Instant Pot Meatballs
Instant Pot Meatballs (Pressure Cooker Meatballs): Make these delicious cheesy umami meatballs in tomato sauce with bursting smokey flavors. Perfect thrifty make ahead freezer meals your family will love!
- Prep time
- 12 min
- Cook time
- 28 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 pound (454g) lean ground beef
- 4 strips (~80g) bacon (, minced)
- 1 small onion (, roughly chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (, roughly minced)
- 1 extra large egg (, beaten)
- 1 teaspoon (1.8g) dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon (2g) fennel seed (, ground)
- ½ teaspoon (2.5ml) Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon (1.5g) kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon (0.5g) black pepper
- ½ cup (31g) panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup (62.5ml) milk
- 2 - 2.5 oz (60 - 70g) cheese (we used 40g freshly grated Parmesan cheese + 30g Mozzarella cheese)
- 2 cups (500ml) unsalted chicken stock
- 1 ⅓ cup (398ml) tomato sauce
- ⅔ cup (156ml) tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon (1.4g) basil
- 1 teaspoon (1.8g) dried oregano
Instructions
- 1
Mix Meatballs Ingredients: Combine all the meatballs ingredients in a large mixing bowl. *Pro Tip: Add the dry ingredients first, then the wet ingredients. Mix well with your hands. Ensure the egg is beaten before adding it to the meatball mixture.
- 2
Make Tomato Sauce: Combine all the tomato sauce ingredients in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Mix well until the tomato paste dissolves into the tomato sauce. Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 5 minutes, then Quick Release.
- 3
Preheat Oven & Test Seasoning: While the tomato sauce is cooking, preheat oven to 450°F. Test the seasoning by cooking a small portion of the meatballs mixture on a skillet over medium-high heat.
- 4
Make Meatballs: Gently roll the meatballs mixture with your hands into ball shapes. *Pro Tip: As shown in the video, we like to serve ours slightly bigger than the size of a golf ball. You should be able to create 8 – 12 meatballs with the listed amount of ingredients.
- 5
Brown in Oven: Place a piece of parchment paper on your baking tray and gently place the meatballs on it. Place the meatballs in the oven for roughly 12 – 16 minutes until the top is browned but not dried out.
- 6
Pressure Cook Meatballs: By now, the tomato sauce should be done cooking on the first cycle. Remove the meatballs from the oven and fully submerge the meatballs in tomato sauce in Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for another 5 minutes, then quick release.
- 7
Serve: Remove the meatballs from the tomato sauce. Confirm the internal temperature of the meatballs is at least 145°F.
- 8
Optional: Continue to reduce the tomato sauce until desired consistency. Taste the seasoning of the tomato sauce and add in more salt and pepper if desired. If you like, sprinkle more cheese on top of the meatballs when it's served.