Sloppy Joes
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1½-2 pounds ground beef
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 small bell pepper, any color, chopped
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1½ tbsp honey (omit if on a Whole30 plan)
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- large pinch salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté and add olive oil. Throw in onion and bell pepper and cook until onion begins to be translucent, just a few minutes.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking up into small pieces as it browns.
- Add garlic, salt and pepper and stir. Cook 2 more minutes.
- Turn off the pressure cooker and add vinegar, mustard, tomato paste, tomato sauce, honey, and parsley. Stir.*Note: Do not add honey if on a Whole30 plan.
- Close lid and seal. Cook on high pressure for 7 minutes.
- Let pressure natural release for 5 minutes, then open the valve to release the rest of the pressure. Open lid, stir, and serve! To keep it gluten free and Whole30 compliant you can serve this on a baked potato. Otherwise it tastes great on a toasted bun! Enjoy!
Cheers!
Yes! Making this for my kiddos next week.
Yes!! My kids gobble these up 😁
Wow those look so good and not messy! My ground meat never turns out good in a crockpot. Will try this out.
Let me know what you think!
I have such trouble incorporating the instapot into my meal plan. this recipe will help me to bust it out more often, my kids love sloppy joes!
I use mine all the time, it saves so much time! 😊