Salisbury Steak Meatballs (Instant Pot, Stove Top, Slow Cooker)
These beefy meatballs are cooked in a mushroom gravy and lightened up by using half ground turkey and half lean ground beef. I made these in my Instant Pot (a multi-cooker that does the job of a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, sauté/browning pan, and warming pot all in one) for a meal that took less than thirty minutes to make, but have also included stove top and slow cooker directions.
For anyone wondering, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker (affil link). I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it’s done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This slow cooker is so great, I actually own several!
I’ve been dying to make these meatballs which I adapted from my Salisbury Steak recipe. They are wonderful served over cauliflower mash as pictured here or why not try them over skinny garlic mashed potatoes.
Salisbury Steak Meatballs (Instant Pot, Stove Top, Slow Cooker)
These beefy meatballs are cooked in a mushroom gravy and lightened up by using half ground turkey and half lean ground beef. Kid-friendly, comforting and delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup minced onions
- 1/2 lb 93% lean ground beef
- 1/2 lb 93% lean ground turkey
- 1/3 cup whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste, divided
- kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, to taste
- 1/4 tsp mustard powder
- 5 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1 1/4 cup reduced sodium beef broth
- chopped parsley for garnish, optional
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Instructions
- Finely chop 1 oz of the mushrooms into small pieces and set aside. Heat the Instant Pot (or a large nonstick pot on medium-high) on Sauté add 1 tsp oil and onions and cook until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Divide onions in two.
- In a large bowl, combine half of the sautéed onions with the ground beef, ground turkey, chopped mushroom, bread crumbs, egg, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1/4 cup of the beef broth, 3/4 tsp salt and black pepper.
- In a small bowl, blend flour and 1 cup broth until smooth. Mix in remaining onions, remaining 1 tbsp tomato paste, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder.
- Gently shape into 20 small meatballs.
- Heat the Instant Pot (or non-stick pot) back on saute, add remaining teaspoon of oil and brown the meatballs (in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot) about 2 minutes until no longer sticks (if it doesn't turn, it's not ready yet), turn and brown an additional 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1/8 teaspoon salt and black pepper and pour the sauce over the meatballs, cover and cook on high pressure 10 minutes (20 minutes in a regular pot). Let the pressure release on it’s own. Garnish with parsley.
- Slow Cooker Directions: Saute meatballs in a skillet, transfer to slow cooker with mushrooms, salt and pepper and pour sauce over. Cover and cook low 6 to 8 hours, until tender.
Nutrition
Serving: 5meatballs, Calories: 271kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 124mg, Sodium: 741mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g
Blue Smart Points: 5
Green Smart Points: 6
Purple Smart Points: 5
Points +: 7
Keywords: Freezer Meals, Kid Friendly, Pressure Cooker Recipes, Slow Cooker Recipes, Under 30 Minutes
The meatballs were real tender. I will make this again.
I made this in the Instant Pot and while I didn’t have the burn problems other people did, it was a bit unwieldy to brown the meatballs, and I’m not sure using the Instant Pot actually served any convenience as opposed to stovetop in this case.
That said, the flavor is amazing and I’ll definitely make again, just on the stovetop next time. It does take a while to assemble, but that’s meatballs for you.
My husband and children loved this. And I loved the extra veggies of mushrooms and onions hidden in the meatballs since my kids are very anti veggie.
They were pretty simple to make. I cooked all the meatballs on a long skillet to speed up the browning process, especially since I made a double batch. My husband loved them so much I had to freeze lunch size portions for him to eat during the work week.
Great recipe! After reading the comments I only added 1 tablespoon of broth to the meatballs and browned them under the broiler before putting them in the slow cooker. They turned out perfectly! I served them with Skinnytaste garlic mashed potatoes and it was a huge hit. Nice to have a great slow cooker recipe in the summer months when it’s too hot to turn on the oven. Thank you!
I thought this was really good, I omitted the beef broth for when I made the meatballs. (Didn’t need it) The instapot has too small a surface for sauteing so I did them on the stove-top before transferring to the instapot for the final cook. My beef had a little more fat content so it didn’t stick but if I was using a low fat beef I would probably use 2 tsps of oil so that the meatballs wouldn’t stick. Overall, great recipe.
Total FAIL! I’m so upset with myself for not reading the comments first. Everything stuck to my IP and I got frustrated and just mushed it all together. Now it’s cooking on the stovetop. I’m not sure if I want to throw it away and order a pizza or just try to eat it over mashed potatoes….
Meatball mixture was way to MUSHY.
How would you freeze this? Would you cook the meatballs and then add the sauce and freeze?
Great recipe, but the “25 minutes” is a laugh. I admit I’m slow when it comes to cooking in general, but it took a full hour just to do all the steps leading up to putting the meatballs in the pot at pressure. Add on another ~25 to cook at 10 on high and release. I would budget 1-1.5 hours total if you plan on making this, unless you are incredibly on point and have all ingredients prepped and ready to go.
Very delicious. Omitted the vinegar and used 1/2 cup of red wine instead. Serve over half and half cauliflower mashed potatoes and green beans. Doubled the recipe so enough left over for tomorrow. 👍👍👍
Forgot to mention that I ground up oatmeal in place of the bread crumbs. They turned out absolutely great.
thanks for sharing about the oatmeal – I was thinking about trying that!
Hi! I love all your recipes…. think you are amazing. I’m going to be a new mom sometime next month…. wanted to prep a few make ahead and freeze meals. How would I freeze this? Would you prepare and freeze uncooked in a ziplock? ? What about the sauce? Hope to hear from you soon…Thank you so much!
Congrats! I would prepare and then freeze. 🙂
Had a terrible time with this recipe. The meatballs were too mushy and didn’t form well. They fell apart easily. Trying to sauté them in the Ip was challenging. Constantly got the burn notice on the IP and eventually moved them to the stovetop which was frustrating to do. All that said they tasted wonderful. I will try the recipe again with modifications.
I had the same issue!
Same issue! We eventually took out of the instantpot and put under broiler in oven to cook enough for them to hold together then moved back to IP for remainder of cook time. Meatballs were incredibly mushy when trying to form but I wonder if that is bc the meat was not super cold? Will give update on this method when done. they do smell good right now while cooking and am sure they will taste great too!
Tasted great. The way we cooked worked out fine ☺
Delicious! Wish I had read the comments first, I also had trouble sautéing the meatballs in my instant pot. I probably would sauté in a pan or bake in my oven as others did. I used some red wine instead of the vinegar.
Served with mashed cauliflower, also a success!! Used an instant pot recipe for the cauliflower, super quick.
I too wish I had read the comments first!
I made these with all ground turkey 93% because I didn’t read the recipe carefully enough before shopping.
Didn’t have beef broth, so I used chicken broth with an extra dash of worcestershire. Made in crock pot on low for 4 hours…super tender and yummy. Going to serve with butternut squash/cauliflower mash. Another keeper, thanks Gina.
Can you freeze these also?
Good recipe. Did them in the slow cooker, the meatballs were so tender.
Make sure not to add the 1/4 Cup of Soup to meatball mixture, or they will be too soft. I simply added the egg and they didnt fall apart, like they did twice!
I used broth in my meatballs and they just need to be handled gently with wet hands to shape.
My 8 year old son and I made these tonight on the stovetop and they turned out amazing! He gobbled it up which is pretty unusual for him. This does not taste like a “light” recipe. Highly recommend- used all lean ground beef.
Not sure what happened but I keep getting “burn” notice on my IP. I even gtook everything out, cleaned the bottom of the pot and started it over again and same thing. ANd thisa is SUPER timr consuming.
Burn notice means there is not enough liquid in your instant pot !
Love love it! Husband doesn’t like mushrooms so I minced them instead of slicing, he had no clue. 😉
Thanks to the reviews here, I formed my meatballs and placed them on a foil lined cookie sheet and broiled them until they began to brown. They all stayed together nicely, and then I added them to the slow cooker and covered with the sauce. I don’t think I would ever attempt sautéing in the IP, since it seems lots of people had trouble with that step.
It was really yummy at the end, but it took an hour and a half (when making mashed potatoes too). Also, I would prepare the meatballs on the stove top rather than in the instant pot. It was way too hard to turn the meatball in there, and they were breaking apart, which was really disappointing.
Not sure what I did wrong.
Mine all turned to mush.
Mine did too. I will be making major modifications if I try this again. I try to always just follow the recipe the first time I make something
Dont add the extra broth to the meatballs the egg is enough and maybe just half of it
These also freeze and reheat really well!
These meatballs are the bomb! I did sub a little. I ground a chicken breast (needed to use up) to take the place of the turkey breast, and used tapioca flour vs regular flour to thicken. Also, had homemade chicken bone broth in freezer, so used that along with some beef seasoning to replace the beef broth.. It’s what I had on hand. Made them stove-top since I used my instant pot for my potatoes. So very good, will become a new staple for us!
Awesome!
Simple to make and delicious. Will make this again for sure.
Delicious!! Will become a regular in our weeknight dinner plans. Easier than it seemed.
Love these, and I do with a mix of 99 amd 96 percent fat free ground turkey, since that mixture is rather moist, once I have the balls made with a small cookie scoop, I bake them to get them started before putting in the slow cooker, so I don’t risk them falling apart. Meatballs tender full of wonderful flavor. The sauce is perfect and gets a bit thicker when it sits a bit or if make them, store and reheat them. Great recipe.
I made these last night, they were soooo good. I used all ground turkey and cooked on top of the stove, everything came out just fine.
I have made the Salisbury steak for many years . One of my favorites and my family. Can’t wait to try this in my insatant pot . Yummo! I would have to rate the Salisbury steak a 1,000 stars .
Made these last night with Venison burger and they were delicious! Held up great, tasted amazing, and the sauce was perfect.
Today I learned that Salisbury steak is one of my husband’s favorite meals. I’ve been looking for different ideas to get out of our dinner time rut, this will definitely go into our normal meal rotation! I did the stovetop method because I didn’t think pressure was necessary. I will probably not make into meatballs next time, I think patties will be just as good and less work. However, I was able to have this complete meal ready with green beans and mashed potatoes in less than 40 minutes, so I didn’t think it was time consuming at all! Awesome recipe!
Did this in the slow cooker today and it was great! Contemplating making it a one-pot-wonder in my Dutch oven next time, but wondering about time and temp in the oven. I’m new to the Dutch oven world, only really tried soups and sauces so far. Any thoughts?
Delicious! Reminds me of Swedish meatballs. I didn’t have mushrooms so omitted them. I didn’t have tomato paste but substituted tomato sauce. I think the paste would have added some sweetness to offset the acid from the vinegar. Definitely going to be making this again – with all the ingredients as per the recipe 😂
Anyone try this with almond flour as a sub for breadcrumbs? Keto. If so, how much?
This was so amazing. I had a hard time keeping the meatballs together but I’ll just broil them next time. The flavor was amazing. My bf loved them and he is picky.
Thank you for this recipe….it was really good but I had a hard time with the meatballs burning ….any tips♥️
This recipe is out of this world delicious. I don’t like ground turkey so I used ground chicken instead. Well worth the effort. Perfect comfort food for a chilly winter evening.
I made this with a slow cooker. OMGoodness was it amazing! The meatballs were so tender and the sauce was a perfect compliment to the meatballs and skinny mashed potatoes.
This recipe will be shared with my WW group and will be going in my printed recipes binder.
Thanks so much for making and sharing this recipe with us!!
So…I read the recipe 6-7 times and every time I swear it said to add the mushrooms to the hamburger when mixing it. So I did. But then found somewhere else it said to just add them. I was afraid I had ruined the meal. Nope! It was awesome! I added a package of brown gravy mix to the sauce and it was amazing!!! My only complaint is that it took an hour and a half to prepare. Now to be half of that time was my instant pot heating )it has to reheat for every single setting…which is so dumb. If it’s 341 degrees on sauté it should be hot enough to go to pressure cook right away, but maybe it’s suppsoed to be that way but it’s annoying). Otherwise the recipe was great. My kids love it, even my picky eater.
IT TOTALLY DOES SAY TO ADD THE MUSHROOMS TO THE MIX! I JUST DID THE SAME THING !
Another great recipe! This will become my new go to meatball recipe!
It says add 1oz finely chopped mushrooms to meatball mix and add the rest of the mushrooms to the gravy mix.
My pressure cooker preheats with every setting as well. It drives me CRAZY.
POOHB3EAR and SHELLEY – It’s a matter of physics. The pot coming to pressure has to do with steam building up inside the closed cavity. No matter how hot the contents are when you seal the pot, it just takes time for that pressure to build up. There is no shortcut.
I just read the directions carefully so I would not do what you did. The recipe said to put 1 oz of finely chopped mushrooms in the meat mixture. Thank you I might have made the same mistake.
I have to thank you because this is the second or third recipe of yours that I’ve made and this was simple and incredibly delicious. I kept telling my kids about school lunches when I was a kid…lol….and salisbury steak with mashed potatoes was one of my favorites. This hit the spot and brought back good memories without getting me off of my WW plan. I’ll keep cooking your recipes! THANKS!
My daughter and I loved these! I used only ground turkey and doubled the sauce. Served over cauliflower mash. Will make again!
I’m a new user to the instantpot BUT, I think this would be easier in a stovetop prep. It is difficult to turn and get the onion and meatballs out of the
IP because it is so deep. Also, 20 meatballs do not fit in one layer in the IP. This recipe does not instruct how to program the IP which was a problem for me. I did what I needed to do to make this a success, It was good after I put the IP on saute again to complete the cooking proccess.
This was delicious! I made substitutions to make it gluten free. I also broiled the meatballs in the oven first, before putting in the instant pot. I doubled the recipe for the five of us and barely have any leftovers! Family loved this!
Hi Gina,
I made this and loved it but now want to make for someone with an egg allergy. Any chance I can substitute the egg out?
Thanks!
Me too please. Allergic to dairy, eggs, nuts.
Could have used a bit more breadcrumbs to hold it together, would have browned the onions and meat in a separate non-stick pan as there was way too much burned/brown stuff on the bottom after. I had to scrub out the IP to avoid the burn message that would have definitely happened and probably would have prevented the balls from cooking all the way through. Anyway, other than that, it was delicious. Will make again with the adjustments mentioned for sure.
Next time, ad a little of your bef stock to the bottom of the pot after browning your meatballs to deglaze, scrape the browned bits off the bottom and continue with the recipe as usual. Works a treat. I also will use the ceramic nonstick liner if I’m worried about getting a burn notice.
This was like a flashback to my childhood—it tasted just like my mom’s delicious cooking. I’ve made it many times and my family loves it (even my mushroom-averse children, who aren’t aware of the wonderful flavor hidden in the finely-chopped mushrooms). I am so happy to be able to enjoy “real food” as a Weight Watcher. I find making meatballs tedious so I now make little slabs of meat that are easier to brown, and I adjust the points accordingly. So far have used a crockpot but am looking forward to using my new Instant Pot!
Absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I put it over riced cauliflower
can you make with just beef and no turkey?
Sure
My dish turned out great. I used my crock pot express. The only thing I had to different at the end was take the sauce and put it in a pan over the stove and added a little more flour to thicken the gravy. It turned out perfect.
I looked for the stove top directions but couldn’t find them. Are there directions for cooking on the stove top?
Yes, they are actually within the recipe instructions—not separate.
People seem confused by directions for some reason; probably not reading thoroughly.
Step 1 clearly says to chop 1 oz. of the sliced mushrooms;, Step 2 clearly says to add CHOPPED mushrooms to meatballs. Remaining sliced mushrooms are added to sauce in Step 5. Step 3 is making the sauce called for in step 5; do not add to meatball mixture. Steps 3 and 4 should be switched for clarity.
For those having trouble with meatballs not cooking through, are you using only 1 lb. total meat and making 20 small balls? That size ball should be well done in 10 min. pressure cooking. My 2″ meatballs are done in 15 min.
I made these in my Instant Pot. Followed recipe exactly except added less beef broth when mixing meatball mixture. I did 1/8 cup instead of a 1/4.
I made exactly 20 meatballs, did not saute in instant pot , saute on stove in a non stick pan turned after 2 mins. Sauce is lovely meatballs all stayed together no problem in instant pot..Will make again love the recipe.
I made these for my husband and I and he absolutely loves them. We are both on Weight Watchers Freestyle and these are perfect for our plan. Thank ypu for coming up with these great meals and meal plans, keep up the great work.
My husband and I both loved this recipe. I made riced cauliflower to serve with the meat balls. No complaints from the meat and potatoes guy!
This recipe was so involved. It took less time to cook actual salisbury steaks on the stove. Tasty but won’t make it again.
This recipe was not a success for me. I tasted the gravy before pouring it over the meatballs & ended up tossing it. I had to make another gravy (frustrating) & went with Rachel Ray’s quick brown gravy. The onions burned while I was sautéing them & I had to cook the meatballs twice as long as recommended. In the end, they shrank to half their size. I believe the Instant Pot is not the ideal cooking method for meatballs & prefer the oven. I also was not pleased at all with this recipe.
This was so good!! The gravy was absolutely delicious. I will make this again. The only thing I did differently was cook the meatballs in the oven before I put them into the gravy to finish them. When I tried cooking them completely in the pot they started falling apart on me.
Excellent meatballs Gina! My family and I just love these meatballs and sauce that I cook on the stovetop and I always double the recipe for leftovers. They are tender , flavorful and go great with a roasted cauliflower parmesan mash. I use your recipes regularly and like the fact they are healthy and low in calories.
I doubled the meat, prepared the meat the day before and left it raw, then the next day rolled into balls and proceeded with recipe, I highly recommend doing this as the flavors were amazing, I also used 99% ground chicken as it’s zero Smart Points but still added beef broth for the beefy flavor, I tripled the broth part to have extra gravy, absolutely amazing!
DELICIOUS! I used 99% lean ground turkey instead as that is what I had. But, still yummy. May try next time using no beef to reduce points (i’m on WW). Will definitely make again.
Also, just bought my instant pot today. this was the first thing i made in it. can’t wait to try more of your instant pot recipes.
Great!
So delicious! My husband commented that it reminded him of old school TV dinners only a lot better. I used all ground turkey, a flax egg, and gluten free flour/bread (for breadcrumbs) and it turned out better than I thought it would.
WOW! This was amazing! I am not a fan of ground meat–or even meatballs, but this will definitely go on my regular rotation list!
I used only ground turkey because that’s what I had on hand and can’t believe how satisfying it was…(warning, you may need to add additional bread crumbs if using only turkey as your mix may be come out a bit too we…) The gravy is to die for delicious!
I served it with mashed potatoes and peas and the family GOBBLED it up.
Thanks for yet another amazing dinner Gina <3
“…may come out a bit too WET…”
Delicious. I doubled the recipe so I’d have leftovers. Made it on the stove top. Easy peasy and delicious.
Followed the ingredients list exactly but made in cast iron skillet and simmered in sauce for 30 minutes while the baby new potatoes cooked. Served with garlic green beans. Great meal with good flavor! Hubby is Mr. picky and he liked the flavor.
OMG, this was SOOOO good! My kids loved it, too.
My meatballs didn’t cook all the way through. Maybe mine were too big to begin with, I had to transfer to a frying pan and simmer, which made the sauce thicken up nicely. This was a good recipe, but I would do it stove top instead of the instant pot in the future. Thanks Gina
Can you make this with gluten free bread crumbs?
I don’t see why not.
I’m gluten free and make meatballs with a combo of almond meal and coconut flour. Works perfectly!
Where are stovetop directions?
Heat the Instant Pot (or non-stick pot) back on saute, add remaining teaspoon of oil and brown the meatballs (in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pot) about 2 minutes until no longer sticks (if it doesn’t turn, it’s not ready yet), turn and brown an additional 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1/8 teaspoon salt and black pepper and pour the sauce over the meatballs, cover and cook on high pressure 10 minutes (20 minutes in a regular pot)
This isn’t helpful since a stovetop does not have a “high pressure” setting. Should you cook on high temp for 20 minutes?
Low for 10 minutes in manual pressure cooker.
any tips on making this with frozen meatballs? #lazy
In the recipe, you say to combine the mushrooms with the ground beef and ground turkey in step 2. You also say to add the mushroom, salt, and pepper to the sauce in step 5. Do the mushrooms go in the meat or the sauce or both? Thanks.
the recipe calls for 5 oz of sliced mushrooms. In the directions it says to dice 1 oz of the mushrooms very fine. the 1 oz of finely chopped mushrooms goes into the meat. the other 4 oz of sliced mushrooms goes into the sauce. hope this clears it up for u
I made this with some changes. I left out the tomato paste and added 1 cup of sour cream when the cooking was finished. I also baked the meatballs before placing them in the pressure cooker. I served them over egg less wide noodles. Your meatballs must have been really big, I used less than 1 lb of meat and made about 20 meatballs, and they were big by my standards. I probably could have gotten about 40 or more meatballs from the meat mixture..
OMG these are so yummy! You never ever disappoint.
I changed it a little, since I had frozen meatballs. So good though! Thanks!
I’m wanting to also make with frozen meatballs but not sure what all qualifies as the sauce vs the ingredients to make the actual meatballs? Any advice would be greatly appreciated 🙂
This is one of our family’s favorite meals. Straight up as written or modified slightly based on ingredients at hand. Instapot or stove top. This comes together easily. And oh so delicious.
After reading other reviews about the time it took to make the meatballs, I baked mine instead of frying. I cooked at 375 for 15 minutes and they were done. I also did not precook the onions for the meatballs… I just chopped them very fine. They turned out great and saved time. The sauce was made per directions, but I found it a bit bland. I added beef base and some garlic with double the pepper. Served over mashed cauliflower. Over-all it is a very good and satisfying dish. Husband loved it.
First recipe I’ve used my instapot for and it was awful! The meatballs were sticking to the IP, the sauce was watery, and when all was said and done the meatballs were raw!
What the heck happened? Any advice?
Sooo… has anyone made this with frozen meatballs?
Why would you do that?
Same. Because it looks delicious, but I don’t have time to make the meatballs 🙂
I was thinking the same thing. You asked why Lori? Because I have a whole bag of meatballs in the freezer and I’d like to do something other than spaghetti
This was GREAT! To save time, I did brown the meatballs in a pan. It does take a little preparation (meatballs just do!), but it’s worth it. I added more bread crumbs (white, not wheat) to hold the meatballs together (my preference), I also added extra broth in the sauce to have more but maybe I didn’t need to (the sauce would have been thicker). THANK YOU!
Made this for dinner. Turned out amazing I added fresh minced garlic with onions. I didn’t add any beef broth to the meat mixture but I added a tsp of beef base instead. I also used regular bread crumbs instead of whole wheat. It was a little time consuming but it always is when your making meatballs.
This recipe was a real hit at our house. A real rib sticking dish for our snow day.
I’ve made this twice now and have had the same issue. I may add a half teaspoon of beef bullion and bypass the broth next time. It’s super tasty, but needs to be tweaked a little.
Can the sauce be frozen?
This is one of my favorite recipes from the site. I’ve only made it on the stove, but it’s wonderful served over mashed potatoes. Sometimes I’ll serve it with succotash and another vegetable, or just corn.
I made this recipe tonight in my new Instant Pot. My husband and I enjoyed the Salisbury Meatballs very much. I needed to use a touch more salt in the sauce, but I think it’s because the broth I used had very low sodium. It was a cold, snowy day here, and these were perfect comfort food served with mashed potatoes and green beans. I’ll definitely be making this again soon!
Any tips on meal prepping this for the freezer? Should I make the batch w sauce and mushrooms or just make the meatballs by themselves? Recommendations on thawing and reheating?
Made this recipe as written for dinner. It was a hit! Picky eaters even loved it! I will definitely be adding this to the dinner rotation. Meatballs were tasty and tender, the sauce went great with the Skinny taste garlic mashed potato recipe. Had with sides of cooked green beans and baby carrots. Yum!
Made this recipe as written & it turned out great! Took your recommendation & served with your cauliflower mash & some sautéed spinach. Will definitely be added to the weekly rotation. Gotta love skinny comfort food! Thanks!!
Cauliflower mashed! PERFECT!!!
Delicious!!
My meatballs wouldn’t stay together. I basically had Salisbury ground beef/turkey. What a disaster. Any tips to get them to stay together next time?
Same. I will probably skip the beef broth in the meat mixture next time and maybe more bread crumbs. I ended up crumbling up the beef and served it that way. Still super tasty but not quite the same effect.
If you happened to use regular breadcrumbs instead of whole wheat, you may have needed to reduce the amount of broth. Whole wheat absorbs more liquid than regular breadcrumbs. I would cut the amount of broth by half with regular crumbs.
Good to know. I used gluten free
I did a test with one meatball because mine seemed really moist. I had the same problem as you with it falling apart. I put my broiler on high and let them brown in the oven instead for a few minutes. Worked beautifully (no falling apart) and much quicker/less mess. I then stuck them back into the instant pot and followed the rest of the recipe.
Rib sticking good!!!
I need a ten star rating for this one. It’s so delicious. Next time I make it I will double it for sure. It took a little time for me to prepare, but worth every bite. Served it with the pureed cauliflower, which soaked up all that yummy sauce. It was heavenly.
these were good! Not one of my favorite skinny taste recipes but still very good. Hubby mentioned the sauce could be a little thicker. Made crockpot and served with instant pot mashed potatoes.
Instant potatoes!! ?☠
Not instant potatoes. Potatoes made in the instant pot.
I added a package of brown gravy.
So good. My kids ate without complaint.
If you bake the meatballs for 20 min at 400, would you still cook for the same amount of time in the slow cooker?
Can anyone recommend a brand of bread crumbs?
Kroger has gluten free rice flour bread crumbs, can’t tell the difference.
For freezing, would you recommend freezing the meatballs raw or cooked?
I would freeze them cooked.
I freeze meatballs all the time. I usually brown them and then flash freeze them before putting them in ziplocs. That way they aren’t too done when I take them out and put them into whatever sauce I’m using.
It seemed to take me forever to make this (stovetop) but they turned out great. I had no trouble with the meatballs holding together.
I always made the Salisbury Steaks from the first SkinnyTaste cookbook but had the right amount of meat in the house to make these meatballs for mealprep one weekend. The recipe was unbelievable and I think even a little more flavorful than the Salisbury Steaks from the cookbook. Definitely a favorite and a recipe that has been added to my dinner rotation.
Oh, my! This I see my go to for meatballs. Love, love, love this taste!!!
I usually have great success with Skinnytaste recipes but this was not one. This was my maiden voyage with my instant pot and seemed simple enough. But even after having them fall apart and burn in the instant pot, they are still not coming together on the stove. After the correct amount of time per the stove top directions, the meatballs are still raw in the center. They were given a generous sear and even boiled for a while because I was busy trying to clean up the IP mess up. So probably a perfect storm of mistakes but this was a dud for me and I hate this IP.
Sorry it didn’t work for you, they just need to brown, they will still be raw until you add the sauce and cook it all. As for not holding, when I brown them I don’t move them until they easily turn on their own.
Can you use vegetable broth instead of beef? Tia
sure
Made this stovetop and it was really good. I don’t really care for turkey meatballs but the combination of beef and turkey I liked…honestly my hubby didn’t even notice they weren’t all beef. I doubled the recipe and made a few adjustments. I used one can of broth and one can of progresso French onion soup in sauce and I also added some garlic powder. I served mine over doodles sauteed with fresh shallots and garlic and mixed in one Laughing Cow Asiago cheese..it worked well with the meatball recipe. I also used cornstarch in place of flour to make sauce a bit thicker.
Do you have to sauté them before putting in slow cooker
I think they’ll fall apart if you don’t.
Nice flavor! I had the same issue as others with them falling apart while sautéing. I ended up using a nonstick skillet. I think next time I’ll either bake them or use more bread crumbs to bind them.
I’m making these now. After mixing up the meatball mixture, it was very, very moist and so I added some more breadcrumbs. The meatballs were not firm when I shaped them. Should they be? I doubled the recipe, expecting to get 40 meatballs and I got 50! I weighed the meat and used exact measurements and the meatballs are not tiny at all.
They are a decent size.
I just can’t get enough!!! So tasty! I recently saw this in my email and gave it a try! First time with half beef and half turkey! Enjoyed it very much! Second time I used only turkey and I love it even more!!! Also, I made your cauliflower mash and the two just work so well together!! A keeper for sure!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Made this tonight…fantastic!! Every bit of it was eaten! A definite redo!
I just love this recipe. Since discovering it I’ve made it at least twice a month. My whole family loves these! I double the recipe to make sure we have enough for dinner and lunches. I want to try to make even more so that I can have some to freeze, just unsure when to freeze them. Should I freeze them before cooking, freeze once meatballs have been sautéed, or freeze them after cooking with some sauce? Thanks for sharing suck great recipes, I love your website and your books!
Thanks Vicky!
I have a child with an egg allergy — I’ve been searching for a replacement to use for the eggs in recipes like this. Any suggestions?
I hear the liquid from a can of chickpeas makes a great egg replacement.
I have a child who had a suspected egg allergy and I’ve made meatballs with no egg before. It was another recipe and I just left it out entirely. For this recipe I wonder if you could get away with not using the egg and just use less liquid so they hold together better – maybe omit the broth in the meatballs?
Made this tonight for dinner along with the cauliflower mash…what a wonderful dinner…never would have thought to puree cauliflower and was a little reluctant but I did and it was awesome…Without a doubt this is on the make again list…
Great!
New to pressure cooker. Ive only seen when people turn the dial to let the pressure it. Is that what you mean by let the pressure out on its own or do I just leave it and the pressure will release slowly? I have a pressure cooker XL
Delicious. Tender meatballs. Lots of flavor! Bravo!
Thanks Anne!
I feel like when i use the pressure cooker to sautee its wayyyy too hot. Does anyone else have this issue?
I do wish it could be adjusted!
I made this recipe in the Instant Pot tonight and was quite frustrated with the same issue. In addition, the readout panel showed a “burn” message and the steam never escaped. Unfortunately, this was a double recipe as I was planning ahead to place half into the freezer. However, I have made this recipe in the past using a skillet and slow cooker, and it is delicious.
I wish I knew why, I had no issues with this.
Can I double the recipe ? Would all of it fit in my instapot?
I have a 6 quart btw
Made these meatballs tonight. AMAZING! So good, thank you. It took me longer than the 30 minutes but so worth it. Served with cauliflower and carrots, steamed and mashed potatoes..
Thanks for the recipe.
I made this last night and I followed the re pie exact., the meatballs stuck to the IP, it made it hard trying to keep turning them without them sticking.
Did you freeze or refrigerate your meatballs first?
Other than the meatballs sticking, it was very good and will make this again, just may sauté the meatballs in a pan instead of the IP.
Thank you
You have to brown them in batches, don’t crowd the pan and don’t turn them until they easily move.
How would the points change if I used 99% fat free ground turkey only?
What can I use instead of mushrooms? My husband is allergic to mushrooms ???? Maybe add in sauteed onions?
I’m new to IP pots and I love your recipes. What size IP would you recommend for most of your recipes? The 6 quart or the 8 quart?
Thank you,
I have the 6 quart.
Needed to come back to mention I made this as written,on the stove top. It was delicious,and even better the second day. I had enough left from the two meats combined that I made a little meatloaf,and froze it for later use. So glad I found you Gina. Thank you.
These were just delicious. We just polished off the last two servings for lunch. Even more flavorful the next day! Next time, I will brown the meatballs in a non stick skillet and transfer the balls and fond over to the IP. Loved them with the Skinny Mash. I also used sliced green onions instead of onions. We love the Umami profile of mushrooms, so I doubled the mushrooms needed for the fine chop and sauteed them along with the green onions. Oh, so yummy! Thank you, Gina.
Hello,
Can we use frozen meatballs for this recipe?
Thank you 🙂
The meatballs are the star of this recipe.
These are amazing! Tastes just like Salisbury steak. I left the mushrooms out and it still was delicious.
This was delicious and I don’t like mushrooms at all. I had no fresh mushrooms so I used canned no salt mushrooms, minced them well enough for the meatballs and left the rest bigger because my DH loves mushrooms. I did brown my meatballs in another pan because I couldn’t fit them all in my IP. I used low sodium broth which did not affect the flavor at all. I was also out of red wine vinegar so used a Balsamic Vinegar. Definitely a repeat for our dinners and I will be sharing this with the WW group I belong to on Friday mornings. Thank you!!
Can you substitute the flour with almond flour?
What is sodium reduced beef broth, is it a low salt tinned soup?
I’m upset cause when following the step by step directions it said add mushrooms to meat before cooking and now I notice it’s a typo it still screwed up my dinner ????
You add the 1 oz of chopped mushrooms in step 2 and then the rest in Step 5 if that helps.
For the slow cooker version, do you put the mushrooms and onions in raw??
Hi! I LOVE your site and love this recipe. My one question For this recipe the macros – you don’t have and saturated fat listed – is it unavailable or does it truly not have any? Just curious 🙂
Btw even my boyfriend is hooked – he has started making the sweet potato and chicken hash on the weekends for special breakfasts for us!! 🙂
Not gonna lie, I had high hopes for the husband recipe. Used ground turkey for the meatballs. Doubled the sauce and added fresh garlic with the onions. Sauce didn’t thicken as I’d hope in the instant pot, but the small amount I used to help deglaze my cast iron pan, it thickened nicely. Served this over egg noodles per hubby’s request. Watery and bland sauce and meatballs were falling apart, despite adding more breadcrumbs. Kudos to those who enjoyed it though. This one isn’t a keeper for me. Love so many of your other recipes though. It still helping me trim down and eat healthy so many thanks for the inspiration.
I’m assuming by the picture that 5 meatballs is 6 SP, and since you suggest making 20 meatballs, it’s 4 servings. Are the mashed potatoes included int he 6 SP?
Thanks.
correct, and no those are actually mashed cauliflower, but it’s not included.
I have these in my IP as we speak! It was a bit time consuming to prepare and I had trouble with my meatballs sticking when trying to brown them. I doubled the meatballs and plan to freeze the other half, uncooked. Would I be able to use them from frozen next time? If so, how would I adjust my cook time?
If you did this as a meatloaf (in either oven or slow cooker) how would you change it/ cooking time?
Did you try it Emily? I love this recipie and have made it several times. I made it as a meatloaf tonight. Followed the recipie directions in step 1 and 2, then formed it into a loaf and baked at 350 degrees for 1 hour (mine was a big loaf, about 1.5 lbs). Made the gravy in a pan on the stove top. Great results!
I’m curious, I need to make these gluten free because we are on a detox but I’ve made these before as they are on the recipe and they were delicious! Would it work if I used almond flour in place of the bread crumbs?
There are GF bread crumbs available…
Making this tonight and as I am reading the comments I just realized I forgot to brown the meatballs!! It’s currently cooking so we will see if they stay formed. Lol
Husband was worried they wouldn’t be cooked all the way through so quickly. Meatballs were very tender. I used all beef. Will be repeating this recipe. Can see so many variations and in less than 30 minutes total cooking time! I’m sold!
Oh my, these were so so good. Great flavor and so easy for a weeknight dinner. Made it with the garlic mashed and a salad and all was perfect. I will definitely make these again, pass on the recipe to my friends and make the mashed again too…much lighter than what I have been making! Thanks so much Gina….glad I have found your site and look forward to many more.
I’m not even kidding…this is delicious! Everyone loved it!
I made this the other night. It was really good! My husband really loved it! The sauce was awesome! I will make this again with company over. I made it with garlic mashed potatoes. A big hit with this recipe. Some of the meatballs did stick to the pan when I saute’ them. Even when I added oil to the pot first and let it get hot. Maybe next time I just may brown them in my Teflon frying pan. But quick and easy. Thanks!
Hi Gina: I love all your recipes. I even bought both of your cookbooks. I just bought an Instant Pot. I am going to try this recipe tonight and have one question, after you saute’ the meat, you indicate to cook it on high. Do you put it on “manual” mode for high or “meat stew” setting?
Thank you.
This could have been user error, but I tried to make these in the InstantPot and it was a disaster. Two things could have contributed…I did not have any breadcrumbs, so I used oats, but as they are not as fine as breadcrumbs, I used a 1/4 cup. And then I accidentally used 2 TBS of tomato paste in the balls. Soo…my meatballs weren’t as nice and perfectly round as pictured. When I tried to cook in the Instant Pot, they burned and stuck (I did in batches). However, after the first batch wasn’t looking too great, I put the 2nd batch in a non-stick skillet and finished the recipe from there. The ones that were sticking were still able to be used, there was just so many charred bits, I didn’t want to continue that route. They did end up being very tender and delicious in the end.
Because the Instant Pot is not non-stick, I don’t turn them until they are browned and easily turn after a few minutes.
this is probably a ridiculous question – but I am not a mushroom fan – as in don’t like them – but this sounds delish – can you omit the mushrooms?
My husband loved this. He is a big rice and gravy loving guy. I have been on WW for over a year and a half. He has become used to me making healthier versions and said “this is really good, please don’t tell me what’s in it ” ???? I will be making it again.
Could you use all ground beef?
Sure.
Made these tonight. Delicious. Will definitely make again
Made these tonight with the skinny garlic mashed potatoes! Gina you did it again! This was great!!! Just delicious. This was so filling. Thanks Gina!!
Thank you Hamidah!
I have been useing my IP pot for 2years., 2-3 times a week. I have found that if you use cooking spray on the cold pot, there never is anything sticking . Hope this helps .
Will these still turn out if I leave out the egg? My son has an egg allergy. Thanks!
Tried this last night and it was AMAZING! The kids loved it too.
Thank you for your recipes – we follow weight watchers, and this is our go to website for flavorful recipes.
Thank you Erica!
Second time making this recipe in my IP. It is delicious, but time consuming and the meatballs always stick very bad and fall apart unles I add a lot of extra oil to the pot, I love the recipe but think your regular Salisbury steak receive is much easier and less time consuming. Some things just are not meant for the IP. But it was amazing in the end!
I’m new to my pressure cooker, today will be the first time using t. When you say 10 minutes in pressure or 20 in pot, do you mean the instant pot or pressure cooker or stove top? I’m not sure what an instant pot is. My pressure cooker is the 6 qt Bella brand. Thanks!
Instant Pot, which is an electric pressure cooker.
I made this for the first time tonight, I was a little skeptical but it was so yummy!! My whole family loved it!
My meatballs are cooking as we speak and it is great that it only take 10 minutes to cook. However, it took me FOREVER to prepare them. I even set out everything ahead of time too. It just took ages to chop things, and brown onions, then brown the meatballs in several batches, etc. My meatballs didn’t stick because I have learned (from reading posts on Facebook groups) the trick of getting the pot to “hot” before adding oil and food. But, by the time I was done there was stuff stuck on the bottom. I tried to deglaze it which was only partly successful. So I dumped the deglazing broth back in the bowl and ended up washing the pot before putting everything back in.
It was at least an hour preparing. I don’t care how wonderful they taste I will never make it again. Basically I hate to cook. I don’t care about actual cooking time, but I do care about prep time.
However, my other thought was to wonder if this meatball mixture could just become a meatloaf, or maybe several mini-loaves…? That would be so much easier for people like me. lol
This would be great as a meatloaf I am sure!
Great, as usual…thanks!
This was a great meal and was not as much work as I anticipated. Had to use chicken instead of turkey as there was none to be found in this small town. It was still a great tasting meal and leftovers for lunches will be great. I am beginning to think we are all getting healthy around our community which is a good thing! I was the last one at work to get an IP and loving it too!
I’m making this tonight but I don’t have mustard powder. Will it still taste amazing without it?
Sure
I have made this 5 times this last month….seriously it might just be my favorite meal! I have made it several ways now. Haf turkey half beef, half chicken half beef, all beef…..Even made without breadcrumbs one day when i was out. Its always amazing. Now its a favorite with my parents and my sister’s families, too. YUM!
I made the instant pot version of this and it was simply wonderful! I batch cook meatballs, and freeze them, so I just used them frozen and did 6 minutes manual following all other instructions. Thanks for yet another great recipe!
Thanks Maurine!
Hi Maurine!
How do you batch cook meatballs? I would love to have some in the freezer rather than using store bought ones.
These were fantastic! Probably one of my favorite things I’ve made in my Instant pot. Some things I ended up changing: doubled the recipe, browned the meatballs in three batches, accidentally left out the tomato paste in the meatballs, couldn’t find seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs so just added dried parsley, oregano, paprika, and basil myself–and they turned out delicious! I served them on a mashed cuali/potato blend. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m doing the whole 30. Any options for substituting breadcrumbs?
I double everytime so I don’t have left over meat. I use same cook time. We love this with Gina’s mashed potatoes with the cauliflower rice mashed in.
I was just wondering how many SP it would be using all 93% turkey.
Can you bake the meatballs instead of frying?
If you wish
I have made this recipe several times. I love the flavors, however had lots of trouble with the meatballs staying together. In the end, I had to refrain from adding beef broth in the meatball mixture. By the way, I cooked this recipe on the stove top. Definitely a keeper!
I always bake my meatballs in the oven. Much easier and a lot of the grease bakes out. I then transfer them into the slow cooker.
How long? Temp?
I tried this recipe tonight and it was fabulous! I did it on the stove top and I cannot say enough good things about how awesome it tasted!! My hubby loves salisbury steak and since we (meaning me lol) are trying to eat healthier I thought I would try this. he said this tasted like mini ones and Mr. Picky can’t wait for me to make them again. Thanks!!
🙂
would like to double recipe and freeze half… do I increase the cooktime in IP? Thanks in advance!!
No, time should stay the same.
Doubled the recipe and we had it for dinner last night. It was delicious, my kids said its a new favorite. Super easy, I did have a little issue with them sticking but read that instant pot should be warm before adding any oil or food or it will stick. I’ll try that next time.
Made these twice now. ( I have a Presto stove top cooker). When using a stovetop pressure cooker, 10 minutes is fine. Stovetop always takes less time than an IP. On the lower times, it is usually 1-2 minutes less. Up towards an hour with the IP, is 5-10 minutes less with the stove top. If you went double the time with the stove top, (20 min.) you may end up with black meatballs.
Very good recipe. Thanks.
Can I make this recipe and freeze it after it’s cooked and cooked? I’m pregnant and would love to have this as one of my storer freezer meals!
This looks yummy as do many of your recipes. My husband does not like onion, not so much the flavor as the texture. Any ideas?
I left it out due to trying to follow the Acid Reflux diet. I used spices and Italian Panko and it gave it a wonderful flavor.
This was fantastic! Will definitely make again! YUMMY
! Thank you so much.
Can you prepare this the night before in the crockpot and cook the following day?
Should be fine!
If I were to cook them in a slow cooker on high due to time constraints, how long would I cook them?
4 hours
Awesomeness! It’s just not enough! I’m serving with egg noodles! I used ground venison and doubled the recipe! My house smells so good!!!! Can’t wait until the Fam tries it!
Great!
These look terrific! Do I need to add cooking time to the Instant Pot if I double the recipe?
Wow, Gina! This recipe was terrific! The whole family enjoyed dinner tonight and is already clamoring to have it again! The meatballs were super flavorful and the gravy was the perfect texture. I made this on the stovetop and it was very easy to make. When I make it next time I’m going to double the recipe!
Thank you!
Awesome!
My teenager and I worked together on these and served them with no yolk noodles. It was fantastic! The meatballs were melt in your mouth and the sauce was just enogh to have on rop without overwhelming the dish. The only element hard to estimate was the amount of time the IP had to NPR before we could open it (30-35 minutes in our case).
This was seriously one of the best things I’ve ever made! Thank you!
I’m a new follower of your site and notice lots of recipes using the instant pot. There are only two of us, so I don’t make large recipes. I usually cut them all in half and make 4 servings. Would you recommend purchasing an IP and if so which one?
https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-IP-DUO60-Multi-Functional-Pressure/dp/B00FLYWNYQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1484531997&sr=1-2&keywords=instant+pot
Another amazing recipe. This was absolutely delicious and everyone had seconds. Yum!!!
This recipe is amazing! I make a double batch with your mashed cauliflower recipe and meal prep this to last a few days for myself and my husband. 0ur favorite lunch! Thank you!
That’s great Doreen!
I want to think that I messed up something here, because nobody else has commented about having this issue and from what I can tell, I followed the directions to the letter. I tried to make these in a crockpot, as I don’t have an instant pot. I sautéed the meatballs and added it all together. I put it on low for 8 hours and left for work. When I came home, it was burnt to a crisp! All of the liquid had completely evaporated and my precious meatballs were a charred mess. I’ve never had a crockpot recipe go bad like that. I double checked my ingredients – everything was right! Maybe my crockpot just went nuts and it was a big fluke. Who knows?! But I was so sad! Is there any sort of alteration to the recipe or ingredients necessary for crockpot prep (i.e more liquid)? Thanks!
Yours might cook hotter, some do. In that case I would add a little water.
This was such a great recipe! I am trying to trick my boyfriend into eating healthy and this worked perfectly 🙂 Rich flavor without all the calories – I served them over cauliflower mash and it was awesome. Thanks!
Gina the flavor took me back to childhood when I lived in Germany and this sauce was used for spätzle and potatoe balls. This recipe will be going in our family family favorites. Thank you for creating and sharing with us!
I would like to put the meatballs in the oven to bake and then put into the sauce. What temperature and time would you recommend?
Great! 400 20 min I think would do it.
I’m currently making this…but my meatballs are sticking to the bottom of the instapot…any suggestions on how to prevent this? Also, my meatballs were a little more squishy than what the pictures looked like. Not sure why…I followed the directions. Maybe my breadcrumbs are old?
Thanks! 🙂
Not sure why they are squishy, but when browning, let if brown on one side without moving, once it is easy to move you turn them.
I used all turkey and mine were also very squishy. A few ended up browning like meatballs, but after pressurizing everything was total mush – Pretty disappointed 🙁
I added some extra breadcrumbs before browning but it didn’t help. My only thought is to leave out the 1/4 C. broth – Any other suggestions? I could tell that the sauce would have a great flavor.. I. just need my meatballs to turn out right next time.
I just got an instant pot for Christmas and made this for dinner tonight. I made it without mushrooms and it was delicious! My only issue was my meatballs were sticking inside the pot! I ended up browning them in a pan on the stove 🙁 Tomorrow night is Beef, Tomato and Acini di Pepe Soup!
I am In the process of making this, only my meatballs are completely stuck and it’s turning into salisbury steak meat sauce….
I think it depends on the pot. I gave up using my pot to brown the meatballs an instead use my non stick pan. I constantly have to flip them with my fingers and brown eat side. After that i transfer to the pot and pour the Salisbury sauce over them to simmer in. Still some crumble apart but not as bad as what my pot does to them lol.
Turn on sauté, let your IP heat up BEFORE adding oil. Add oil, allow to heat and add meatballs. Let them brown without moving around on one side, then brown on other side. This should take care of the problem.
This was amazing! And I dislike mushrooms immensely! Thanks!
If I would double the recipe how long would it need to cook in the IP? Thanks
I double everytime so I don’t have left over meat. I use same cook time. We love this with Gina’s mashed potatoes with the cauliflower rice mashed in.
I made this last night for the first time and it did not disappoint! I am not a fan of mushrooms but I have always been able to handle canned mushrooms so I used them instead and it still added flavor without the overwhelming mushroom taste! I also doubled the recipe so I would have leftovers or so I could freeze half but everyone had seconds and took leftovers and then there was none left so really glad I doubled it! I cooked mine in my slow cooker and at 6 hours they were perfect (All-Clad 6.5 qt)! I will definitely be making these again and again very soon!
Its there any difference if you use all beef? And if you wanted to make with rice would you do that separate? Haven’t got to use my instant pot and have never use a pressure cooker so I’m new to cooking this way.
It would taste great, but increase calories and smart points.
I used my IP for the first time last week and did the Turkey Meatballs Stroganoff. My husband loved it. It was delicious. I had never used a pressure cooker either. I love it
We doubled the recipe since we had all the meat and upped to 13 minutes and they were delish!
I make Sausage Risotto in my IP. I sauté the sausage and then I add the onion and a chopped bell pepper until done. Then I add the rice goes, continue to sauté another minute. Add all other ingredients to the pot. Secure the lid and set pressure on HIGH for 6 minutes with a 10 minute natural release. So, I guess the answer is yes, one is able to cook rice at the same time. BTW, if ever you’re made risotto on the stovetop, the IP is a dream come true!
Could you do it without mushrooms? And still have great flavor!? My household hates mushrooms!
Sure
The mushrooms in the meatballs go unnoticed if you cut them small btw. My kids had no idea 😉
I’m allergic to mushrooms so I do onions instead. Carmelized. The flavor is amazing
I like this idea! As i dont care for mushrooms. Can u tell me what exactly you did with the onions?
Made this last night and LOVED it. I used to love Salisbury steak as a child and this took me right back there. I used all turkey and didn’t miss the beef at all! Served it on top of Cauliflower Puree (also your recipe), it was so delicious! The only glitch was that I didn’t have enough room in the IP to brown the meatballs properly, so next time (and there will definitely be a next time), I will brown them on the stovetop and then cook them in the IP. Your site is quickly becoming my favourite for IP recipes, please keep them coming! 🙂
Awesome! Yes you have to brown them in batches. Wish the instant pot was larger!
This is a HUGE missing piece! I doubled the recipe to cook in 2 Instant Pots. Very quickly I realized that 20 meatballs wouldn’t allow for me to turn them over easily, and as I tried to do that, a number of them broke into pieces.
Yes, they need to be browned in batches.
Wasn’t there supposed to be a stove top option?
I’m kinda winging it but would have liked the instructions!
Simmer on low in the pot covered with a little extra liquid and just double the cook time of the Instant Pot.
I made this for tonight’s dinner. Very good. Worth the effort. Only one suggestion. I made it on the stove top (gas). I had to add about 1 more cup of beef broth to keep it from burning and to make enough gravy. I used gluten free flour for my but I doubt that made the difference. Thank you.
Thank you for asking. I was winging it tonight also!
I bought the ingredients the other day, to make these!! I’m excited! I love Salisbury Steak! mmmm
Very good! The meatballs were so tender! And the sauce was so tasty! And only 10 min. In the pressure cooker! Thank you.
The “sat fat” nutrition fact seems to have gotten lost. Any idea?
3.5g
Better to sauté in a skillet as there’s not much room in the instapot
Hi Gina
– I got an Instant Pot for Christmas and would like to try this recipe. Do you think ground oats would work in place of the breadcrumbs to make it gluten free? If so, would you use the same 1/3 cup measure?
Thanks so much 🙂
It should work! Yes, same amount.
I have made this recipe for my family several times with great results when cooked in the skillet or crock pot. Decided to try in my new instant pot tonight with not as great of results as I have had otherwise. Meatballs stuck to the bottom of IP while sautéing Really seemed like it needed more oil more than anything else. Decided to cook remaining meatballs in a nonstick pan on stove top and transfer to instant pot to finish cooking. Might have had crumbled meat in sauce otherwise. Still a great recipe in my opinion, however I don’t know if it will be a go to for my instant pot.
The trick is to let them brown on one side before moving, then they don’t stick. Once they brown you can turn them and repeat. I do wish Instant Pot had a nonstick version of their pot!
We just love this recipe!! My 5 year old just at 14! I think he would have eaten more had there been any left!! (I made mine a tad smaller and got 36 instead of 20 but still!!)
I made this on the stove top and much of the sauce reduced too much in the 20 minutes. Next time on the stove top I would double the sauce.
Both my boys have an egg allergy. Would I be able to skip the egg? Would meatballs sill hold?
Haven’t tried but I think it will be ok?
Both my boys have an egg allergy. Would I be able to skip the egg? Or would the meatballs not hold?
I’m cooking this now and taste testing, I left out the mushrooms(allergic) but I threw some chopped bell peppers in. I have one question, the “gravy” is it the broth poured over the intire finished good?
yes
Gina, would this be a recipe I could make and freeze for when my baby comes?
Sure and congrats!
Made this on the stove tonight. Awesome! Only thing I changed was adding a splash of sherry to the sauce before I covered it and simmered. Nice round, acidic addition! But I think even without, this was great! I’m planning to freeze our leftovers for an easy meal in the future.
Great!
Made this last night and it was hit with my husband. Even my “I hate mushrooms and anything that resembles meatloaf son” wolfed it down. Didn’t think I would care for the ground beef/turkey mixture but it was fine. My first time using the Instant Pot and I had a little trouble. I will definitely make it again but may do it on the stove top. Overall, great recipe. Thanks Gina!
Exactly what is the smart points value ? There is two different points value?
SP are 6, Points + are 7
These are both Weightwatchers concepts, Holly.
This meal is absolutely delicious! My husband and two year old son also LOVE it! It tastes so much like a full fat version I used to make, but I no longer feel guilty eating it!
Great!
Can you substitute out the bread crumbs with something else for gluten free?
We made this last night and it was PHENOM-BOMB. Every person in my household gobbled them up, there wasn’t a speck or drop left over! This was my first time cooking with our new pressure cooker, and your recipe made this meal so memorable and delicious! Thank you…I’m a huge fan of all your work. You’ve made eating healthy and being successful on WW so easy and delicious!!
I love your newest book, too! Congratulations on Skinnytaste Fast and Slow…it’s got a permanent spot on my counter next to the first one!
Thanks Brooke!
I’m sorry but these directions are awful! It says to add the mushrooms to the big bowl of the meat, then it says to add the mushrooms at the end? The directions for cooking with a regular pot (which temperature?) and the slow cooker directions are even worse. Pretty sure I ruined the recipe ????
I’m sorry you felt that way, in direction #1 it says to chop only 1 oz of the mushrooms, which are added to the meat in direction #2, the other 4 oz of mushrooms are added in direction #5. Whenever “non stick pan” is mentioned that is the stove top directions (which usually has temperature with it). The slow cooker directions are the same as written until after the saute step. Hope this helps!
I love this recipe. I did it stove top and it worked out great. The skinny garlic mashed potatoes were perfect, too. My husband is really picky when it comes to any gravy (he hates it) and he loved this. I will definitely be making this again!!!
This is amazing!!
This did not turn out very good, my family didn’t like it at all so I won’t be making it again. I’m not sure if it was BC of the turkey or what. They mostly just ate the mashed potatoes.
Did you use fresh mushrooms or canned?
Hi Gina,.Can’t wait to try this recipe, but what is an Insta Pot…I have a Crock Pot and Sautee Pans…
Thank You_?
These meatballs are fabulous! I made them gluten-free by using gluten-free bread crumbs and gluten-free flour. I left out the mushrooms but they were still just as delicious!!!!
I made this last night and my husband was thrilled! I prepped the meatballs the night before and after browning them let them cool and placed them in my crockpot in the fridge. Took them out in the morning and added mushrooms and whipped up the sauce to pour in before heading to work. I did have to leave them cooking way longer than it says because everyone ended up having a late day, but they were still delicious just really fall apart tender. Since we were running so behind, I served them on Instant mashed potatoes (eek!) with a side of steamed broccoli. I’ll definitely make it again, just maybe not on a weekday. 😉
Can anyone who used a slow cooker comment on what size you used? I was going to use my 6quart but it’s not a lot of liquid so I’m worried my sauce will disappear and my meatballs will burn.
I used my round 4 quart and it only filled it about half full so I think a 6 qt may be too big unless you doubled.
I used a 6 qt and my gravy was SO watery. Plenty left. I had to take out the meatballs and thicken it up.
My first recipe from your blog. Loved it so happy I found you 😉 can’t wait to try another of your gorgeous recipes. Thanks
Welcome!
LOVE these Instant Pot recipes! You’re really helping me find my way around my new purchase 🙂
Great!!
This turned out great but I’m not sure where the 25 minute total time came from…… It definitely took an hour and 25 minutes. I run into that often when I find recipes on pinterest. It’s ok if it takes an hour and 25 minutes, just be more realistic and actually publish that. We’re sitting down to eat at 9pm now
Did you use an Instant Pot?
Hi Gina,
This recipe was very tasty. My 4 and 7 year old loved it. However, i was wondering if the consistency of the gravy was suppose to be watery. I added the flour and it had no thickness at all to the sauce. What did I do wrong?
I made this last night. I prepped the meatballs before I read all the way through – so I was made 10 larger ones instead of 20 smaller. I put them in my crockpot on HIGH for 4 hours and was totally floored by how incredible they were! The flavor was so delicious, and my husband couldn’t get enough! Loved this recipe!!
These were amazing and a family hit. My son asked me the very next day if we could have them for dinner again. They have been added to our meal rotation.
I made this recipe today and it turned out great!
My family really enjoyed this meal. I made it in the Instant Pot and my meatballs fell apart as I browned them. Since it was a hit I tried making it on the stove top and my meatballs came out great but the sauce reduced to practically nothing 🙁
It has been a long time since I cooked something for dinner that I wanted to eat again for breakfast the next morning. This recipe did it. Plus it reminded me of meals I grew up having at home. This was so, so good. The meatballs were so moist and had a great flavor. I served them with mashed potatoes and green beans. I’m eating them for breakfast as we speak and it is just as good as it was last night. I will definitely make this again and make this for company.
Lol, well no one said it could only be eaten at dinner! So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this in the crockpot and did all the prep the night before. I made and browned the meatballs (and threw in the mushrooms), placed them in the crockpot and then made the sauce in a separate container. In the morning, I poured the sauce in the crockpot and let it cook for 9 hours. It turned out so well!! The sauce thickened up nicely and I served them over regular mashed potatoes. Will definitely make it again!
Thanks, Stephanie. With your noted success, I’ll do the same and make ahead. It helps so much in the morning when you’ve prepped the night before. I wasn’t sure how much you could do in advance without compromising the taste of the dish.
I made these for my 5 kids & husband. To say they were a hit is an understatement! I left out the mushrooms & doubled the recipe! I didn’t eat until they were all done eating & I was afraid there wasn’t going to be enough left! The “gravy” was so good! And I love that they’re only 6 SP! We served them with mashed potatoes (I don’t eat potatoes) and veggies & rolls! I made them on the stove top after working all day. Pretty easy!
Great! I love this recipe too!
Can this all be done stovetop? Didn’t see stove top directions in any of the comments?
Gina gives the stovetop steps in the recipe instructions, Carla.
How much of the work could be done the night prior to cooking? I have precious little time in the mornings before work, but would love to have these cooking during the day to be ready when I got home.
Made these last night! They were so good that we had them again tonight! Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Hi Gina,
We love your recipes and can’t wait to try this one! Did you have directions for a rice cooker?
Thanks!!
Aimee
I haven’t tried it in a rice cooker yet. If you do let me know how it comes out!
I am going to make these in the Crockpot. How long do I sautee the meatballs first before putting them in?
Until they are browned and will hold their shape.
Delicious! Thickened the gravy a little bit more to our liking at the end, but flavor was great. Loved that I was able to cook potatoes for mashed potatoes at the same time in my electric pressure cooker. I did a 6 min NPR so I wouldn’t over cook them and they turned out perfect, and the meatballs were nice and tender. Thanks Gina!
Great!
Hi Gina,
Can I bake the meatballs first instead of sauté and then put them in the insta pot? I made the original recipe last week over cauliflower mash…OMG delish! Just curious if I can bake meatballs next time around. Thanks!
Yes that’s fine. Glad you enjoyed it!
Not sure what I did wrong but my meatballs stuck to the instant pot like crazy when I was browning them (yes, I used oil). So most of them ended up more like ground meat instead of balls by the time I finally pryed them from the pot :-/
Still cooking them right now so hoping it still tastes the same even though it won’t be very pretty 😉
You have to let them cook until browned and they no longer stick, then turn them. That’s what I did!
By the way, I learned that in order to make your pot non stick, you push the saute button, wait for the display to say HOT, then add your oil and then the food. It works for me!
I made this last night and it was really good. I doubled the recipe and decided to brown the meatballs on the stove top before putting them in the pressure cooker because there were so many. It turned out great. I was worried they would fall apart because they were so tender, but most of them held their shape. I had one or two that crumbled.
This has to be THE BEST recipe yet !! I made this the other night and it was so easy. I can honestly say, my husband has never raved about a dinner so much. The man about lost his mind over these! The taste is absolutely delicious! We served ours over jasmine rice …… the whole thing was perfect. Thank you for another absolutely wonderful, delicious and low calorie dinner !
So glad you enjoyed it!
I made these a week ago. I was a bit hesitant putting them on my kids’ plates, as they didn’t smell or taste anything like salisbury steak. I’m not sure why tomato paste is called for, which contributes the most to the unexpected flavor. They were a hit, however, and I will definitely be making these again!
I love reading through your comments (not “this sounds good”) to learn what mistakes others have made and your solutions. I made sure to chop the 1 oz of mushrooms very fine, and only browned 10 at a time. Perfect! I also placed a steamer over the meatballs in my IP and steamed some new potatoes for mashed potatoes to go with it. Also perfect! I know I can always count on your recipes. Thank you.
Hi Gina,
My family and I love your recipes!! I’ve used many of them, with 100% Rave Reviews! I also just joined WW and love that you’ve done all the SP calculations for us!
Dumb question re: the cooking time on the Salisbury Steak Meatballs–Is it alright to cook them on High in slow cooker for about 3 hours? Time is short today but I want to make this for dinner tonight. I have an Instant Pot on my wish list!
Thanks, Carol
Hey did the 3hrs on high work Carol?
Would love to know if these will work on high in the slow cooker also!
Your slow cooker instructions should give you a good idea of what the “high heat” alternative would be.
Do you serve this with mashed potatoes? Do you have a recipe if you do?
Just served this to my husband. His comment: I can’t believe this was healthy! It didn’t taste healthy at all!
The ultimate compliment. I made it as written and served over the cauliflower purée. The gravy is excellent – I love Worcestershire.
Thanks for sharing such great recipes!
Awesome! Thank you! 🙂
What an AMAZING hit with my two boys. I served it over a combo of mashed potatoes and cauliflower and they had no idea! MY almost-3 year old has been incredibly picky lately and this meal went down with absolutely ZERO fuss! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!
Love to hear it!
Just made this last night and my family just may have a new favorite recipe of yours. This was delicious!!! Thank you again!
What is a substitute for the mushroom powder?
No mushroom powder here.
It calls for mustard powder. Ground mustard.
I have seen quite a few of your recipes for the Instant Pot. What size pot do you use for your recipes, 6 or 8 quart?
6 qt
Made this for the first time last night and it was delicious!! Everyone in the family loved it. Will definitely be making it again.
I made this last night in my Breville fast slow cooker and it worked very well! My husband and I both loved it.
Next time, I’ll be sure to brown the meatballs a little more so they’re almost entirely cooked first. My sauce was also pretty runny so maybe I’ll thicken it a bit with cornstarch after releasing pressure, but that’s a personal preference.
I love this type of dish and being able to make it in my pressure cooker is fantastic!
This was delicious. My family loved it, it’ll definitely be in our regular rotation. Thank you.
Oh my goodness, this was so good!!! Just an absolutely perfect recipe! I served it over the garlic mashed potatoes since I had some potatoes to use up. Sooo good! My boyfriend kept grabbing meatballs and popping them in his mouth while I was trying to put the leftovers away.
Lol! Glad you enjoyed it!
Everything I’ve read about cooking in the IP recommends adding thickeners after the pressure cooking has been completed, but this recipe adds the thickened sauce before pressurizing. As everyone has commented that they love it, I assume this doesn’t result in scorching on the bottom? I really want to try this, it sounds delicious.
Made these last night! So so good! Thumbs up from my fussy hubby too! Put his over mashed potatoes and mine over zoodles. Thanks for a great recipe Gina <3
What am I doing wrong? It used to be so easy to print out what I needed from your recipes. Now I can no longer edit. I can’t wait to try this, but can only print it on two pages?
I made this just now in the instant pot but unfortunately the recipe did not turn out well. 1/4 cup broth seemed too much for the meatballs as they were quite loose and sticky. 20 meatballs also did not fit in the instant pot easily so they were very difficult to turn and ended up breaking apart. I ended up just stirring the whole thing together to make more of a meat sauce. The pressure is releasing naturally now, but I can’t wait to taste it. Next time I will try again with a slow cooker (not the instant pot slow cooking function).
Same problems here! Mine started to fall apart.
Mine completely fell apart in the saute stage too 🙁
Strange, my only guess is you didn’t chop the mushrooms fine?
Mine fell apart to, I was about to ask. I did only use beef and not half turkey. I did mine in skillet to crock pot and it was crumble, wasn’t sure if I needed another egg or what? They were still great
Mine fell apart too. Luckily, I was only working with three since they seemed so loose and I wanted to try it out. I needed up flattening them and making little patties. That worked much better for me. I think the flavor is going to be wonderful. Can’t wait until it’s done!
This was so delicious. I made it yesterday for dinner.
I substituted carrots for mushrooms though and I did make real mashed potatoes. (husband wanted that) 🙂
🙂
I just have to tell you that I have tried many of your recipes and have never had a bad one yet! Thank you so much for the fantastic recipes! Can’t wait to try these!
Made the meatballs last night! Delicious! I actually used my crockpot. Browned the meatballs in skillet and deglazed pan with a little red wine, added the flour ,beef broth and onions cooked until thickened then transferred to crockpot. I’m sure my calorie count went up. Thanks so much for this great recipe!
This was excellent! I doubled the recipe and my whole family ate it all up! Thank you so much for this recipe and this was my first time using my Instantpot!
Awesome!
What are your thoughts on baking the meatballs vs sauteing them prior to putting them in the crock pot/ slow cooker? Ive done this with another meatball recipe, and it seemed to work out well. Also, Id like to add that your Salisbury steak recipe is a favorite of mine & my husbands. We’ve shared the recipe with family, and they love it as well.; so I’m looking forward to making the meatballs version.
Either way should work fine!
I made a double batch of these for last night’s supper. It’s just my husband and I, so we will have the same tonight, and the rest will go in the freezer for evenings when we are busy, or if I just don’t want to cook. It was delicious. I made it in my slow cooker, and it was all ready when I finished giving piano lessons. Thank you!
I luv that you are making your recipes compatible with the Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, and stove top! Makes life so much easier.
This dish was delicious. The cauliflower mash was so easy for my daughter to make that I wished I had given her the meatball recipe to work on. Healthy comfort food is very hard to find, but when I do it’s always one of your recipes. Awesome.
Awww thank you!
Thank you for another delicious instant pot recipe. I, much like a previous reviewer, have an instant pot recipe book, but find the recipes unusual. Yours are more like our regular eating, so thank you again, and keep them coming. Will definitely try the cauliflower mash.
Glad you liked it!
How big are the meatballs? About a tablespoon would you say?
Can’t wait to try these! I really appreciate you posting recipes for insta-pots. I bought one a few months ago but haven’t gotten in the habit of using it yet, so I’m happy to see recipes for them here!
Made this for dinner tonight, was absolutely delicious! Thank you for all your great reciepes.
So glad you liked it!
Can you substitute for the whole wheat breadcrumbs with something with less carbs?
Can u cook in a slow cooker over night? I do not have an Instant Cooker. Lynn
How much sauce would each serving have? Would that increase the points? Looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it !
I thought there was an option for crockpot?
After #5 in directions.
Can this recipe be doubled? If so, do I increase the cooking time?
I doubled the recipe last night. I increased the cooking time by only five minutes, Twas delicious!
Great!!
I’m allergic to mushrooms.
But your recipe will be a good good starting point for cooking meatballs and sauce in the Instant Pot.
It so hard to find reliable Instant Pot recipes that are flavorful and delicious so thanks for adding some to your rotation, Gina. I always know your recipes will taste great!
Absolutely fabulous, thanks for the recipe. We will make this often. I doubled the recipe and it worked just great in the IP…..
Thank you for mentioning this! I was just going to ask about doubling it.
What size Instant Pot do you have?
Once my girls leave for college in a few weeks, and the embargo on ground meat is lifted, I will be making these for my husband and me. they look delicious. Don’t know where my kids dislike of ground meat came from, but these look like the ultimate comfort food. thanks for all your recipes.
Celesta – we must have the same daughters and I too was thinking first on the list after both leave for college in a couple weeks!
This is great, thank you so much for this. I’ve been looking for InstantPot recipes. My fiancé just sprained his ankle, and needs to stay off it…think I may make this ahead of time for him for an easy lunch he can reheat. For your new cookbook coming out…are you also going to include how the crockpot recipes may be adapted for the IP?
The smart points are for the meatballs only? I’m assuming if you add the mashed potatoes as pictured that it would be more points? Thanks.
Absolutely love your recipes! Our family lives by them. Can meatballs be baked instead? If so, what would cook temp/time be? Thanks!
I baked mine as I needed to do a double batch (we’re DINKs, so it’s a meal and leftovers and my grocery store doesn’t do 1/2 lbs of ground meats). I did 375 for 15-17 minutes, they came out cooked and tender. I froze 1/2 of them to do the recipe again in the future!
Exciting! Just got an instant pot and haven’t tried it yet. LOVE the original Salisbury steak so this is a perfect recipe to try out the pot!
These look YUMMY…must make!
Could you adapt this to freezer cooking? I am having surgery at the end of the month and would love to make these and have it where I could just dump in the slow cooker in the morning. After the initial browning and just put in a freezer bag with remaining ingredients?
I would probably make it and freeze it cooked.
I was thinking that too, freezing half cooked meat is probably not the best option. I could make a double batch for dinner now and freeze the leftovers! Thanks!
It looks like the recipe calls for 3 tbps of tomato paste. The directions indicate 1 tbps in the meat and 1 tbps in the sauce. Where’s the 3rd tbps go?
It’s 2 tbsp total. Thanks, I will fix.
I super excited to see a yummy recipe for the Instapot. I just purchased an Instapot and cookbook. The cookbook had high reviews but I was very disappointed in the “odd” recipes. I love the “everyday” foods.
Enjoy!
What can I use to substitute for the eggs? And Worcestershire sauce? ( We have egg and fish allergies)
You can buy vegan Worcestershire sauce – for example, even Kroger brand is veg friendly, no fish! (My SIL is a vegetarian so I’ve picked some up for family favorite recipes so she can eat.) I don’t know about the eggs though!
I’ve found ground flax seeds mixed with water to make a nice egg substitute.
Heavy cream ( 1\4 c per egg) is a great replacer in meatballs.
I cannot eat eggs either since my nursing baby reacts badly to them, so I just left them out completely. I did add some, about a cup, of zucchini to the meatballs since I have a lot of zucchini in the garden, but they came out just fine! No one in my family noticed the egg free version from my normal egg meatballs.
Do you think it would be ok with all ground turkey? My daughter doesnt care for ground beef?
Should be fine
Hi! When you are using the Instant Pot and say to cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes, are you using the “Manual” button and then timing 10 minutes? I am trying to work this great device out!
Thanks!!
Yes, or just press any button and press the plus or menus button to get the time you want.
Sauce recipe states to mix in water but recipe does not list as an ingredient. How much water..?
No water.
YUM! My family absolutely LOVES the Salisbury Steak recipe. Can’t wait to try this variation!
I make your Salisbury Steak often and love it! I will be trying the meatballs very soon yum yum
Enjoy!
The recipe calls for water, but no water mentioned in the ingredients?
No water, just broth.
Would it really alter the taste if I were to leave the mushrooms out completely?? No one in our house likes them so I tend to stay away from recipes wth them but this looks amazing!!
It helps keep the meatballs tender (the ones that get chopped), you can replace with chopped carrots. The sliced mushrooms in the gravy would be fine if left out.
Kim, if you don’t tell anyone that you mixed minced mushrooms into the meatballs, I sincerely doubt anyone is going to know. The meatball flavor will just be that much deeper than it would be without them.