Mac and Cheese and Meatballs
By :From Freezer to Instant Pot Cookbook by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough
This one’s an entire comfort-food casserole in one pot! The dish is a pretty standard mac and cheese, combined with meatballs— a fusion of two favorite comfort foods in every serving. You can use frozen beef or pork mini meatballs (so long as they are 1/2–1 ounce each). However, we found that turkey meatballs have a milder flavor, so the dish tasted more like cheese than meat— that is, more the way a mac and cheese should taste.
Votes: 3
Rating: 4.67
Rate this recipe!
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Course Dinner, Kids, Lunch
Cuisine Modern
Difficulty Easy
Browse Category Kid-Friendly, Side Dishes
Duration 30-60 min
Cooking Technique Max Pressure Cook, Multicooker, Sauté
Main Ingredient Macaroni, Turkey Meatballs
Home Category 01_Home category 1
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 28 minutes
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1 quart
  • 1 lb mini or bite-­sized frozen turkey meatballs (even vegan and/or gluten-­free meatballs, if that’s a concern), 1/2-1 ounce each
  • 4 tbsp butter 1/2 stick
  • 2 tsp stemmed fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp table salt
  • 16 ounce elbow macaroni or gluten-­free elbow macaroni, not “giant” or “jumbo” macaroni
  • 12 ounces shredded cheddar Swiss, mozzarella, Havarti, Monterey Jack, or other semi-­firm cheese, or even a blend of cheeses (3 cups)
  • 1 ounce finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1/2 cup
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream or light cream, but not “fat-­free”
Course Dinner, Kids, Lunch
Cuisine Modern
Difficulty Easy
Browse Category Kid-Friendly, Side Dishes
Duration 30-60 min
Cooking Technique Max Pressure Cook, Multicooker, Sauté
Main Ingredient Macaroni, Turkey Meatballs
Home Category 01_Home category 1
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 28 minutes
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1 quart
  • 1 lb mini or bite-­sized frozen turkey meatballs (even vegan and/or gluten-­free meatballs, if that’s a concern), 1/2-1 ounce each
  • 4 tbsp butter 1/2 stick
  • 2 tsp stemmed fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp table salt
  • 16 ounce elbow macaroni or gluten-­free elbow macaroni, not “giant” or “jumbo” macaroni
  • 12 ounces shredded cheddar Swiss, mozzarella, Havarti, Monterey Jack, or other semi-­firm cheese, or even a blend of cheeses (3 cups)
  • 1 ounce finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1/2 cup
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream or light cream, but not “fat-­free”
Votes: 3
Rating: 4.67
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Instructions
  1. Press the button SAUTÉ. Set it for HIGH, MORE, or CUSTOM 400°F and set the timer for 10 minutes.
  2. Mix the broth, meatballs, butter, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in an Instant Pot. Heat until many wisps of steam rise from the liquid. Turn off the SAUTÉ function. Stir in the macaroni and lock the lid onto the pot.
  3. Option 1 Max Pressure Cooker
    Press Pressure cook on Max pressure for 5 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
  4. Option 2 All Pressure Cookers
    Press Meat/Stew or Pressure cook (Manual) on High pressure for 6 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off. The valve must be closed.
  5. Use the quick-­release method to bring the pot’s pressure back to normal. Unlatch the lid and open the cooker.
  6. Press the button SAUTÉ. Set it for HIGH, MORE, or CUSTOM 400°F and set the timer for 5 minutes.
  7. Stir in the shredded cheese, grated Parmesan, and cream until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Turn off the SAUTÉ function; set the lid askew over the pot and let sit for a couple of minutes. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes

Beyond
• For more heft, stir in up to 2 cups packed baby spinach or kale at the same time as the cheese and cream.
• Garnish the servings with minced chives, stemmed and minced fresh parsley leaves, ground black pepper, grated nutmeg, and/or red pepper flakes.

2 replies
  1. Madeano
    Madeano says:

    Excellent tasting will definetly make jt again. If I had one criticism it would be to use 3/4 cup of cream because it gets a bit too thick for my liking and hard to stir.

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