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Instant Pot Turkey and Rice Meatballs

November 22, 2019 by Nicole 12 Comments

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Instant Pot Turkey and Rice Meatballs | Culinary Cool www.culinary-cool.com #thinkturkey

These Turkey and Rice Meatballs are covered in a delicious tomato sauce and only take a few minutes in the Instant Pot.  They make the perfect weeknight meal and are great for lunch the next day.

This recipe and post is sponsored by Turkey Farmers of Canada and I was compensated for my time.  As always, all opinions are my own.

Instant Pot Turkey and Rice Meatballs

Before I was a mom, quick and easy didn’t always mean quick and easy.  I had more time, and our dinners could be quite involved when it came to prep and cooking.  Well, having a 4-month old munchkin around sure changes things, and I find myself leaning towards legitimate quick and easy meals.  But for real, less than 15 minutes of hands-on prep, most of which I do during her nap time, and I rely heavily on the magic of the Instant Pot.

It’s November, and that means we are well into comfort food season.  I love cooking with meatballs because you can do so many different things with them.  Enter, our family favourite Turkey and Rice Meatballs – made with ground turkey, long grain white rice (that you add right into the meatballs without cooking first), and smothered in a super simple tomato sauce.  Truly the epitome of classic comfort food in my books!

It also classifies as a “pantry staple” meal in our household, as I always have the ingredients on hand, including the ground turkey.  I always make sure to have a few packages of ground turkey in the freezer because it’s a versatile protein that works great in any of our family-favourite recipes, including these meatballs, which are traditionally made with beef.  I also use ground turkey to make lettuce wraps, chili, meatloaf and tacos.

Instant Pot Turkey and Rice Meatballs

To make this classic recipe even better, I employ the pressure cooking magic of the Instant Pot.  If I were to bake these meatballs in the oven, it would take about an hour (if not longer because the rice has to cook), and who has time for that?  Using the Instant Pot allows me to have this meal on the table within about a half hour – and you can’t beat that!

A couple tips for these meatballs:

– I use a 3 tbsp cookie scoop to form the meatballs, and instead of rolling in my hands to make them perfectly round, I just scoop and drop right into the tomato sauce.

-This classic recipe uses canned tomato soup.  If that really isn’t your jam, feel free to use another favourite tomato sauce, just make sure you have 2.5 cups of liquid.

-You can jazz up the meatballs by adding finely chopped mushrooms, grated zucchini or even spinach (frozen is easiest to work with, just squeeze out the water as best you can).

Instant Pot Turkey and Rice Meatballs
5 from 11 votes
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Instant Pot Turkey and Rice Meatballs

Cuisine American, Canadian
Keyword Comfort Food, Instant Pot, Meatballs, Turkey
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Instant Pot to come to pressure 13 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice not instant rice
  • 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 large egg
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 284 ml can condensed tomato soup + 1 can of water * if not using canned soup, ensure you have 2.5 cups of tomato sauce instead

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine ground turkey, uncooked long grain white rice, onion, garlic, worcestershire, panko and the egg. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until combined.
  2. In the pot of the Instant Pot or pressure cooker, add the tomato soup and water. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine.
  3. Scoop 2.5 -3 tbsp of turkey and form into meatballs. I use a 3 tbsp cookie scoop to get uniform meatballs. They scoop into the perfect shape, and don’t require any additional rolling.
  4. Place the meatballs into the tomato sauce in the Instant Pot in a single layer. They will touch each other, which is fine, as they will still hold their own shape and remain independent of each other. Close the lid (following manufacture’s guide).
  5. Using the Manual/Pressure Cooking setting, set the Instant Pot timer to 15 minutes on high pressure.
  6. Once the Instant Pot cycle has completed, do a quick release (following manufacturers instructions) and once the release is complete, remove the lid and turn the pot off. If you keep it on “warming” it can burn the bottom of the meatballs.
  7. Serve immediately with your favourite side salad or vegetables.
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Filed Under: The Main Course Tagged With: Instant Pot meatballs, instant pot turkey, Porcupine Meatballs, pressure cooker meatballs, Retro recipe, turkey and rice, turkey meatballs

Previous Post: « Turkey, Broccoli and Wild Rice Casserole
Next Post: Home Alone Pizza Night »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amanda

    November 25, 2019 at 10:21 pm

    5 stars
    I just love that these meatballs are made in the Instant Pot! It makes them so convenient to put together, and they’re delicious. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Tara

    November 26, 2019 at 12:40 pm

    5 stars
    What a creative alternative to beef meatballs! I bet these would be great with spaghetti squash noodles too. Oops, I think I just drooled. 😉

    Reply
  3. Michelle

    November 27, 2019 at 12:45 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve never made meatballs in the Instant Pot. I can’t wait to try this. They look moist and delicious. Great flavors I think everyone in the family will like. P.S. You’re little babe is sooooo adorable!

    Reply
  4. Analida Braeger

    November 28, 2019 at 12:12 pm

    5 stars
    Wow! This meal comes together so quickly with an instant pot. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Aleta

    November 30, 2019 at 2:49 pm

    5 stars
    I am so with you, I have two girls and time is so very precious! I am always on the hunt for REAL quick and easy meals and this one definitely fits the bill. My instant pot can’t wait make these beauties, and I can’t wait to eat them!

    Reply
  6. Marisa F. Stewart

    December 1, 2019 at 12:35 pm

    5 stars
    I don’t have an Instant Pot but my daughter does. I emailed the recipe to her and she made it. She brought me over some for dinner. It was so good. Now I’m really tempted to get an Instant Pot but gee, I can always send the recipes to my daughter and she can make it for me. That is definitely a win-win.

    Reply
    • mmNicole

      December 1, 2019 at 11:06 pm

      I’m so glad you and your daughter liked the recipe. It’s definitely a family favourite around here!

      Reply
  7. Elaine

    December 1, 2019 at 6:04 pm

    5 stars
    It is amazing how quickly you can make these meatballs! Such a tremendous difference to those times when the Instant Pot did not exist. Delicious recipe!

    Reply
  8. Danielle

    December 1, 2019 at 7:22 pm

    5 stars
    There is just nothing better than meatballs in tomato sauce – the dish that can make you feel good any time of the year. LOVE your recipe! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Sophie

    December 1, 2019 at 9:59 pm

    5 stars
    I guess that’s the best way to use some
    Leftover turkey. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  10. Gunjan

    December 1, 2019 at 11:41 pm

    5 stars
    I didn’t know we could make meatballs in the instant pot until I saw your recipe. I am definitely making this.

    Reply
  11. Debbie

    December 2, 2019 at 12:20 am

    5 stars
    We just loved these turkey meatballs !! When I saw these were made in the Instant Pot I knew I had to try them. These were so good . Thanks for such an easy and delicious recipe.

    Reply

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I'm Nicole, a cookbook addict, cooking school instructor, travel junkie, and lover of all things sweet.

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