Savory Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs

Welcome fall with these juicy, flavorful meatballs that are easy to whip up for any weeknight meal.

Every culture has their version of meatballs. But did you know that the meatballs you see served at Italian restaurants in America are uniquely Italian-American cuisine? Meatballs around the globe all look very different, but none resemble the hearty meatballs served by local Italian restaurateurs or even at home. 

One thing I really don’t like is store bought meatballs. Sure, they’re fast to make and you don’t have to worry about a meatball recipe, but you can also count on them being dry and pretty boring when it comes to flavor.

These meatballs are different. You don’t need a slow cooker or ground beef for maximum juiciness, which not only take lots of time, but are also loaded with saturated fat. I wanted to create a meatball that was fluffy and flavorful and perfect with marinara sauce or a sage brown butter sauce and a drizzle of olive oil. These meatballs are packed with so much flavor you could even eat them as polpettes as an appetizer or even a meal on their own.

Any way you decide to serve them, my personal goal is always to bring nutrient-rich ingredients into my dishes, so I made these with pumpkin puree and carrots to bump up the veggies–perfect for an alternative Thanksgiving appetizer or on a bed of pasta for a quick weekday meal. Serve these with tomato sauce (red), spinach (green), some bell peppers and you have half the rainbow in one meal. And in less than 30 minutes at that.

These are great for the fall and winter season, but if you’re like me and stock up on pumpkin puree from Trader Joe’s, the pumpkin flavor takes a back seat to the Italian herbs and can be made year round. 

Pumpkin puree can be used a lot like applesauce for baking. It adds moisture and fluff with a touch of sweetness.

Turkey meatballs are very light. For me, this is important since I don’t always want that heavy feeling I get from red meat. It’s also a great way to get into the holiday spirit during fall while keeping dinner lower in calories.

These little meatballs have been stealing the show at my house for months. So much that I’ve been doubling the recipe to have them at lunchtime.

Other ways you can serve these: Italian Subs, Ratatouille, Spaghetti Squash Noodles, Zucchini Noodles, Meatball Parmesan (instead of Chicken Parm), or stuff the turkey mixture into bell peppers or zucchini and bake with a little cheese on top. 

Stuffed bell peppers used to be one of my favorites as a kid, or really, anything stuffed. If you like stuffed veggies, bake at 350ºF for about an hour or until soft.

For a long time now, I’ve been adding pureed vegetables wherever I can. It doesn’t add too much density while adding so much nutrition. However, my original reason was my husband hated vegetables for a long time and this is a great way to help someone get used to a new flavor gradually and without any added texture.

If you are serving picky eaters, you can puree the carrots in the recipe instead of chopping them, just drain any excess liquid or add extra breadcrumbs to compensate. As an alternative you can puree zucchini, which is very mild in flavor (still drain the liquid). I also like to add spinach to my marinara sauce by throwing it in the blender and then cooking it down a bit with some herbs. Strangely, after years of pureeing veggies, spinach is now my husband’s favorite vegetable. It really works to blend veggies you don’t like into your food.

Now let’s get to cooking time!

5 from 7 votes

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Savory Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

8 mins

 

These meatballs are so juicy and flavorful you can eat them on their own.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian, American

Keyword: turkey, meatballs, instant pot

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup pumpkin purée
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 finely chopped Carrots
• 1 egg
• 1 lb ground turkey

Liquid for Instant Pot

• 16 oz chicken or turkey broth

Instructions

1. Finely chop the carrots (or add to a food processor until chopped)

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mash together (I use my hands)

3. Form into 6-12 balls

4. Put steam rack into pot

5. Add 16 oz chicken broth to Instant Pot

6. Add meatballs to the pot

   

7. Seal the pressure valve/quick release lock of the Instant Pot

8. Set Instant Pot to 8 minutes

9. Enjoy!

   

Recipe Notes

Optional: garlic powder, salt and pepper, lean ground beef instead of turkey
*You don’t need to brown the meatballs (unless you want the added flavor) since we are steaming the turkey mixture in the pressure cooker, but if you are using beef, it may be different.