This hearty tomato lamb meatball stew comes together in under an hour with the assistance of an InstantPot, and is paired with orzo and lots of parm!
I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! Here in Michigan it was super windy all Sunday, with a wind advisory for pretty much the whole day. But we spent it cozied up inside making brunch with the hubby’s family, followed by an afternoon of lounging, movies, and Monopoly.
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- Sweet Potato Crepes with Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs
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And on a cold and windy day like that, you neeeeed this stew! Even better is that it can be prepared in the Instant Pot in just 45 minutes! So let’s get into it.
The first step is to form the meatballs. I love the pork and lamb combo in these meatballs because the pork give a little it of fat to the meatballs, but the lamb gives you that classic stew flavor profile.
After you form the meatballs, it’s time to sauté them right in the Instant Pot! This is one of my favorite features of the InstantPot: being able to saute right in the pot before throwing in the rest of the ingredients allows for easier cleanup because you’re not sautéing in a separate pan that you have to clean. #winning!
From there, you work on the rest of the sauce full of carrots, onions, garlic and fire-roasted tomatoes before sealing the Instant Pot with the pressure cooker setting and letting those meatballs cook! I served this stew over orzo, but you could also do pasta, mashed potatoes, or even gnocchi!
Now it’s your turn: Tell me, would you make meatballs in the InstantPot (or have you before)? Share with me below!
Lamb Meatball Stew
Ingredients
For meatballs:
- 6 ounces ground pork
- 6 ounces ground lamb
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
For stew:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 white onion diced
- 2 carrot peeled and diced
- 3 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- A splash of red wine
- 1 14.5- ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
To finish:
- 1 cup dried orzo
- Parmesan cheese grated
- Parsley minced
Instructions
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In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add ingredients for the meatballs and stir with your hands until well combined. Shape into twenty meatballs that should be about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter and set aside on a tray.
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Add olive oil to InstantPot set to sauté (normal heat). Brown meatballs on all sides, about 4-5 minutes total. You will likely have to cook them in two batches, but it will depend on the size of your InstantPot. (If you have the official InstantPot brand, the technique I found easiest was to nestle the meatballs in the curved dip around the edge of the pot to cook, and then turn them every 1-2 minutes until browned.) Remove meatballs to a plate.
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Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.
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Add onions and carrots to InstantPot. Sauté for about 3-4 minutes, then add garlic and tomato paste and sauté for 30 seconds more, stirring constantly until paste is glistening and evenly coating the vegetables. Add a splash of red wine and stir until combined, allowing the wine to cook off for about 30 seconds. Add canned tomatoes, salt, pepper, and meatballs and stir until meatballs are coated in the sauce. Turn the InstantPot to pressure cooker mode on high heat and cook meatballs for 8 minutes. Allow to natural steam release. (Alternatively if you are short on time you can let it natural steam release for 4-5 minutes and then use a long wooden spoon to push the "sealing/venting" knob to allow the steam to quick release. Make sure the pin has dropped all the way down before opening the lid.)
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When the water is boiling, cook orzo until al dente. Drain and set aside.
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When stew is finished, serve over orzo and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and parsley.
