Instant Pot Sloppy Joes

This is such a quick and easy way to make sloppy Joes. The stovetop version of this recipe would require about 30 minutes of simmer time – in the pressure cooker, you set the cook time for 5 minutes on high pressure. Then you can sit back and let the pressure cooker do the rest of the work – no stirring necessary. And since this recipe uses the quick pressure release method, there is little added time at the end of cooking. Start to finish, this recipe will take about 30 minutes total.

After the mixture is cooked and the lid is removed, you may need to simmer it for a few minutes to help it thicken. If you have a little extra time, just put the lid back on and let it rest with no extra heat – it will thicken up on it’s own.

I’ve also given an option to substitute some of the meat with whole grains. I will admit, I love the addition of quinoa to the meat – however, it was not a hit with my kids. Back to the basics for our family.

I like to serve these on homemade burger buns. Brioche buns, pretzel buns, or a lovely whole grain burger buns would all be perfect for these.

Instant Pot Sloppy Joes

Serving Size:

6-8

Time:

30 min total

Difficulty:

Easy

Ingredients

• 2 T Olive oil
• 1 Medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 Large red or orange bell pepper, stemmed, cored, and chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 Celery ribs, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
• 2 Medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced (2 teaspoons)
• 1 1/2 lbs Ground beef, lean*
• 1 T Standard chili powder
• 1 t  Smoked paprika, optional
• 1 cup Beef or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup Catsup
• 1 T Yellow mustard
• 1 T Brown sugar or molasses
• 2 t  Apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 t  Table salt

For Serving

• 6-8 hamburger buns
• Pickles or other toppings

* See notes for adding whole grains to the recipe. 

Directions

1. With the insert in the electric pressure cooker, turn the cooker to medium heat on Saute setting and allow to warm up 1-2 minutes. Add the olive oil and let warm up about a minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to soften, about 3-4 minutes. The onion should not brown. Add the garlic and continue cooking about 1 more minute. 
2. Add the ground beef to the the pot. Cook, stirring often to break up the meat. Cook 3-4 minutes until the meat is no longer pink. The meat does not need to be fully cooked, but if it has a higher percentage of fat, it should be cooked enough for most of the fat to cook off. If the meat has fat cooking off, drain the fat off of the meat. Add the chili powder, stir, and allow to toast the spices for about 30 seconds.
3. Add the broth to the pot and stir to scrape the bottom of the pan and loosen all of the browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. This step is important so that the pot does not default to the burn warning later in the cooking process. Once the pot bottom is cleaned, turn off the pot.
4. Stir in the catsup, yellow mustard, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Lock the lid on the pot.
5. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes.
6. Use the quick-release method to bring the pot’s pressure back to normal. Unlatch the lid and open the pot. Turn the sauté setting on bring the mixture to a low simmer. Cook, stirring often, until it has thickened and is not as soupy – about 7 minutes.

Recipe notes:

1. If you’d like to add some whole grains to your recipe, you can reduce the meat to 1 pound and add add 1/2 cup of rolled oats, or 3/4 cup of rinsed quinoa (or a combination of the two) when you stir in the catsup. This may also allow you to to skip the simmering step at the end, as the grains will help to absorb the extra liquid at the end.