Summary:
Juicy and tender Italian-style meatballs cooked in pasta sauce in the Instant Pot and served over spiralized vegetables.
INGREDIENTS
Meatballs:
- 1.5 pounds 90% lean ground beef
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup
blanched almond flour - 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon
garlic powder - 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon
dried oregano
Sauce:
- 3 cups pasta sauce
- 1 cup water
Serving:
- squash noodles
- finely grated parmesan cheese
- parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients until well-mixed. Shape into about 30 meatballs, each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
Select the saute mode on the pressure cooker for low heat. Add pasta sauce and water, and stir well. - When the sauce starts to simmer, turn off the saute mode. Gently place the meatballs, one at a time, in the sauce. Spoon sauce over any exposed meatballs. Do not stir.
- Secure and seal the lid. Cook for 5 minutes at high pressure, followed by a manual pressure release.
- Uncover and gently stir. Serve over squash noodles, and top with parmesan cheese and parsley.
NUTRITION
| Makes 5 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving (6 meatballs w/ 1 cup sauce): |
| Calories 510 (63% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 36g | 55% |
| Saturated Fat 13g | 66% |
| Cholesterol 153mg | 51% |
| Sodium 1520mg | 63% |
| Net Carb 6g | |
| Total Carb 9g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 3g | 11% |
| Sugars 4.5g | |
| Protein 35g |
PHOTOS
NOTES & TIPS
Ground Beef. Aim to use 90% lean ground beef, which yields a good combination of juicy meat and not-too-greasy sauce. If you use something fattier like 85%, you’ll see significantly more grease in your resulting sauce. But if you use something extra lean like 95%, your meatballs will be tougher and less tender. Parmesan Cheese. Make sure that your parmesan cheese is finely grated with a sandy consistency, not shredded, so that it’s easier to combine the mixture and mold the meatballs. Almond Flour. Since these are low carb meatballs, I use blanched almond flour instead of bread crumbs. If you prefer to use bread crumbs, I would substitute the almond flour with 1/3 cup of them. Pasta Sauce. The pasta sauce is up to you. I used Rao’s brand of marinara sauce, which is low in carbs and available at Whole Foods. In the past, I’ve also used Trader Joe’s pomodoro sauce. Don’t use anything too thick like tomato sauce, which could cause burning or pressurization issues in your Instant Pot. Serving / Leftovers. I serve these meatballs over a bed of spiralized summer squash. Zucchini and radish “noodles” also work well. If you’re not low carb, you can use spaghetti pasta. Leftover meatballs with sauce can be stored in the refrigerator up to a few days. They reheat well in the microwave, maintaining their juiciness and flavor.
This looks so good, and easy too! Can I bake this in a 9 inch pie plate?
For baked meatballs, see this recipe at https://www.savorytooth.com/meatballs/
I doubled the recipe and ended up with a really watery sauce. I’m currently trying to thicken it using Saute mode. When doubling next time, would it be safe to keep the amount of water the same as the original recipe?
Keeping the amount of water the same is fine as long as you’re able to easily fit all of the 2x meatballs. I suspect you’ll probably have to increase the sauce somewhat, if not 2x.
My whole family enjoyed this recipe, it was quick and easy and came out delicious! Thank you for sharing. One question though… If I have the middle size Instant Pot do you think I’d be able to double the recipe and make it in one batch?
Yes, I think it would fit in a 6 quart Instant Pot. The pressure cooking time should remain the same.
Hi Julia,
I am allergic to eggs, yeast and parmesan cheese. I have a recipe that uses oatmeal instead of the bread crumbs. Would that work in this recipe?
Hi Catherine! Eggs are pretty important for these meatballs, so I’m not sure what you can substitute that with. Are there any egg replacements that you have used in the past? As for the parmesan cheese, I would suggest replacing it with another type of finely grated cheese. Hope that helps!
Can you freeze them for later?
Hi Lisa! I haven’t tried freezing these particular meatballs, but meatballs in general freeze well so it should work.
I froze them and they were great. Just thaw overnight in the fridge.
I’ll have to try this – but with my mom’s sauce. 😉
Haha sounds good 🙂 Hope you like them!
Sounds like a great recipe. I love meatballs of any kind. I haven’t run across a recipe for adding whipping cream to the meatballs. Interesting twist. John