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–+ servings

The Secret to Easy Instant Pot BBQ Meatballs

Super simple and oh-so-delicious! If you are looking for an awesome Instant Pot recipe, these Instant Pot Meatballs are AMAZING. 
3.30 from 10 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 21 minutes
Course dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 771 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 teaspoon avocado or olive oil
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 3 pounds ground beef
  • fresh thyme, to preference
  • salt and pepper, to preference
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 1/3 cup bbq sauce, divided
  • 2/3 cup stock or broth

Instructions
 

  • Start by heating the oil in the inner pot using the sauté setting on high, then cook and brown the onions. You can also use a small nonstick pan, if you prefer. As they are starting to brown in the pot, pour in some of the bbq sauce to caramelize them. 
  • When they are done, turn off the instant pot or burner and remove the onions. In a separate bowl, add the ground beef, thyme, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and 1 cup of bbq sauce. Set aside.
  • Pour the stock into the bottom of the instant pot and then set the trivet into the bottom of the inner pot.
  • Mix all of the meatball ingredients together thoroughly, adding more bbq sauce or breadcrumbs as needed. make uniformly sized meatballs and set them into the trivet. Layer the meatballs without squishing the bottom ones into the bottom of the trivet. Brush the remaining bbq sauce on top of the formed meatballs.
  • Check your sealing ring and then twist on the locking lid. Set the valve to sealing and select manual mode for 6 minutes. You may want to adjust your cook time depending on the size of your meatballs.
  • When the pressurized cook time has passed, let the pot naturally pressure release for an additional 6 minutes before carefully manually releasing the rest of the pressure. There will be quite a bit of liquid in the pot around the meatballs, most of which is fat so you'll want to strain the meatballs.
  • Allow the meatballs to cool for a few minutes before plating. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  1. Omitting the barbecue sauce means you can use this meatball recipe for spaghetti or for meatball soup. 
  2. To seal in the flavors for barbecue meatballs, add the barbecue seasoning to the meatball mixture as well as baste the meatballs before cooking. 
  3. Consider making these in a large batch and freezing the rest for later. 

Nutrition

Calories: 771kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 42gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 161mgSodium: 1041mgPotassium: 821mgFiber: 1gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 200IUVitamin C: 1.7mgCalcium: 99mgIron: 5.7mg

*Nutritional information is a calculated guesstimate. Please note that this can change with different brands and modifications you may make to the recipe. For the most accurate information, use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands and measurements you're using with each recipe.

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