Braised Italian Meatballs

For these tasty meatballs poached in a light tomato sauce, we use Italian sausage and seasoned breadcrumbs so we don’t have to empty a spice pantry to get the right flavors. You could even serve the meatballs on split Italian hero rolls with shredded mozzarella cheese and some of the sauce from the pot. For more classic flair, skip the dried herbs and add 1 tablespoon each of minced fresh basil and oregano, as well as 2 teaspoons stemmed fresh thyme leaves.

Cuisine

Modern

Course

Main Course

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15-30 min

Cooking Technique

Max Pressure Cook, Pressure Cook

Keywords

15-30 min, 6 servings, beef or chicken broth, bulk sweet or mild italian sausage, contributed, cook 12 min, diced tomatoes, dried basil or oregano, dried thyme, easy, egg, grated nutmeg, green or red bell pepper, italian-seasoned dried breadcrumbs, lean ground beef, main course, max pressure cook, medium carrot, modern, prep 10 min, pressure cook, regular or low-fat milk, table salt , yellow onion

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

12 min

Servings

6 servings

Ingredients

28 ounce diced tomatoes
2 cups beef or chicken broth
1 medium green or red bell pepper
1 small yellow onion
1 medium carrot
2 tsp dried basil or oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb bulk sweet or mild Italian sausage
1 large egg
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup regular or low-fat milk

Instructions

Stir the tomatoes, broth, bell pepper, onion, carrot, basil or oregano, thyme, salt, and nutmeg in the cooker.
Mix the ground beef, sausage meat, egg, breadcrumbs, and milk in a large bowl until uniform. With clean, dry hands, form the mixture into 12 balls, using a scant 1/4 cup of the mixture for each. Gently immerse these meatballs into the tomato mixture in the cooker. Lock the lid onto the pot.
Optional 1 Max Pressure Cooker
Press Pressure cook on Max pressure for 10 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Optional 2 All Pressure Cookers
Press Meat/Stew or Pressure cook (Manual) on High pressure for 12 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
When the machine has finished cooking, turn it off and let its pressure return to normal naturally, about 25 minutes. Unlatch the lid and open the pot. Serve the meatballs in bowls with lots of the sauce.

Notes

Beyond
• You must halve the recipe for a 3-quart cooker.
• The sauce is thin. If desired, transfer the meatballs to a serving platter, then stir 1/4 cup tomato paste into the sauce and use the SAUTÉ function at MEDIUM, NORMAL, or CUSTOM 300°F to reduce and thicken the sauce, stirring often, 2 to 3 minutes.
• For more flavor, brown the meatballs before cooking them in the pot on a lipped baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, turning occasionally. (They are fragile—turn gently.)
• Grate lots of Parmigiano-Reggiano over the servings, and/or drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

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