Instant Pot Mexican-Style Meatballs and Quinoa

South-of-the-border meatballs and quinoa stew in rich tomato sauce for an offbeat meal in about an hour, thanks to an electric pressure cooker.


Recipes · Cuisine · Latin American · Mexican


Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 1 hrs
Additional Time: 10 mins
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Ingredients List

  • 1 pound ground veal

  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

  • ½ red onion, minced

  • 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese, divided

  • 6 tablespoons chopped cilantro, divided

  • ½ cup bread crumbs

  • 2 tablespoons milk

  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin

  • ½ teaspoon chipotle powder

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder


Directions

  1. Mix veal, eggs, minced red onion, 3/4 cup cotija cheese, 1/4 cup cilantro, bread crumbs, milk, cumin, chipotle, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together in a bowl. Form mixture into about 20 walnut-sized balls.

  2. Heat a multi-functional electric pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot) on Saute setting. Pour in oil. Saute red onion slices and jalapeno pepper until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add quinoa and stir. Pour in broth and 1/2 of the tomato sauce. Mix well. Add meatballs to the pot and pour remaining tomato sauce on top.

  3. Close and lock the lid. Select medium pressure on Manual mode according to manufacturer's instructions; set timer for 10 minutes. Allow 8 to 10 minutes for pressure to build.

  4. Release pressure using the natural-release method according to manufacturer's instructions, 10 to 40 minutes. Serve meatballs over the stewed tomatoes and quinoa. Top with remaining cotija cheese and cilantro.

Tips

Use any kind of broth you prefer.

If your machine does not offer a variety of manual pressure settings, choose high pressure but reduce cooking time to 8 minutes or so.


Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Nutrition Facts
592 Calories
27g Fat
47g Carbs
38g Protein


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