Instant Pot Salisbury Steak Meatballs (with Video)
Make these juicy and saucy Instant Pot Salisbury steak meatballs in mushroom gravy for that perfect, comfort-food family dinner. Made with ground beef, this comforting stew-like dish can be served over mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, or quinoa. For a low-carb version, make a side of zucchini noodles or cauliflower mash or “rice.”
1.5lbs. ground beef0.7 kg, we used lean ground beef
1egg
½cupPanko bread crumbs
1teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonblack pepper
1teaspoongarlicminced or crushed
To cook with the meatballs
½cupchicken or beef stocklow-sodium
1medium onionhalved and sliced
2cupsmushrooms8 oz., sliced
For the gravy broth
1cupchicken or beef stocklow-sodium
2tablespoonsonion soup mix
1tablespoontomato paste
1tablespoonDijon mustardor yellow mustard
1tablespoonWorcestershire sauce
To finish the sauce after cooking (slurry)
2tablespoonall-purpose flouror gluten-free
4tablespoonswater
Instructions
Prepare the meatballs. Combine the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands. Roll into small meatballs and set aside.
Sear the meatballs. Turn the Instant Pot on and press the Sauté button twice or three times until it changes from Normal heat setting to More. This will get our pot hot for searing the meat. Allow about 2 minutes to heat up and add the oil.
Add the meatballs in batches and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. If you feel that the pot is too hot, press the Sauté button again to change it to Normal heat setting. Remove pre-cooked meatballs to a plate.
Deglaze the pot. Once you remove all the meatballs, change the Saute setting to Normal. Pour in half a cup of the stock and use a spatula to scrape every bit of cooked meat from the bottom. It is super important that you scrape all the bits and mix them into the broth, so they don't cause a BURN error. Press Cancel to stop the Saute process at this stage.
Combine meatballs and gravy ingredients. Add sliced onions and mushrooms and stir through well, then return the meatballs on top.
Mix the remaining stock with onion soup mix, tomato paste, mustard and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl or a jug. Pour this gravy broth over the meatballs. No need to stir!
Set & cook. Secure the lid on top, making sure the steam release valve is pointing to Sealing on older models. Select Pressure Cook/Manual and adjust the time to 10 minutes at HIGH pressure.
After a few beeps/seconds, the ON sign will come on indicating the pot is heating up and the pressure is building; pressurizing will take about 5-7 minutes and then the 10-minute timer will begin.
Once the timer is done, use the Quick Release button/handle on top to release the pressure manually right away.
Make the slurry. Combine the flour and water in a small bowl and whisk with a fork into a smooth slurry mixture. Set aside. You can do this a few minutes before the meatballs are finished pressure cooking.
Finishing the gravy. Open the lid, remove the meatballs and while the sauce is still hot, pour in the slurry, stirring continuously. The gravy will thicken instantly.
Return the meatballs and stir through or transfer to a bowl and pour the gravy on top. Sprinkle with parsley.
Serve with mashed potatoes, roasted veggies, pasta or rice.
We used 4 very large potatoes to make enough mash for 4 servings. You can use your favorite mashed potato recipe here and make it on a stovetop while the meatballs are cooking or prepare it in the Instant Pot ahead of time. Check out our beginner-friendly Instant Pot mashed potatoes here.Paleo/Whole30-friendly version: Omit Panko bread crumbs from the meatball mixture. You can add a couple of tablespoons of tapioca flour or almond meal. Replace onion soup mix with 2 teaspoons onion powder + 1 teaspoon garlic powder and use regular stock instead of low-sodium stock, or add a little salt. Instead of Worcestershire sauce, use 1 tablespoon coconut aminos + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. And instead of all-purpose flour, use tapioca flour or arrowroot flour to thicken the gravy at the end. Gluten-free option: use gluten-free bread crumbs or omit from the meatball mixture and use gluten-free flour in the slurry.