Turkey Meatballs with Buttery Rice Pilaf

Here’s a great one-pot casserole for whenever time’s tight. Note that you must heat the liquid in the cooker before you add the frozen meatballs. Otherwise, they’ll drop the temperature of the liquid too low, the rice will fall to the bottom of the pot before it can come to pressure, and you’ll end up with a burn notice.

Cuisine

Modern

Course

Dinner, Lunch

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

30-60 min

Cooking Technique

Max Pressure Cook, Pressure Cook, Sauté

Keywords

30-60 min, 4 servings, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, butter, chicken broth, contributed, cook 40 min, dinner, easy, frozen chopped onion, frozen mini or bite-sized turkey meatballs, lunch, max pressure cook, modern, prep 5 min, pressure cook, raw white basmati rice, sauté, stemmed and minced fresh sage leaves, stemmed fresh thyme leaves, table salt

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

40 min

Servings

4 servings

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup raw white basmati rice
½ cup frozen onion, chopped
2 tsp fresh sage leaves, stemmed and minced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, stemmed
1/2 tsp table salt
1 1/2 lbs frozen mini or bite-sized turkey meatballs
2 tbsp butter

Instructions

Press the Sauté button and set it to High, More, or Custom 400°F. Set the timer for 10 minutes.
In the Instant Pot®, mix the broth, rice, onion, sage, thyme, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid begins to steam. Stir in the frozen meatballs, then turn off the Sauté function. Add the butter to the mixture and lock the lid onto the pot.
Option 1: Max Pressure Cooker Press Pressure Cook on Max Pressure for 10 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Option 2: All Pressure Cookers Press Poultry, Pressure Cook, or Manual, and set to High Pressure for 12 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Use the quick-release method to bring the pot’s pressure back to normal, but do not open the lid. Leave the pot undisturbed for 10 minutes after the pressure has been released.
Unlatch the lid, open the cooker, and stir well before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

Beyond
• For an 8-quart Instant Pot, you must increase all the ingredients by 50 percent.
• Swap out the herbs for any you prefer. We’ve skewed these to match the Italian flavoring in most meatballs. But if you’ve got plain meatballs, try a mix of dried thyme and dried dill, or even stemmed and minced fresh parsley and tarragon leaves.
• Cheese is a welcome garnish, particularly finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or another hard, aged cheese.
*Using a –20°F CHEST FREEZER?
There is no difference in cooking times.

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