Who doesn’t love a good meatball, right? But let’s admit it, no one likes to spend their time rolling them by hand in the kitchen. What a mess! However, the kids hoover them, they can be added to a sauce, and can be served with a side of your favorite veggie noodles.
Making these meatballs this week was a huge win for my family and worth taking the time to roll them up. The kids asked for seconds and unfortunately, there were no leftovers for me to save. This recipe is definitely worth doubling, maybe even tripling, and freezing for another use. I’m trying to work smarter, not harder. The only challenge is my Instant Pot just isn’t big enough to handle multiple batches. Anyone want to invent a super-sized pot for us? Most likely I’ll freeze them uncooked and bring them out when I’m ready for a quick and easy meal.
So what did I serve them with? I did find a sauce recipe that I planned to use, but that particular recipe I had planned didn’t work out so well. I was able to recover it though and had a great family meal time. No complaints! Then we added a side of spaghetti squash and steamed broccoli. Yum! Since we loved it so much, I thought I’d share it with you. Enjoy!
INSTANT POT ITALIAN MEATBALLS
Serves 4–6
Ingredients
- 2 pounds grass fed ground beef
- 1 tsp garlic powder (or 1/8 teaspoon asafoetida powder)
- 1 tablespoon grass fed beef gelatin
- 3 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoon smoked sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian herb blend
- 1 tablespoon lard or coconut oil
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 1 tablespoon dried chives
- 2/3 cup bone broth
Instructions
- Open the pressure cooker and set to Saute function.
- Add in the fat, the onions, and the garlic. Saute for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a strainer, remove onion and garlic, setting aside for later.
- In the meantime, mix the ground beef with salt, gelatin, garlic powder, liquid smoke, Italian herbs, and the parsley.
- Shape 2 inch meatballs.
- Add the meatballs to the pressure cooker. Brown on all sides, use tongs to carefully turn them.
- Add in the chives and bone broth.
- Cancel the Saute function, close the lid and set to pressure cook.
- Set on high for 10 minutes.
- Release the pressure manually. Open the lid and remove the meatballs.
OPTIONAL: Reduce the liquid it to a thicker sauce before serving. May require up to 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder.