Comeback Casserole–Instant Pot homemade beef meatballs with marinara sauce, rice and cheese.
Comeback Casserole
You know those recipes you’ve had for a very long time, then you forget about them and then you comeback around to them? This is one of those. I had this is my homemade recipe book I took with me to college 27 years ago. I remembered it the other day and thought I would try it out but this time in the Instant Pot. It’s a homemade meatball recipe that you make with rice instead of pasta. Sounds different but I always loved it growing up. The melty cheese just finishes off the dish perfectly.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Lean ground beef–I used 93/7. You can also use ground pork or a combination of pork and beef.
- Quick oats
- Chili powder
- Kosher salt
- Garlic powder
- Minced dried onion
- Egg
- Chicken or beef broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
- Converted rice
- Pasta sauce–I used Mezzetta roasted garlic sauce
- Whole milk mozzarella cheese–or a cheese blend like colby monterey jack
Steps
In a mixing bowl add the beef, oats, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, onion and egg. Use hands to mix just until combined. Form into meatballs and set aside.
Pour the broth into Instant pot. Sprinkle in the rice. Place meatballs evenly into the pot. Dump the spaghetti sauce on top. Don’t stir.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Sprinkle the cheese on top and let it melt.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with a green salad.
- This recipe is gluten free if you use gluten free oatmeal.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- What is converted/parboiled rice? Don’t confuse converted rice (or sometimes it is called parboiled rice) with pre-cooked or minute rice. Parboiled rice has been processed in its husk by soaking, steaming, and drying. As a result, all the nutrients from the husk are absorbed into the grain before it’s removed. The starch content alters in the process, making cooked parboiled rice less sticky than regular white rice. The rice kernels aren’t clumpy and glued together instead they are more separated. I found a bag of parboiled rice at Walmart next to the normal long grain white rice. Sometimes I buy it at Winco in the bulk section. I have also found it in the orange box (Ben’s brand) next to other rices.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Comeback Casserole
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot homemade beef meatballs with marinara sauce, rice and cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef (I used 93/7)
- 1/2 cup uncooked quick oats
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp minced dried onion
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth
- 1 cup converted rice
- 1 (25 oz) jar pasta sauce
- 1/2 cup whole milk mozzarella cheese (or a cheese blend like colby monterey jack)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl add the beef, oats, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, onion and egg. Use hands to mix just until combined. Form into meatballs and set aside.
- Pour the broth into Instant pot. Sprinkle in the rice. Place meatballs evenly into the pot. Dump the spaghetti sauce on top. Don’t stir.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Sprinkle the cheese on top and let it melt.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot
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Use your air fryer or Instant Pot air fryer lid to make these super fast and easy meatballs!
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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
To Carolyn Means…thank you for that bit of advice; I will try doing that from now on! Thank goodness I have that extra ring on hand….it’s been a few years since I bought those two extra rings after the original one no longer worked and I imagine the price has increased (like everything else). I love Karen’s recipes too! I use her site almost exclusively for great time and effort saving recipes. 🙂
I’m making this as I write this…is it okay to use regular long grain rice (in your other recipes you say that you can use it instead of the converted rice), so I didn’t worry about it. Anyway, i just opened the IP after the 10 minute wait, and the rice isn’t cooked. I’ cooking it a little longer, then will let the steam release, so we’ll see how it turns out.
crossing my fingers…did it actually come to pressure?
It did cook, but the little silver button on the top never popped up. I think it may be the silicone ring that’s the problem….I had to replace it another time, and I’ve noticed that the ring seems a little loose. I do have an extra one that’s never been used so I’ll replace it and try cooking something else. We were able to eat the food in the pot although it burned a little on the bottom, but the rice was cooked after cooking it longer. It was good, and the meatballs held together even though I later realized that I .left out the egg!
I have not tried this recipe. This is a response to your ring issue. I have found that, if I put the ring in the freezer for about 15 minutes after each use, it shrinks back down to normal. I has never failed me. This is after I had the same issue with it coming to pressure in the past and buying new rings. You don’t need to buy new rings. Just freeze it!
I LOVE Karen’s recipes. My instant pot grew up with her!