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 create 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.

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:

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.

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!

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!)

Yield: 6 Servings

Cheesy Italian Meatballs and Rice in the Instant Pot

Name: Cheesy Italian Meatballs and Rice in the Instant Pot
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 4 min
Total time: 19 min
Yield: 6 Servings
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

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!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 4 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 19 minutes

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.
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

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

Recommended Products

Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

white bowl filled with meatballs and rice made in the Instant Pot pressure cooker

Adapted from this skillet meatballs and rice recipe.

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