Sweet Potato Pork Stew is healthy, comforting, filling, and made using your Slow Cooker OR Instant Pot. It's even Paleo-friendly! Ground Pork and Sweet Potatoes make the stew super filling. Jalapeños add spice that is slightly offset by the sweetness from the apples. It's the perfect easy weeknight dinner during the Fall or Winter.
What You'll Need for this Recipe:
- Ground Pork - you can also substitute ground chicken or turkey, but I love how the pork flavor pairs with the apples and sweet potatoes.
- Vegetable Broth or Stock
- Sweet Potatoes
- Apples
- Jalapeños
- White or Yellow Onion
- Fresh Thyme
- Ground Ginger, Salt, and Pepper
Tips and Frequently Asked Questions:
Do I have to brown the ground pork first?
Yes! Browning the ground meat is so important for the flavor and texture. If you make the in the Instant Pot, it's super easy. Just brown it on the sauté setting first and then add everything back. If you're using a slow cooker, you'll need to do it separately on the stove, but I promise it's crucial.
I don't like spice/I LOVE spice?
Adjust the jalapeño to your preference! If you don't like spice, I recommend removing all of the whites and seeds. You can even cut back on the amount of jalapeño used if you really want it mild. If you LOVE spice, then go ahead and leave some or all of those whites and seeds in. As written, I consider the spice level a Mild-Moderate.
I've never used my Instant Pot before, how do I start?
Using a pressure cooker for the first time can be SUPER intimidating. I recommend first doing a 'water test' to learn how it works and what to expect during the pressure cooking process. Here is a great step by step. The 'test' does not make your Instant Pot work better, but it will allow you to get comfortable before actual food and ingredients are involved.
Does this reheat well for leftovers?
Yes! Leftover stew can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Because it doesn't have pasta, rice, or another grain there is nothing that is going to get soggy over time. This makes it a great meal prep option for the week!
This recipe is featured in a roundup of Best Apple Recipes and Best Slow Cooker Recipes. Check it out!
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Sweet Potato Pork Stew
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Sweet Potato Pork Stew is healthy, comforting, filling, and made using your Slow Cooker OR Instant Pot. It's even Paleo-friendly! Jalapeños add spice that is slightly offset by the sweetness from the apples. It's the perfect easy weeknight dinner during the Fall or Winter.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds lean ground pork
- 1 quart vegetable broth
- 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 medium apples, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 jalapeños, whites and seeds removed, small diced
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- Brown the Pork. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the oil. Cook the pork, stirring and crumbling until no longer pink. This should take about 7-10 minutes. When cooked, transfer to a large slow cooker. You can discard some of the excess fat, if you'd like.
- Add Ingredients. Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Slow Cook. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. The stew is done when the potatoes are tender to your liking. To thicken the stew, use a fork or potato masher to gently mash some of the potatoes.
- Serve and enjoy.
Instant Pot
- Brown the Pork. Heat the Instant Pot to sauté on normal/medium with the oil. Add the pork and cook and crumble until no longer pink. This should take about 7-10 minutes.
- Add Ingredients. Add remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot and stir to combine.
- Pressure Cook. Cook on low pressure for 10 minutes. Natural release for 5 minutes before quick releasing the remaining pressure. If liquid starts to spurt out of the release valve, allow to natural release for a few minutes more. To thicken the stew, use a fork or potato masher to gently mash some of the potatoes.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Leftovers: Stew can be kept in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Instant Pot, Main Dish, Slow Cooker, Soup
- Method: Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American, Soup
Keywords: Sweet Potato Pork Stew, Instant Pot Pork Stew, Slow Cooker Pork Stew, Paleo Instant Pot Recipe, Paleo Slow Cooker Recipe
Justine from Vancouver, Canada says
I was looking for a recipe to use up my sweet potato and came across this site. The stew was very easy to make and I was very happy with the results! Family liked it as well. I made the Instant Pot version. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kathleen says
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for the comment 🙂
Robert says
Kathleen could I substitute the ground pork for a pork loin (2.5lb)? Would it change the recipe times? Thank you.
Kathleen says
Hi Robert. A whole pork loin would be a tricky substitution as the cook time would likely need to be much longer than the rest of the stew needs. It could be possible if you cut it into small chunks, but I haven’t tested it myself. However, other ground meat is a 1:1 substitute with no changes needed: such as ground Turkey, chicken, or sausage. If you do make it work with the pork loin, let us know how it goes! Thanks!
Joy says
I absolutely love this recipe, and have it on heavy rotation. Thank you so much for the inspiration! I just wrote a little blog post about it 🙂
★★★★★