Instant Pot Sloppy Joes With Ground Turkey

Instant Pot Sloppy Joes With Ground Turkey are perfectly saucy and full of flavor! A quick and easy weeknight option to throw into your rotation.

Why You’ll Love This

Sloppy Joes with ground turkey aren’t exactly the norm, but this recipe stays true to the weeknight comfort food classic. They’re wonderfully saucy, incredibly flavorful, and they’re ready to eat in just 20 minutes thanks to the Instant Pot! They’re one of those safe options for dinner that will help you in a pinch, and the whole family will love it.

What to Serve With Instant Pot Sloppy Joes

• Lemony grilled asparagus is a great option if you have an indoor grill or grill pan.
• Air Fryer broccoli keeps things super easy. No air fryer? No problem—this roasted broccoli recipe will do the trick!
• A crunchy and refreshing cucumber and tomato salad.
• This simple side salad is unfussy and delicious.

Quick Tips

1. To avoid a burn notice, make sure you scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula when you add the water to release any browned bits that might have stuck. These can trigger the dreaded burn notice.
2. If you get a burn notice, cancel the pressure, open the lid when it’s safe to do so, and add another few tablespoons of water. Secure the lid back in place and pressure cook for whatever time is remaining. I’ve never had a burn notice occur, but this can be an issue with different models.
3. When you open the lid after cooking, you should find a nice and thick sauce. It should not be runny. If for some reason it is, turn on the sauté function and let the mixture simmer for a few minutes to thicken it up. You can also mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or flour with 1/4 cup cold water to make a slurry, and gradually stir it into the mixture as it simmers (don’t bring it to a boil) on sauté mode. This is guaranteed to thicken it up.
4. If you like it spicy, you can add a few tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce to the mix! Just add it when you add the ketchup and tomato paste.
5. If you want to go low-carb and bunless, Sloppy Joes with ground turkey work beautifully as lettuce wraps, sort of like these chicken lettuce wraps.

Ingredients

• Olive oil. You could also use avocado oil as it has a high smoke point.
• Ground turkey. I used a 93% lean / 7% fat blend here, but because this is a saucy recipe, you can get away with 99% fat free if you wish. Your turkey will NOT be dry!
• Bell pepper. I like to use a sweet variety like red, orange, or yellow. Green is a little more on the bitter side but can be used.
• Yellow onion. I like yellow onions because they add a bit of sweetness, but red or white will work as well.
• Garlic.
• Chili powder.
• Smoked paprika. Sweet or plain paprika are also fine. Smoked gives the dish a little warmth and subtle smokiness, but nothing overly strong.
• Salt & pepper. When seasoning ground meat, I always go with 1 teaspoon of salt per pound.
• Worcestershire sauce. This stuff is a flavor bomb! Brings out a deep richness and the umami you’d normally get from beef.
• Dijon mustard. You could also use a stone ground mustard.
• Water. Having enough liquid to get the pot to pressure is important. I’ve found that just 1/4 cup of water (or broth) in this recipe works well. You don’t want it to be soupy, so less is best. Some models seem to be fussy and throw down the burn notice rather easily. Scroll up to my quick tips to see how to handle that.
• Ketchup. Store-bought is obviously fine; if you have homemade ketchup kicking around, that would work as well. In a pinch, you could use tomato sauce.
• Tomato paste. Adds depth to the tomato flavor.
• Buns. To serve! If you want to avoid carbs, lettuce wraps are also awesome.
• Scallions. I like throwing some fresh sliced green onions into my Sloppy Joe for a little zing and freshness, but this is optional.
• Optional veggies. If you want to add more vegetables to your mix, you can! Some ideas would be chopped tomatoes, shredded carrot, or sliced celery.

How to Make Instant Pot Sloppy Joes

1. Activate the sauté function on your Instant Pot on medium heat. Heat the olive oil, then add the diced bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Let them simmer for about two minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the ground turkey and break it down into smaller chunks with a spatula or large spoon. Once the turkey is broken down and only slightly browned/half cooked, turn off the sauté function.
3. Add the salt, pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. Stir until well mixed. Add the water, and stir again, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Transfer the ketchup and tomato paste into the Instant Pot, but don’t stir it. The sugar in the ketchup could trigger the burn notice, so you want to avoid that.
5. Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to Sealing. Cook the contents on high pressure for 8 minutes.
6. When done, do a quick release and open the lid. Give everything a good stir, then mix in the scallions.
7. Serve with fresh brioche buns.

Storage, Freezing, & Reheating

• Let the meat mixture cool, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it for 3-4 days.
• To freeze Instant Pot Sloppy Joes, allow the ground turkey to cool, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer-friendly bag. If using the bag, make sure to lay the bag flat and push all of the air out before sealing and freezing. This will keep frozen for up to 6 months.
• To reheat, you can either pop it in the microwave and heat in 25 second increments until you reach your desire temperature, or transfer it to a pan and heat it over the stove until it’s lightly simmering.

Have You Made This Recipe?

If you enjoyed these Instant Pot Sloppy Joes, please consider leaving a STAR rating & commenting below with feedback!

You can also show off your creations on Instagram by tagging @killing__thyme

Other Must-Try Ground Turkey Recipes

• The Best Turkey Burger
• Ground Turkey Stir Fry With Cabbage
• Easy Turkey Meatloaf With Oats
• Easy Ground Turkey Meatballs With Sauce
• Lasagna With Ground Turkey Meat Sauce

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5 from 15 votes

Instant Pot Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes

By: Dana Sandonato

Instant Pot Sloppy Joes With Ground Turkey are perfectly saucy and full of flavor! A quick and easy weeknight option to throw into your rotation.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

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Equipment

• Instant Pot

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 TBSP olive oil or avocado oil
• ▢ 1 lb ground turkey
• ▢ 1 sweet bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange), diced
• ▢ 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• ▢ 3 cloves of garlic, grated to a paste or finely minced
• ▢ 1 tsp chili powder
• ▢ 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ▢ 1/4 tsp sea salt
• ▢ Cracked black pepper
• ▢ 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1/4 cup water
• ▢ 2/3 cup ketchup
• ▢ 1 TBSP tomato paste

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Heat the olive oil in the Instant Pot on sauté mode, medium. (Higher heat may burn.)
• Add the diced bell peppers, onions, and garlic to the hot oil. Let everything simmer for about two minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the ground turkey and break it down into smaller chunks using a spatula or a large spoon. When the turkey is broken down into crumbles and half cooked, cancel the sauté function.
• Add salt, pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard to the meat, and stir until it's well mixed.
• Add water and stir again. Scrape up any browned bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then, add the ketchup and tomato paste to the Instant Pot, but don't stir it. The sugar in the ketchup could trigger the burn notice, so you want to avoid that. You can stir it in the end.
• Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to Sealing; cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
• When the Instant Pot beeps, do a quick release and open the lid when it's safe to do so. Stir the contents well to mix in the ketchup and tomato paste, then mix in the scallions.
• Serve with fresh brioche buns.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (without bun) | Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 10g

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