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This Instant Pot Southwestern Pork Stew has bacon, peppers, and sweet potatoes; see suggestions below for a lower-carb option!

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Instant Pot Southwestern Pork Stew photo of finished dish

Have you joined the Instant Pot craze yet? At my house we’ve been having fun experimenting with at least one Instant Pot recipe nearly every time I cook with Jake and Kara, and although I’m far from an expert, I’m comfortable enough to start experimenting.

So this Instant Pot Southwestern Pork Stew that has bacon, red pepper, and sweet potatoes is one of those recipes where we added a little of this and a little of that until we had one we thought was a winner! It did take us two tries to come up with this combination, which uses one of those inexpensive pork sirloin tip roasts.

I knew that Instant Pots were really a thing when my brother Dave called to ask me an Instant Pot question, and he raved about how he had made a roast in the Instant Pot and how good it was. We’re getting a good collection of Instant Pot Recipes on Kalyn’s Kitchen, and you can also find some great Instant Pot recipes from other blogs at the Instant Pot Index on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site.

My most popular Instant Pot recipe to date is definitely this Instant Pot Low-Carb Loaded Cauliflower Soup, so if you happen to find an Instant Pot under the Christmas tree, be sure to try that one! And if you like pork and Southwestern flavors, be sure to try this tasty Pork Stew made in the Instant Pot as well!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is ONLY a list of ingredients for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

What gives this pork stew Southwestern flavors?

It’s the use of Poblano chiles, diced green chiles, cumin, Mexican oregano, lime, and cilantro that gives this tasty pork stew the Southwestern flavors.

How can you make this recipe lower in carbs?

If you’d like a low-carb version of this pork stew, just skip the sweet potatoes and add more red pepper and more pork. Or you could make a lower-carb version by using less sweet potato with a bit more pepper or more pork. The sweet potatoes do add some thickening, so you might need to simmer in the Instant Pot a bit to reduce if you go for the low-carb option.

More Pork in the Instant Pot:

Instant Pot Southwestern Stew with Pork, Bacon, Peppers, and Sweet Potatoes process shots collage

How to Make Instant Pot Southwestern Pork Stew:

(This is ONLY a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. Cook bacon strips it in the instant pot on SAUTE, high heat. Then remove bacon with a slotted spoon.
  2. Remove some of the bacon fat if needed, then cook the pork pieces until they’re nicely browned. You might need to do this in two batches to be sure the pork browns well, or cook the pork in a big pan on the stove if you prefer.
  3. While pork browns, chop the onion and the Poblano chili pepper. Remove the browned pork and add the onions and chopped Poblano to the Instant Pot with a little more bacon fat or olive oil if needed and cook 2-3 minutes; then add the ground cumin and Mexican oregano and cook 1-2 minutes more.
  4. Add the browned pork, bacon, canned green chiles, and chicken stock to the Instant Pot, lock the lid, and set to HIGH PRESSURE for 20 minutes, using NATURAL RELEASE to release the pressure.
  5. While the pork cooks, chop the sweet potatoes and red pepper (or two red peppers if you’re making the low-carb version). Add those to the Instant Pot after the pressure has released.
  6. Lock the lid on the Instant Pot again and set to HIGH PRESSURE, 8 minutes. When the time is up use NATURAL RELEASE for 5 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure quickly, being careful to stay away from the steam.
  7. If you didn’t add the sweet potatoes you may want to simmer the stew in the Instant Pot for a few minutes to thicken it.
  8. Then add the lime juice, chopped cilantro, and salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
  9. Serve hot, with grated cheese and sour cream to add at the table if desired

Instant Pot Southwestern Stew with Pork, Bacon, Peppers, and Sweet Potatoes found on KalynsKitchen.com

Want more Sweet Potato Recipe Ideas?

One ingredient that adds flavor to this Southwestern Pork Stew is Sweet Potatoes, and if you’re a fan of savory sweet potato recipes like I am, check out my Favorite Healthy Sweet Potato Recipes.

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a  category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Instant Pot Southwestern Stew with Pork, Bacon, Peppers, and Sweet Potatoes found on KalynsKitchen.com
Yield: 8 servings

Instant Pot Southwestern Pork Stew

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 28 minutes
Total Time 38 minutes

Instant Pot Southwestern Pork Stew with Bacon, Peppers, and Sweet Potatoes is fun for something new to make in the Instant Pot!

Ingredients

  • 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into short strips
  • 2 lb. Pork Sirloin Tip Roast, trimmed and cut into cubes 1 - 1 1/2 inch square
  • 2 tsp olive oil (if needed)
  • 1 onion, chopped small
  • 1 large Poblano chile, chopped small (see notes)
  • 1 T ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. oregano, preferably Mexican oregano
  • 1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles with juice
  • 3 cups chicken stock (see notes)
  • 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
  • 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
  • 1 T lime juice, or more (see notes)
  • 3 T finely chopped cilantro (optional)
  • salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
  • grated Mexican blend cheese and sour cream for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cut bacon into short strips, then cook in the Instant Pot using SAUTE and HIGH HEAT until the bacon is crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels with a slotted spoon. (If there seems like too much bacon fat, remove some with a spoon.)
  2. While bacon cooks, trim fat from the pork roast and cut in cubes 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch square. Brown the pork cubes in the Instant Pot, letting them getting nicely browned. You might need to do this in two batches so the Instant Pot isn't too crowded, or brown the pork in some olive oil or bacon fat in a pan on the stove if you prefer. Remove pork to a plate.
  3. While pork browns, chop the onion and the Poblano (or Pasilla) chile into very small dice. When pork is done, add the chopped onions and chiles to the Instant Pot (adding a little more olive oil or bacon fat if needed), reduce heat to MEDIUM and cook 2-3 minutes. Then add the ground cumin and oregano and cook 1-2 minutes more.
  4. Put the browned pork back into the Instant Pot with the crisp bacon, canned green chiles, and chicken stock. Lock lid on the Instant Pot and cook at HIGH PRESSURE for 20 minutes; then use NATURAL RELEASE to release the pressure.
  5. While the stew cooks, peel the sweet potatoes and chop into 3/4 inch pieces. Cut stem out and remove seeds from the red bell pepper and chop into 3/4 inch pieces.
  6. When pressure has released, add the chopped sweet potatoes and red bell pepper to the Instant Pot, lock lid, and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 8 minutes. Use NATURAL RELEASE for 5 minutes, then QUICK RELEASE to release the rest of the pressure.
  7. Check to see if you want to simmer to thicken the stew, especially if you didn't use the sweet potatoes. If so, simmer on SAUTE, low heat until some of the liquid has evaporated and the stew has thickened to your liking.
  8. Stir in the lime juice and chopped cilantro (if using) and season the stew with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
  9. Serve hot, with grated Mexican blend cheese and sour cream to add at the table if desired.

Notes

Pork Sirloin Tip Roast has a photo of the kind of pork roast I used for this recipe. Poblano Chiles are sometimes called Pasilla chiles in U.S. grocery stores. You can also use canned chicken broth for this. I used my fresh-frozen lime juice.I used a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for this recipe.Recipe created by Kalyn, with help from Jake and Kara.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 323Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 395mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 9gProtein: 42g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

© Kalyn Denny
Category: Can Freeze
Instant Pot Southwestern Stew with Pork, Bacon, Peppers, and Sweet Potatoes found on KalynsKitchen.com

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Instant Pot Southwestern Pork Stew is a great dish for any low-glycemic diet, including Phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet. To make this suitable for a traditional low-carb diet plan, just skip the sweet potatoes and replace with another chopped red bell pepper.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Instant Pot Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2017. It was updated with more information in 2022.

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