Instant Pot Meatballs
Posted: 10/18/21
Updated: 12/13/21
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These Instant Pot Meatballs come together in a few easy steps and are ready in under 30 minutes! The end result is classic Italian meatballs, cooked to perfection. Warming, wholesome, and cozy however you serve them!
What Makes These Meatballs So Good
- Your Instant Pot does all the hard work for you! Set the time, walk away, and return to perfectly cooked meatballs in a delicious sauce.
- These Instant Pot meatballs are incredibly freezer-friendly! The recipe makes quite a big batch – 36 meatballs in total, eat half right away and freeze the other half for an easy dinner another day. Simply thaw in the fridge overnight and warm the meatballs over medium heat on the stove.
- You can serve these Instant Pot meatballs a million different ways. They taste great over pasta, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, or in a sandwich – the possibilities are endless!
Key Ingredients
Whole Peeled Canned Tomatoes – You’ll have two options when purchasing whole peeled canned tomatoes from the store, you can either purchase them packed in juice or puree. Both will work for this Instant Pot meatballs recipe, but those packed in puree offer a richer flavor, taking the sauce up a notch.
Italian Breadcrumbs – Made with Italian seasonings, these breadcrumbs contribute so much delicious flavor to your meatballs. Definitely do not swap out for plain breadcrumbs, they simply won’t work here.
Eggs – Too much egg and your Instant Pot meatballs will be tough, too little egg and they will fall apart. My rule of thumb is one egg per pound of meat, makes for tender meatballs that hold their shape!
Chef’s Tips
- I recommend lean ground beef for this recipe, either 85% lean or higher will work. You can also cut down on some of the fat by increasing the beef-to-pork ratio – try 1 ½ pounds of beef and ½ a pound of pork.
- When mixing together the meatball mixture, mix it just enough to combine everything, but not too much. Over-mixing the meat will yield tough Instant Pot meatballs, no one wants that!
- Don’t have an Instant Pot and want to make these meatballs on the stovetop? Start by cooking the meatballs in a large pot with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side, working in three batches as to only cook a single layer of meatballs at a time. Remove the meatballs from your pot, sauté the garlic in olive oil, add in the remaining sauce ingredients and place the meatballs back into the pot (you can stack them this time). Cook covered, on medium heat, for 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
More Instant Pot Recipes You’ll Love
- Instant Pot Shrimp
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken
- 20 Keto Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Instant Pot Sausage and Peppers
Instant Pot Meatballs
These Instant Pot Meatballs come together in a few easy steps and are ready in under 30 minutes! The end result is classic Italian meatballs, cooked to perfection. Warming, wholesome, and cozy however you serve them!
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
For the Sauce
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Large bowl
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients together with your hands.
- Using a tablespoon measure, scoop 2 tablespoons of meat per meatball and roll between your palms forming a ball. Keep rolling meatballs until no meat remains, forming about 36 meatballs.
- Set your Instant Pot to the sauté setting and add in the olive oil. When oil is hot, about 1 minute later, add in the minced garlic for the sauce and gently sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add in the remaining sauce ingredients and mix everything together to combine.
- Carefully place all 36 meatballs into the Instant Pot along with the sauce, secure the lid and pressure cook on high for 8 minutes.
- Quick release the steam before opening the lid of the Instant Pot, serve meatballs as desired.
Notes
- Make it Keto: Use fresh grated parmesan cheese, use more parmesan cheese instead of breadcrumbs, and make sure the canned tomatoes do not contain any added sugar.
- Make it Gluten Free: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs, and serve over zucchini noodles or your favorite gluten-free pasta!
Nutrition Information
Serving: 6meatballs, Calories: 445kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 35g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 166mg, Sodium: 1153mg, Potassium: 551mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 412IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 157mg, Iron: 4mg, Net Carbs: 8g
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.
I made this yesterday and mine turned out perfect. Very tasty. I will be making them again for sure and I am on the hunt for the next recipe to try!
Thank you so much, Mina! Let us know if you need any recommendations!
I made this recipe tonight for my family, but the meatballs were not cooked through after 8 minutes. I’m not sure where I went wrong.
Hey Erin. we’re sorry you had this experience. It’s important to make sure the Instant Pot is set to cook on high pressure for the specified time. But regardless, we’re so sorry it didn’t turn out for you as expected. Should this be a recurring issue or if something’s wrong with your Instant Pot, you could finish them off in a skillet to ensure they’re cooked through, or brown them in batches inside the insert on the sauté setting before sealing.