Instant Pot Meatballs
Craving meatballs and sauce but short on time? Make this instant pot meatball recipe that calls for ground beef. It only needs 12 minutes of pressure, and it makes the most tender meatballs cooked in red sauce: perfect in a meatball sub or for dinner, served over pasta.
One thing I love about this recipe is cooking meatballs and sauce simultaneously in the pressure cooker, not in stages: it’s less work, takes less time, and makes the meatballs soft and juicy. Another thing I love is that these instant pot meatballs can be ready in a fraction of the time it takes than if you were slow cooking them most of the day.
I’ve mentioned before that my mom learned how to make meatballs and gravy from her mother. Gravy is what our family calls spaghetti sauce. My mom’s gravy would bubble on the stove for hours as the aroma permeated the air.
It was such a comforting smell and continues to be in our household. I just don’t take hours to create it!
You will love the flavor of the meatballs cooked in this sauce.
Want to use the meatballs in a recipe? Try my meatball sub recipe.
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Helpful tips
- I like my tomato sauce on the chunky side, so I use one can of diced tomatoes and one can of crushed tomatoes, but if you want a smooth sauce, use two cans of crushed tomatoes.
- I prefer to add my herbs and spices, so I buy cans of tomatoes without added ingredients like basil, etc. I suggest you do the same.
- I sometimes make meatballs with a mixture of ground meats, such as beef and ground pork or beef and lamb; the rest of the recipe remains the same whether you use a single meat or a mixture.
- You could use ground turkey or ground chicken if you prefer.
- I use baby portobello mushrooms, but you can use white button mushrooms.
- My mom used green bell peppers in her gravy, but I prefer red bell peppers. Use what you prefer.
- I choose grass-fed beef whenever possible because it tastes better than conventional beef. Grass-fed is not much more expensive, so give yourself a treat and taste the difference.
- I recommend you layer the ingredients in the order I give in the recipe card, so you don’t get a burn message on your pressure cooker.
- Do not stir the ingredients together before cooking because you want the meatballs to be under the tomatoes; stirring them will disrupt that. You will stir it once it’s all cooked.
- You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. And this recipe is very freezer-friendly and can be stored for up to 5 months.
- Reheating these meatballs is easy; place them with sauce in a deep sauté pan or saucepan and heat them on low for 10 – 15 minutes.
How to make instant pot meatballs and sauce
Pre-step
Get your pressure cooker or instant pot and a mixing bowl.
Step one
Gather the starting ingredients – medium/large onion, red bell pepper, and mushrooms. (A)
Step two
Chop the onion into medium chunks and add to the instant pot container.(B)
Step three
Chop the red bell pepper into chunks and add to the container. (C)
Step four
Gather the rest of the ingredients – grass-fed ground beef, eggs, herbs and spices, breadcrumbs, and canned tomatoes. (D)
Step five
Add ground beef to the mixing bowl. (E) Add oregano, basil, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. (F)
Step six
Add two eggs (G) and add breadcrumbs. (H)
Step seven
Use your hands to mix the meat mixture. Roll them into meatballs once the meat is combined with the rest of the ingredients. I like bigger meatballs in my gravy, so mine are fairly big. I made 10 meatballs out of 1 pound of ground beef.
Place the meatballs into the instant pot container. (I)
Step eight
Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, salt and bay leaf. (J)
Step nine
Slice the mushrooms and add them on top. Don’t stir. (K)
Step ten
Place the lid on the instant pot and seal it. Make sure the venting knob is set to sealed and the pressure is set to high pressure and the mode to normal.
Press the pressure cook or manual button and set the timer to 12 minutes.
The pressure cooker will take around 20 minutes to come to pressure before the meatballs start to cook.
Step eleven
Once the Instant Pot beeps that it’s done cooking, either let the pressure release naturally, which will take around 20 – 25 minutes, or do a quick release after 5 minutes.
Remove the lid. (L)
Now, you can stir the ingredients together. You can either serve the meatballs out of the instant pot container or transfer them to a serving bowl like I do.
Yum, yum.
Time to serve it.
Delicious! I hope you enjoyed these instant pot meatballs with sauce recipe. It’s so easy to make and super satisfying. It happens to be one of my favorite instant pot recipes.
Other sauce recipes
And as always, may all your dishes be delish!
If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love to know what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!
Instant Pot Meatballs
Ingredients
For meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef (grass-fed if you can get it)
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (heaping or 2 teaspoons)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (plain)
To layer
- 1 medium onion (or large – chopped in medium chunks)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (chopped in medium chunks)
- 10 ounces baby portobello mushrooms (sliced)
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons basil
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
Make the meatballs
- In a mixing bowl, add ground beef, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and eggs.1 pound ground beef, 2 teaspoons oregano, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Use your hands to mix the meat together with the other ingredients. Form the meatballs. I like my meatballs on the bigger size, so I ended up with 10 meatballs.
Start layering the rest of the ingredients
- Place the onions in the instant pot container.1 medium onion
- Add the red bell peppers.1 medium red bell pepper
- Place the meatballs on the peppers.
- Add the tomatoes, 2 teaspoons oregano, 2 teaspoon basil, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt and bay leaf.28 ounces crushed tomatoes, 2 teaspoons oregano, 2 teaspoons basil, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 bay leaf, 28 ounces diced tomatoes
- Lastly, add sliced mushrooms. Important: do not stir the ingredients together. See notes on why.10 ounces baby portobello mushrooms
- Seal instant pot, make sure the venting knob is set to the sealed position. Also make sure the pressure is set to high and the mode is set to normal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set the timer to 12 minutes.
- Once the pressure cooker beeps that it is done, either let the pressure release naturally or do a quick release after 5 minutes. Make sure to protect yourself from the steam by putting on a oven mitt before nudging the knob to the venting position.
- Either serve the meatballs and sauce from the instant pot container or transfer to a serving bowl.
- Eat
- Smile
- Enjoy
Equipment
Notes
- I like my gravy on the chunky side so I use one can of diced tomatoes and one can of crushed tomatoes, but if you like a smooth gravy, use two cans of crushed tomatoes.
- I prefer to add my own herbs and spices, so I buy cans of tomatoes that don’t have any added ingredients like basil, etc. I suggest you do the same.
- I alternate my meatballs with a mixture of ground meats – beef and pork or beef and lamb, but this recipe has just ground beef.
- I tend to use baby portobello mushrooms, but you can use white button mushrooms if you prefer.
- My mom used to use green bell peppers in her gravy, but I prefer red bell peppers. Use what you prefer.
- I choose grass-fed beef whenever I can because it tastes better than conventional beef. Grass-fed is not that much more expensive, so give yourself a treat and try it and taste the difference.
- You are going to layer the ingredients in the order I give in the recipe card. You do this so you don’t get a burn message on your pressure cooker.
- You will also not stir the ingredients together before cooking because you want the meatballs to be under the tomatoes and stirring them will disrupt that.
Nutrition
From lighting up stages with her BA in theater to crafting delightful dishes and cocktails, Elaine Benoit's journey is a testament to passion's transformative power. As the CEO of Dishes Delish, she offers a blend of healthy, comforting recipes and exquisitely crafted cocktails. Beyond the kitchen, Elaine voiced her culinary adventures on her podcast, "Dishing," and co-owns Food Blogger Help, extending her expertise to guide budding food bloggers to success. Whether it's for a heartwarming dish or insights into food blogging, Elaine's diverse experiences make her a beacon in the culinary digital landscape.
I cannot resist a great meatball recipe. This sounds delicious. Stuffing them in subs, adding them to pasta, or using them as appetizers.
Me too Gloria! I love meatballs and could eat them weekly! Thanks for your comment.
I love finding new recipes that I can make in my Instant Pot to save time. I love that the meatballs and sauce are all cooked together in this dish.
Thanks so much Sharon! I hope you try it and see how easy and delicious it is.
Oh my goodness, these meatballs were so good! I love quick delicious recipes. We all loved them, and I had dinner made in a jiffy! I am making these again and again!
Yay! I’m so glad Jenny! 🙂 We love them here and I’m so happy that your family is enjoying it too.
Moist and juicy is right, and really so quick and easy to pull together. Who doesn’t like meatballs and pasta.
Thanks Mikayla! I am so glad you enjoyed them. Thanks so much for letting me know.
I’m all up for easy recipes and I love cooking in my Instant Pot! I can’t wait to try these, they sound so delicious!
Thank you Petro. It is super easy and I can’t wait for you to try them.
This looks really delicious. It’s definitely something I need to prepare for my family. They will love this. It has it all, meatballs, pasta and sauce. Everyone’s favorite.
Thanks Natalie! I hope your family loves it as much as we do.
I haven’t met a meatball I didn’t enjoy but your variation on them was outstanding! This instant pot meatball recipe was as easy as pie and I swear I must have eaten three before serving dinner—lol don’t tell on me. Have a great day!!
Haha. That’s awesome Heidy. And my lips are sealed! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know.
I love making meatballs they are super fun to make! This recipe looks super delicious and I love the ingredient combination. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I cant wait to try this out!
Thank you so much Ramona! I appreciate it. I hope you enjoy it when you try this recipe.
These instant pot meatballs were super easy to make and so flavorful. They made the perfect weeknight dinner over spaghetti. So yummy!
I’m so happy to hear that Anaiah! I love how quick and easy to use Instant pots are! Thanks for letting me know.
I just love that these meatballs cook in the Instant Pot! It makes it so quick and convenient when you don’t have hours to let them simmer, and they came out so wonderfully tender. Delicious!
I’m so glad to hear that Amanda! We love the meatballs here in our house! Thanks for letting me know.