Instant Pot Meatball Sandwich
Instant Pot Meatball Sandwich is quick, easy, and comforting. Plus, homemade marinara sauce for ultimate flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
Scale
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- ¼ cup finely chopped pancetta or bacon
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed by hand
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
For the Sauce
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 28 oz can tomato puree
- 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
For serving
- Hoagie Roll
- Provolone or mozzarella cheese sliced
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine panko and milk and let it sit 1 minute to soak up a bit.
- Add ground meat, pancetta or bacon, parmesan, egg, parsley, garlic, onion flakes, oregano, fennel, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Gently mix by hand until combined.
- Using a cookie scoop, form meat into loose balls; about 2-3 tablespoons each. Set aside.
- To make sauce: Select saute on the pressure cooker and add oil. When hot, add garlic and stir until aromatic, about 1 minute.
- Add broth, tomato puree, and whole peeled tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt. Do not stir.
- Arrange meatballs in circular pattern on top of the sauce.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, use a natural release for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
- Give the meatballs a good stir. Top with torn basil.
- If a thicker sauce is preferred, use the saute function to simmer the sauce until thickened.
- To assemble the sandwich: Toast bread under the oven broiler for about 2 minutes until brown.
- Top with meatballs and a good amount of sauce. Top with cheese and place back under the broiler to melt the cheese.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- When forming meatballs, be careful not to pack them too tightly, this can lead to a tough meatballs. Form them just tight enough that they will hold their shape when placed in the sauce.
- Short cut tip: Use a bag of frozen meatballs in place of the homemade or buy the premade meatballs at your favorite meat department.
- Another short cut tip: Skip the “saute the garlic” step for the sauce. The sauce gains an extra depth of flavor with the saute step, but in a pinch, throwing minced garlic in with the sauce ingredients will work too.
- I use whole tomatoes because I love the large pieces on my sub. You can substitute with diced tomatoes if you prefer smaller bites of tomato.
- Use a substantial hoagie so it won’t fall apart. I like to pull out some of the insides of the roll so it will hold more meatballs and sauce.
- There will be a lot of sauce, it can be used over pasta if you have extra or simply add more meatballs to the pot.
Keywords: instant pot meatball sandwiches, meatball sub, italian meatballs
Find it online: https://tidbits-marci.com/instant-pot-meatball-sandwich/