Instant Pot Meatloaf Melts–an open faced meatloaf sandwich with cheese melted on top and a squirt of barbecue sauce.
Note: the SLOW COOKER instructions are listed in the recipe below
Instant Pot Meatloaf Melts
This recipe takes meatloaf to a whole new level! We all scarfed our messy but delicious sandwiches down and enjoyed this new way of serving meatloaf. I think you’ll love it too!
A few notes about the recipe…
- Make sure to use lean or (preferably) extra lean ground beef. This will ensure that the meatloaf is not swimming in grease after it is cooked. You can also use lean ground turkey in the place of beef.
- You can use your own favorite meatloaf recipe if you’d like. For a meatloaf that calls for 1 pound of beef it takes 25 minutes of pressure cooking with the pot-in-pot method.
- The pot-in-pot method is cooking food in a separate dish that’s placed on a trivet inside your Instant Pot liner. Steam is created from water below the trivet and builds pressure to cook the food. You’ll need a sling/trivet* and a pot-in-pot dish for this recipe. I like these pot-in-pot dishes: Fat daddios pan: 7 inch by 3 inch*, Fat daddios pan: 7 inch by 4 inch*, Stackable pans*. A fun trick is that the 3 quart liner* fits inside a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot liner perfectly.
- The meatloaf does get a bit of moisture on top. Use a paper towel to pat the top of the meatloaf dry after it has pressure cooked. Or you can cover the dish with foil to prevent drippage.
- Sharp cheddar was super tasty melted on top. You can use other types of cheese too. Try mozzarella, colby, pepper jack, monterey jack, etc.
- I used Great Grains Bakery Gourmet Hoagie Buns but you can use whatever type of bread product you’d like. Try using foccacia bread, french bread or a pretzel bun.
More Instant Pot Beef Recipes…
Instant Pot Great Grandma’s Italian Meatballs
Instant Pot Traditional Meatloaf
Instant Pot Million Dollar Meatballs
Instant Pot John Wayne Casserole
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Instant Pot Meatloaf Melts
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
An open faced meatloaf sandwich with cheese melted on top and a squirt of barbecue sauce.
Ingredients
Equipment needed: pot in pot dish and sling/trivet
- 1 pound lean or extra lean ground beef
- 1 1/4 cups crushed saltine crackers
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp minced dried onion
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 Tbsp ketchup
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 hoagie buns
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray’s)
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Add the beef, saltine crackers, egg, dried onion, milk, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper to a mixing bowl. Use clean or gloved hands to combine.
- Spray an oven safe dish that fits inside your Instant Pot* with non stick cooking spray. Add the meat mixture into the dish and pat it down.
- Pour 1 ½ cups water in bottom of Instant Pot. Place dish on top of a sling* and lower the dish into the bottom of Instant Pot.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 25 minutes. When time is up move valve to venting and remove the lid. Pat top of meatloaf with paper towel to sop up any moisture. Brush some BBQ sauce on top of meatloaf.
- Turn oven to 425° F. Slice open 3 hoagie buns and place on a baking sheet. Lay equals slices of meatloaf onto the 6 hoagie halves. Sprinkle each hoagie with ¼ cup shredded cheese. Drizzle BBQ sauce over the top.
- Place pan in the oven and bake for about 3-4 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Serve sandwiches immediately and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add the beef, saltine crackers, egg, dried onion, milk, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper to a mixing bowl. Use clean or gloved hands to combine.
- Form into a loaf and place in your slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
- Turn oven to 425° F. Slice open 3 hoagie buns and place on a baking sheet. Lay equals slices of meatloaf onto the 6 hoagie halves. Sprinkle each hoagie with ¼ cup shredded cheese. Drizzle BBQ sauce over the top.
- Place pan in the oven and bake for about 3-4 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Serve sandwiches immediately and enjoy!
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
*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.
If I double the meatloaf recipe do I need to double the cooking time? Thank you
★★★★★
You do not need to double the cooking time. You may want to increase the pressure cooking time by 5-10 minutes though.
Thank you Karen. We love your recipes!
Jim Bob
Howdy again
I just made a meatloaf , I checked and I have some hoagies buns, today the guys are coming over to help me watch the March Madness games or College Basketball finals. I was trying to figure out how I could stretch out the meatloaf, I checked my e-mail and I see your recipe for “meatloaf melts”, and wow, I was a big hit again. I was rooting for Duke University, but last week some of the Duke team came down with the COVID-19 virus, will quarantine for a few weeks, so they are out for the rest of the season. I will see them next year. Thanks for the meatloaf recipe.
I’m glad that you got some inspiration for your sandwiches! And I’m sure Duke will be there next time!!