Instant Pot Bobby Flay’s Italian Meatballs

Instant Pot Bobby Flay’s Italian Meatballs–an Instant Pot version of Bobby’s meatball recipe. This is a super flavorful and very easy recipe.

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Instant Pot Bobby Flay’s Italian Meatballs

I saw a recipe for Bobby Flay’s Italian Meatballs and wanted to try my hand at changing the recipe into an easy Instant Pot version. The result was tender, flavorful meatballs and a sauce that Greg spooned into his mouth straight out of the pot! These meatballs disappeared super quickly…I’ll be making them again soon!

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

For the meatballs:

• 1/2 pound ground pork–sometimes this is a little hard to find so ask the butcher if you can’t see it
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef–use 93/7 or 90/10 lean so that it’s not greasy
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt–or sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper–or white pepper
• 1 egg–used as a binder
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese–you can use fresh or powdered cheese
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic–or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs–you can use plain breadcrumbs, panko or Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley–or 3 Tbsp fresh parsley

Sauce:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion–try using frozen diced onions if you don’t like chopping
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic–or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup beef broth–or 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon of Better than Bouillon
• 1 bay leaf
• Pinch of red pepper
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes–for best texture use crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley–or 2 Tbsp dried
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced into strips–you can also use 1 teaspoon dried

Instructions

1. Make meatball mixture: In a medium size bowl mix together all meatball ingredients with hands (I like to use gloves*). Set aside.
2. Saute onions and garlic: Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When displays says HOT add in oil and onions. Saute for about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 1 more minute. Stir in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off saute setting. 
3. Add in the bay leaf and red pepper. 
4. Form meat mixture into meatballs. Use ¼ cup of meat per meatball. Place the meatballs into the Instant Pot. 
5. Dump the crushed tomatoes over the meatballs. Don’t stir. Add in the parsley.
6. Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. 
7. Gently stir. Add in the basil. 
8. Serve meatballs topped with sauce, enjoy!

Notes

• If you want a less chunky sauce then move the meatballs out of the Instant Pot to a plate and use an immersion blender to smooth out the tomato sauce before serving.
• I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. You can also use an 8 quart or 3 quart pot.
• I found a package or pork and ground beef that was already mixed together at the grocery store! It worked so nicely. That was random though because I’ve never seen that before or since.
• This recipe makes 9 good size meatballs. You can double the meatball mixture and keep the sauce mixture the same if you’d like.
• Serve alongside a side a garlic bread or pasta.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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More Instant Pot Meatball Recipes…

Instant Pot French Onion Meatballs

Instant Pot Ikea Meatballs

Instant Pot Mountain Meatballs

Instant Pot Great Grandma’s Italian Meatballs

Instant Pot Million Dollar Meatballs

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.

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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.