Making meatballs and rice in the Instant Pot pressure cooker is a quick and easy way to prepare a delicious and hearty dinner.
Cheesy rice, Italian spices, and savory meatballs make this dish of Instant Pot Italian Meatballs and Rice a simple comfort food you’ll love!
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As a homeschooling family, we are blessed to have some flexibility in our days. However, that also means I have three young kids running around all day, so the amount of time I can spend making dinner is limited.
Because it’s only a matter of time before someone will start fighting over a toy, need my help with something, or get a busted lip. Truly, some days it feels like a miracle that I’m able to make dinner at all!
I am always on the hunt for new ways to make quick and easy meals in my Instant Pot. I’m especially grateful if I can create an Instant Pot meal that is also a one-pot meal, meaning that everything cooks together in the Instant Pot.
It’s so nice to only have one pot to clean afterward! Tasty, quick, easy, and minimal cleanup? That’s a win in my book!
Whether you have small kids running around, a taxing job with a long commute home, or you’re shuttling big kids back and forth between soccer practice and piano lessons, I’m guessing you need quick and easy meals, too. #solidaritysister
These cheesy Italian meatballs and rice fit the bill! And they’re made entirely in the Instant Pot pressure cooker, so this recipe is a really simple way to get a tasty dinner on the table fast. It’s a delicious Instant Pot frozen meatballs recipe that’s perfect for a weeknight.
Savory meatballs, cheesy rice, tender peppers and carrots are cooked with Italian spices to create a flavorful and hearty dish in mere minutes!
More Quick and Easy Instant Pot Dinners You’re Sure to Love:
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Fettucine Alfredo
- Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni
- Beef Enchilada Pasta in the Instant Pot
- Creamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Instant Pot Hawaiian Meatballs with Rice
5 Quick and Easy Instant Pot Dinners that Will Save You Time and Wow Your Family
How to Make Meatballs and Rice in the Instant Pot
You’ll start by adding some white rice, beef broth, salt, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder to the insert pot of the Instant Pot.
Next, add some sliced carrots and diced bell peppers on top of the rice mixture.
Last, add frozen meatballs on top of the veggies. Do not stir–just leave the meatballs sitting on top and put the lid on. Then set the vent to the sealed position.
Note: Some readers have experienced a BURN error when putting the rice in first. Although I have not had this issue, you can definitely try layering the meatballs in first, followed by the rice and liquid–make sure all of the rice is submerged in liquid before cooking.
You’ll select a 4 minute cook time at high pressure. Once the cook time has completed, allow a 10 minute natural release of pressure, followed by a quick release of any remaining pressure.
Once the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, you can carefully remove the lid. Gently stir everything to combine without breaking the meatballs into pieces.
Last, toss in some shredded Italian blend cheese and gently stir as it melts. You can serve it with additional shredded cheese on top if you’d like!
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Notes and Adaptations for Instant Pot Meatballs and Rice
- You can buy a bag of fully cooked frozen meatballs or make your own. I had some cooked homemade meatballs already in my freezer, so that’s what I used, but the kind from the grocery store will work great, too!
- I used white rice in this recipe because its cook time is shorter, making it ideal for cooking along with vegetables and meatballs. Since brown rice takes longer to cook, the veggies would be mushy if cooked that long.
- Feel free to substitute a different cheese if you prefer. I used Italian blend cheese, but you could also just use plain mozzarella.
- Change up the veggies as desired–peas or green beans would be a nice addition.
Recommended Equipment:
- Instant Pot (I have the DUO60 model and love it!)
Cheesy Italian Meatballs and Rice in the Instant Pot
Making meatballs and rice in the Instant Pot is a quick and easy way to prepare a delicious and hearty dinner. Cheesy rice, Italian spices, and savory meatballs create a simple comfort food you'll love!
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked white rice
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 24-30 frozen fully-cooked meatballs
- 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese
- Additional shredded cheese for topping, if desired
Instructions
- In the insert pot of an Instant Pot, combine rice, beef broth, salt, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder (see notes below).
- Layer the sliced carrots and diced bell pepper on top of the rice mixture.
- On top of the carrots and peppers, add the meatballs. Do not stir.
- Close the lid and set the vent to the sealed position.
- Select a 4 minute cook time at high pressure. Once the cook time has completed, allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then perform a quick release of remaining pressure.
- Once pressure has released and the valve has dropped, carefully remove the lid. Gently stir contents to combine.
- Gently stir in 1 cup of shredded cheese until melted.
- Serve, sprinkling additional cheese on top if desired.
Notes
- Some readers have had issues with the BURN warning on their Instant Pot when adding the rice to the insert pot first. Although I have not had this issue, you can try layering the meatballs in first, followed by the rice and broth and seasonings to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- You can buy a bag of fully cooked frozen meatballs or make your own. I had some cooked homemade meatballs already in my freezer, so that's what I used, but the kind from the grocery store will work great, too!
- I used white rice in this recipe because its cook time is shorter, making it ideal for cooking along with vegetables and meatballs. Since brown rice takes longer to cook, the veggies would be mushy if cooked that long.
- Feel free to substitute a different cheese if you prefer. I used Italian blend cheese, but you could also just use plain mozzarella.
- Change up the veggies as desired--peas or green beans would be a nice addition.
Inspired by Eat At Home
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Adapted from this skillet meatballs and rice recipe.
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I was so excited to find a meatball recipe without tomato sauce and pasta. Unfortunately, this didn’t work for me at all. The pot never came to pressure and after about 20 min I got the “Burn” notification. There was no liquid left and the (semi cooked) rice was burning to the bottom of the pot while the meatballs were still cold inside 🙁
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear this, Mia! I know how frustrating it is when a recipe doesn’t turn out right. If the pot never came to pressure, it sounds like the vent may not have been set to the sealed position…so all of the liquid evaporated out through the vent (I have learned this the hard way!). That would cause the rice to burn and would also explain why the meatballs weren’t cooked all the way through. I hope it works better for you next time if you decide to try it again!
Hi! I was so excited when I came upon this recipe for exactly the same reasons as you and I also got the burn signal…….I wish I had read the comments first as I was so short on time! But I will try it again with the meatballs on the bottom and the rice on top as it seemed the rice was burning to the bottom of the pot….
I’m so sorry to hear you got the burn message too! If you know your seal was good (silicone ring in place, vent turned to the sealed position), your idea of layering the meatballs first on the bottom could help!
Thank you for this recipe! I used brown rice and mozzarella and added frozen mixed veggies (which I cooked in the microwave) to the mix after the rice and meatballs were done cooking. My two and a half year old loved it! I even got a, “Yum!” as he dug in!
Yay! Thank you for your comment, Lindsay–So happy to hear you and your little guy loved it! 🙂
Mine also got a burn. And I did check the seal. But it was cooked all the way. So that was good and everyone loved it. Maybe next time I’ll add more broth to it. Thanks.
Hi Sandy! That is interesting that you got the burn message–I’ve never had that happen when cooking rice, but perhaps another 1/4-1/2 cup of broth would help prevent the issue in the future. I’m so happy to hear that everyone loved it! 🙂
how can i make this and use instant brown rice instead of white rice
Hi Peggy! I haven’t personally tried this with instant brown rice, but I looked on the Minute Rice website and they recommend a 5 minute cook time for their instant brown rice. I think you could probably use the same amounts for the ingredients as in the recipe, just increase the cook time to 5 minutes. I hope it turns out well!
I got the burn notice as well with this recipe. It must have happened toward the end because my vegetables were cooked through. I wish I was able to to let it natural release for 10 minutes because it was slightly dry. All that aside my husband and I loved it. I might try more liquid next time to see if that helps. I feel if the rice is added last it may not be completely covered in the liquid. It may cook well on the stove top as well. I will definitely cook this recipe again with a few tweaks. Thanks!!
Hi Serena! I’m so sorry you got the burn notice, too! I’m glad you all enjoyed the recipe in spite of it! It does sound like some additional liquid would have done the trick. Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you! 🙂
We have the burn message as well. Added about a total of 6 cups of broth and still got the burn message. Ended up coming out cooked after 3 rounds of burn message…. Tasted good, but took forever and frustrating.
I’m so sorry this happened to you! I appreciate you letting me know–I can imagine how frustrating that was. I’m working on finding a solution that produces consistent results–and I think I’ve found a way to eliminate the BURN message problem–but want to test it one more time before updating the recipe, just to be sure. I never want my recipes to be unreliable, so I’m working on perfecting a technique that will hopefully provide more consistent results.