Today, friends, I am the world's luckiest food blogger, because the lovely and talented Emily Stauch from Flawed Yet Functional has taken the time to convert my most popular recipe here on Rally Pure from an instant pot recipe to the stove top – making it accessible to all! You can find her recipe and technique below, and be sure to head on over to her blog to check it out – she has a ton of great information about the autoimmune protocol, managing autoimmune disease, delicious recipes, and so much more. I'm so excited to have her share it here, so let's get right to it!

Hi everybody! My name is Emily Stauch, and I blog over at FlawedyetFunctional.com. When I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as a 33 year old, I knew nothing about the food/health connection. Shortly after my diagnosis, I stumbled upon an article claiming a link between gluten and autoimmune diseases. I jumped in with both feet, changed my diet dramatically, and was able to stop taking insulin immediately. Removing gluten, and eventually dairy and eggs, had an immediate and profound effect on my insulin sensitivity and preserving my pancreas. I was completely off insulin for the next 19 months after this discovery! Even though I'm back on insulin injections, I still use the Autoimmune Protocol, plus some reintroductions, to manage my blood sugar levels and overall health which has resulted in stable blood sugars and fantastic overall health.

One of my favorite AIP meals is Heidi's Sweet Potato and Beef Stew. It's hearty with complex flavors, and it wins over any person I serve it to on any diet.

Heidi was gracious enough to let me write a post here to explain how to make this fantastic stew on the stove-top. An Instant Pot is definitely an easy way to make a healthy meal, but I don't have one, and I imagine there are others out there like me. I've adapted the methods to create this stew in one dutch oven, so anyone can make this awesome dish. Let's take a look at the key steps.

Cook the Meat First

To keep this meal a "one pot dinner", brown the beef in the dutch oven first before beginning the soup. Simply heat up the dutch oven, add 1-2 tablespoons of oil, and the ground beef. Break apart the beef with a wooden spoon as it cooks to the size of your liking.

When the meat is cooked through, remove to a bowl and set aside. Return the pan to the stove and begin browning the onions.

Brown Onions Then Bloom Garlic and Spices

In my opinion, this step is what takes homemade soup from ok to stellar (well, maybe I'd say proper salting too…it's a close race!). Take the time to brown the onions nicely in oil THEN add the fresh garlic, ginger, and dried spices. Stir the spices around with the onions until the onions are completely covered in seasoning and the fragrance from the warm spices is noticeable. This is called "blooming" the spices. It lets the flavors begin to come alive and makes the soup even more deep with flavor. Don't skip this step!

Add Chunk Vegetables and Broth

Blooming the spices only takes 30 seconds, so have the sweet potato and carrots chopped and ready to go next to the stove. Once the onions and spices are smelling wonderful, stir in the chunked vegetables.

Stir the vegetables for a minute or so to coat in the onion/spice mixture then add the bone broth.

Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to low and simmer until carrots and sweet potatoes are soft.

A quick note on how to chop vegetables for this soup: cut the sweet potatoes twice as thick as the carrots. Feel free to chop your veggies any size you like, but since sweet potatoes cook quicker, they need to be larger than the carrots. This way, the vegetables will be soft at the same time.

Mix in Finishing Flavors

Once the sweet potatoes are soft, stir in the pumpkin, lime juice, and meat. Then comes the second key to great soup: taste and add salt as needed. Great homemade food isn't great because the recipe was perfect. Great homemade food is great because the cook has properly seasoned the meal. Salt and pepper as you go, but be especially sure to taste the soup at the end to see if it needs more salt. In my opinion, almost every recipe does!

Add 1-2 teaspoons of salt at a time, stir then taste again. Continue this until the soup tastes bright and vibrant. If it tastes flat, add more salt!

I hope you enjoy this version of Heidi's tasty Instant Pot Sweet Potato and Beef Stew. While more time consuming than an Instant Pot, it produces a seriously delicious meal that you can be proud serving to your family and friends. Follow these four easy steps to create a knockout soup every time.

Sweet Potato & Beef Stew

Sweet Potato & Beef Stew (AIP, Paleo) – a gluten free, low allergen, anti-inflammatory recipe featuring sweet potatoes, carrots, bone broth, and topped with fresh herbs and avocado.

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: aip, nightshade free, paleo, soup, stew

Servings: 4 people

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb ground beef grassfed if possible
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 tbsp ginger minced or 1 tsp. Dried
  • 3 cloves garlic minced or 2 tsp. Dried
  • 2 tsp dried oregano or 2 tbsp fresh
  • 2 tsp dried thyme or 2 tbsp fresh
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1-1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper optional
  • 1 cup carrots sliced into 1/4" discs
  • 5 cups sweet potatoes 1/2" chunks
  • 2 cups bone both
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • Juice of 1 lemon or 2 limes
  • 1 cup cilantro or parsley chopped
  • 6 green onions sliced
  • Avocado diced

  1. In an 6-8 quart dutch oven, warm the pan over medium heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil then brown the ground beef until completely cooked. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

  2. Return the dutch oven to the stove-top and warm over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until onions are beginning to brown.

  3. Add fresh garlic, ginger, and all dry spices to the onions and bloom, stirring continuously, until the spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.

  4. Stir in the carrots and sweet potatoes and stir until onion/spice mixture is evenly distributed.

  5. Pour in the bone broth, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer until carrots and sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

  6. Stir in the pumpkin puree, lime juice, and reserved meat until warm. Taste and add salt and pepper until soup is vibrant and bright.

  7. Serve topped with fresh herbs, chopped green onions, and avocado.

All photos by Emily Stauch. Thanks, Emily!

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