INSTANT POT ITALIAN MEATBALLS AND SAUCE - Perfect for meatball subs, served over pasta or just as is.
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Over the past several months, my nine year old has developed a love of meatballs. This is awesome for me because I can make a batch of meatballs and he can eat a few with pasta and then use the leftovers for meatball subs or sometimes I even just plop a few in his thermos for school lunch.
Our schedule lately hasn't really allowed me to make homemade sauce (check out my favorite marinara recipe) and meatballs and I've been relying on some frozen stuff. I don't really mind doing that but I don't love it either.
The other night my husband was out and I had to pull double duty getting my daughter one place and my son another and we only had a few minutes for dinner in the middle. On these busy nights I almost always turn to my Instant Pot.
If you have checked out my recipe for Classic Italian Meatballs you know that I grew up in an Italian household where we never fried or baked the meatballs. We always just simmered the meatballs in sauce. So, creating these meatballs in the Instant Pot isn't really a stretch of the imagination for me. I'm not one for a crunchy coating on a meatball. I want a meatball that is moist and tender and tastes like my childhood.
For those of you who know the Instant Pot, you also know that the more liquid you have in there, the longer it takes to come to pressure. So, a little trick I do to manage my time best is get my meatball mix together but not rolled into balls. I set it aside and get my sauce going. Once the sauce is going, I go back and form my meatballs. By the time my meatballs are rolled, it's time to turn off the saute function, put the balls in the sauce and start the pressure.
We used these Instant Pot Meatballs for meatball subs. According to my son, the best meatball sub he's ever eaten. Be sure if you're making a sub you use a fresh roll. A less than stellar roll can really ruin a sub.
To make the meatball sub, I place a slice of cheese in the roll, then add the meatballs (sometimes I have to cut them in half). I bake them at 375 for 5 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven, I sprinkle with fresh parmesan. Can't beat it!
Instant Pot Meatballs and Sauce
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients
- ⅔ C seasoned dry breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 T fresh chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper fresh cracked
- ½ C shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 lb ground meat mixture I use combo of beef, veal and pork
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 T olive oil
- ¼ C diced sweet onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 ½ C water
- 1 teaspoon dried basil I prefer freeze dried
- 1 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning I prefer freeze dried
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper fresh cracked
Instructions
Meatballs
- Place all meatball ingredients except meat in bowl. Stir together with fork until combined. Add meat to bowl. Using hands, mix, just until combined. Do not over mix or over work with hands.
- Shape meatballs into balls.
Sauce
- Set Instant Pot to saute. Heat oil in Instant Pot. Add onion and cook, just until softening. Add garlic and cook 30 sec more.
- Pour crushed tomatoes and water into pot with onion and garlic. Stir salt, pepper, basil and Italian seasoning into mixture. Allow to cook on saute function for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off saute function.
- Place meatballs in sauce. Cover and seal pot. Set to manual/high for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes cook time, allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Enjoy with pasta, right out of the pot or in a sub/sandwich!
Notes
Instant Pot Italian Meatballs and Sauce Notes:
- For the sauce I've used freeze dried herbs. Freeze dried herbs are the closest I've found to fresh herbs when they aren't available. However, I always use fresh parsley in the meatballs.
- The quality of the crushed tomatoes will greatly effect the quality of your sauce. Be sure to use a good quality tomato product.
You may find these items helpful when preparing Instant Pot Italian Meatballs and Sauce:
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Sue C says
In the meatball ingredients you have "1 T ground meat mixture..." Should that be 1 lb instead of 1 T?
foodyschmoody says
EEEEK! Yes, that is supposed to say 1 lb! Thanks so much for pointing that out. Sorry for the confusion.
Neely Moldovan says
Anything in an instant pot is my kind of meal! This one sounds especially great!
laurie beth says
Our recipe is so similar. I just had caramelized onions to my meatballs! I need an insta pot. That would keep me from having to heat up my house as well as infuse the sauce with the yummy meatballs.
wendy says
We make a gluten free version of something similar and they're delicious. These look amazing too! I would love the parmesan cheese flavor!
Crystal says
Meatballs are a hit with my kids too. Being able to make them so quickly in an Instant Pot is making this Italian mama happy!
Heather says
I think I am the only person left on the planet not using an Instant Pot. I'm pumped though. These look awesome and perfect for those weeknight dinners when there's more to do than time.
Rosey says
Good tip on not rolling until a bit later. I haven't used an instant pot yet.