Easy Instant Pot Meatballs and Sauce Recipe

I use my pressure cooker all the time. It’s perfect in the heat, and trust me when I tell you this Instant Pot meatballs and sauce recipe was almost an accident. Some links in this post are affiliate links and earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

It’s hot. It’s really hot. Right now, you couldn’t pay me to cook on the stove or in the oven.

That means we’ve done a lot of grilling, but the other day we ran out of propane but I had ground beef I wanted to use. This could be an issue, but thankfully I got creative with my Instant Pot.

Creative? Desperate? Maybe a little more of the latter and less of the former, but I needed dinner on the table that my family would eat without heating up my kitchen.

Spaghetti and meatballs is a staple in our house. Everyone loves it, and my family eats meatballs. In fact, I have fun riffing on it with my Italian meatball soup, too. There are so many ways to enjoy these flavors.

For spaghetti, I make my marinara sauce from scratch, and while it’s quick to make, I still need to use the stove. Meatballs need the oven, and that’s more dishes. All the nope when it comes to summer in my mind!

This time, I mixed and shaped the meatballs then threw everything into my Instant Pot and prayed. Oh. My. Word.

The meatballs and sauce turned out amazing. My kids loved both the meatballs and the sauce better than the ones I make traditionally. Go figure.

I told a friend of mine about this, and she worried about the texture of the meatballs. They were perfect. I’m never making my meatballs of sauce any other way. Ever. Easy and better tasting? Desperation wins again!

The good news – for me – is that I end up with extra sauce after we eat all the meatballs. I place the leftover sauce in a jar and store it in my fridge, then I use it as pizza sauce. I love recipes that you make for one purpose and you can reuse in multiple ways.

And in summer, I make my pizza on the grill. You know you can do that, right? Homemade pizza dough is so simple to make, and the taste of a grilled pizza? Yum!

If you don’t want to boil pasta – that’s one thing I don’t recommend making in your IP – these Instant Pot meatballs and sauce are perfect for a meatball sandwich. Toss a little cheese on those, and that’s a third great meal you get from just one recipe.

How to make Instant Pot Meatballs and Sauce

Form your meatballs first. In a bowl, add the ground beef and pork – or whichever ground meat you use. You can make this with all ground beef or oven ground turkey, if you prefer.

Add breadcrumbs, eggs, dried herbs, salt, and pepper. Use clean hands to work the ingredients together.

Form into ping pong ball size meatballs. You should end up with approximately 20 meatballs.

Wash your hands and place the meatballs in the fridge while you prep the sauce.

Turn your Instant Pot to saute. On a clean cutting board, peel and mince your garlic. You know how to do that, right? Check out the super simple video tutorial below:

Add oil to the Instant Pot once it’s heated, then add garlic and turn off the heat so the garlic doesn’t burn.

Use a can opener to open the tomatoes and pour into the IP over the garlic. Add the dried herbs, salt, and pepper. Stir.

Add the refrigerated meatballs, gently moving them as needed to ensure they’re coated in tomato.

Close the Instant Pot and ensure the vent is set to seal. Cook for 15 minutes, then let NPR for 10 minutes.

If you make spaghetti, boil your water and cook the pasta while the Instant Pot meatballs and sauce cook. Serve immediately.

This reheats well the next day. Store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container in your fridge for up to three days.

Are you ready to make Instant Pot Meatballs and Sauce?

Check out some more great Instant Pot recipes you can make and not heat up your house this summer:

• French onion soup
• Sweet and smoky baked beans
• Carnitas – perfect for tacos and burrito bowls
• Mashed potatoes
• Wisconsin cheese soup (stovetop recipe also available)
• Corn chowder
• Spanish rice (one of my most popular recipes!)
• Creamy chickpea tomato soup (with adaptation to make on stovetop)
• Easy peasy tomato soup
• Homemade chicken stock
• Updated (healthier) honey bourbon chicken
• Easy beef stroganoff
• Chicken curry
• Pulled pork
• Broccoli cheddar soup
• 15 minute orange chicken
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Lentil Soup
• Taco pie
• Risotto with peas and lemon
• Easy gumbo

Instant Pot Meatballs and Sauce

Making Instant Pot meatballs and sauce is not only simple, but the flavors are amazing. This desperation dish turned into a family favorite!

4.93 from 14 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Low Lactose

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 meatballs

Calories: 166kcal

Author: Michelle

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Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the sauce

• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• In a bowl, add ground beef and pork. Add breadcrumbs, eggs, dried herbs, salt, and pepper. Use clean hands to work ingredients together.
  1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 1/2 pound ground pork, 2 eggs, 1 cup breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 2 teaspoons dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Form into ping pong ball size meatballs, and place meatballs in the fridge while you prep the sauce.
• Turn Instant Pot to saute. Peel and mince garlic, then add oil to Instant Pot once heated. Add garlic and turn off the heat immediately.
  6 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Open tomatoes and pour into IP over garlic. Add dried herbs, salt, and pepper. Stir.
  1 tablespoon dried parsley, 2 teaspoons dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
• Add refrigerated meatballs, ensuring they're all coated in tomato.
• Close Instant Pot and ensure the vent is set to seal. Cook for 15 minutes, then let NPR for 10 minutes.
• Serve immediately. This reheats well the next day. Store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container in fridge for up to three days.

Equipment

• Instant Pot
• Can Opener
• Cutting Board

Notes

• While I make this with a mix of ground beef and ground pork, you can easily make it with all ground beef if you prefer. Don't use a super lean beef. Ideally, you want to use 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef to make this.
• For more tips and tricks, please read the full article above.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1meatball and sauce | Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12g | Sodium: 54mg | Sugar: 3g

This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.

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