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This Whole30 Instant Pot beef with peppers can be whipped up within 10 minutes and using only 5 ingredients. A healthy, simple paleo dinner recipe that is also gluten- and dairy-free. Keto and low carb.
Carrie and I bonded over Instant Pot talk when I was invited to speak on her podcast and I am so happy to welcome her as a guest in return. What can I say, Carrie, you absolutely NAILED it with this amazing Instant Pot recipe! 5 ingredients and only 10 minute prep time? Sounds like this one is going to be a real life-saver for busy weeknights!
-Cheryl
Hi there, I’m Carrie, creator of the Clean Eating Kitchen blog where I share easy gluten- and dairy-free recipes, and host of the Clean Eating for Women podcast. I’m honored to share a recipe on Cheryl’s blog while she is on maternity leave (congratulations to Cheryl and her family!), and excited to connect with you.
When I knew I was going to be sharing a recipe on Cheryl’s website, I just knew it had to be an Instant Pot recipe. After all, I interviewed Cheryl on my podcast (see the show notes here) on the very topic of paleo cooking in the Instant Pot and she is most definitely a master on the subject. I adore her gorgeous e-cookbook and recommend it to anybody who is looking to jazz up their pressure cooking skills.
This recipe is a bit different than Cheryl’s usual recipes because it’s on the simple side. Like, 5-ingredients simple. That’s my style! I love to eat healthy food, but I don’t like complicated recipes. The simpler, the better, but always gluten- and dairy-free.
Before I get into the recipe, I wanted to share a little bit of my health story and my relationship history with the Instant Pot. Around 5 or so years ago when pressure cooking started to become popular again, the vegan diet was also really popular. I latched onto the idea that eating only plant foods could resolve almost any health problem and I went vegan on a whim. Bam. Just like that, I got rid of all animal foods in my house and turned to eating only beans, whole grains, soy, nuts, seeds, fruit, and vegetables.
At first, I felt really great! I definitely increased the number of vegetables I was eating and added new recipes into my routine by including green smoothies. I also ditched the dairy which was probably the best thing I could have done. However, without a reliable source of blood sugar-stabilizing animal-based protein, I started to feel bad again. I kept with the diet, convinced that I just need to be stricter and eat less. In other words, the vegan community just directed me to vegan harder.
Long story short, I hit rock bottom with my health in mid-2012 when I got a thyroid cancer diagnosis from my doctor. All the claims about a vegan diet protecting against diseases were broken. I was devastated. It took several more years for me to recognize that a vegan diet was not serving my needs. Finally, in mid-2014, I decided to move to more of a paleo-based approach, adding back in animal products, excluding dairy.
Once I re-expanded my food choices and started making choices based on my individual needs, it didn’t take long to regain my strength and start to feel like myself again. Fast forward to now, mid-2018, and I’m doing much better and finding my stride. My health isn’t perfect and perfection isn’t necessarily the goal, but I have found that a mostly paleo, real food, clean eating outline is what works best for my body.
Back to the pressure cooker. I mentioned that the Instant Pot started to get popular a few years ago. In the vegan community, it was all about cooking beans without having to soak them. I hopped on the trend and tried my hand at a few recipes. They were awful! Honestly, during the entire 3 1/2 years of being vegan, I never enjoyed a bean-based recipe. They always tasted starchy and bland, and adding greens or other vegetables to beans certainly didn’t improve the flavor. I bought and gave away two pressure cookers before buying an Instant Pot again in 2017.
I’m so happy I’ve finally learned how to use a pressure cooker and that I’ve found recipes that are healthy and delicious! This one I’m sharing today meets both of those requirements, in addition to being super fast and easy.
This Instant Pot Beef with Peppers uses grass-fed ground meat with red bell peppers as the vegetable. I served it with cauliflower rice in the photos, but you could always serve it with your favorite starchy side dish, such as white rice or roasted potatoes.
Connect with Carrie on her blog, Clean Eating Kitchen, or on Instagram @cleaneatingcarrie.
Instant Pot Beef with Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons + 1/2 cup bone broth
- 2 pounds grass-fed ground beef
- 3 large red bell peppers or 4 medium-sized, cut into strips
- 2 teaspoons Primal Palate New BAE Seasoning or your favorite spicy seasoning blend
- 1 medium white onion diced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of bone broth on the saute function on a 6- or 8-quart Instant Pot
- Add the ground beef and use a spatula to break it up. Cook the meat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chopped bell peppers, seasoning, onion, and salt and pepper to the meat. Cancel the saute function, lock on the lid, and turn on high pressure for 12 minutes.
- Once the recipe is done cooking, use the quick-release function to release the steam. Carefully remove the lid and give the stew a final stir before serving.
- Serve the beef and peppers with your choice of cooked cauliflower rice, cooked white rice, or roasted potatoes.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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In the pictures, what are the flat, yellowish pieces that appear? They don’t match anything listed in the ingredients. Is it cheese?
Cauliflower rice. 🙂
Tell people when to add the water the crockpot, especially since this is a pressure cooker recipe
Admiring the hard work you put into your website and in depth information you provide.
It’s great to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t
the same unwanted rehashed information. Excellent
read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to
my Google account.
How do you cook it if you don’t have an instant pot?
Hi Michelle, you could cook this recipe on the stovetop. I haven’t tested it this way, but it can be done! 🙂
I’m guessing the extra half cup of bone broth is also added after browning the meat (but before pressure cooking? Looks like a nice, easy, fast recipe, which is just my speed!
Hi, yes, Cynthia! I’m sorry, I left that part out of the recipe. The extra 1/2 cup of bone broth should be added to the pot with the meat and veggies.
Thank you for letting me share my story and recipe on your gorgeous blog, Cheryl!!! You’re the best!
No, Carrie, you are the best!! This recipe is so awesome 🙂