This easy and delicious recipe for Instant Pot Meatloaf and Potatoes beats any other cooking method! Throw carrots into the pot and you've got a full, hearty one pot dinner ready in about 45 minutes. There is minimal prep work to get this pressure cooker meatloaf to turn out super moist and flavorful!
This recipe is my favorite way to turn the classic meatloaf and potatoes into a full dinner in under 45 minutes using my pressure cooker. You are going to love this recipe too, because it's a well-rounded meal including a vegetable, a starch and a main protein.
All ingredients are pressure cooked together without any need to saute in the beginning or cook further at the end. It is so simple to make this dump and start Instant Pot meatloaf and potatoes that you may never go back to cooking meatloaf in the oven.
This recipe makes a 1 pound meatloaf and comfortably feeds a smaller family. It can be made in a 6, 8 or 10 quart Instant Pot. As written, everything fits perfectly in my 8 quart Duo Crisp. If adjusting the servings to make more, you'll need to have at least an 8 or 10 quart pressure cooker.
And while pressure cooker meatloaf is my absolute favorite meatloaf (I hope it becomes yours too), you can opt for air frying it or making oven-baked meatloaf muffins instead.
Ingredients
Instant Pot meatloaf and potatoes is made with only simple ingredients.
- Whole potatoes: russet, white, golden, red, or baking potatoes. Do not use baby potatoes, as the cook time is too long.
- Whole carrots
- Ground beef: I use 93% lean ground beef.
- Onion soup mix: Lipton's onion mix is my favorite.
- Tomato sauce: used in the meatloaf mixture and as part of the glaze.
- Tomato paste: for the glaze.
- Breadcrumbs: Italian seasoned preferred.
- Milk & egg
- Salt & pepper
Accessories Needed
You'll need a few accessories to make this Instant Pot meatloaf and potatoes:
Cake pan: a small round 8 inch or 9 inch cake pan is needed to hold the meatloaf. If you don't have one you can wrap the entire meatloaf in foil.
Silicone sling: this is the best accessory when using the pot-in-pot method! Your pan is placed onto the silicone sling and then easily lifted out of the inner pot using the handles on the sling. You can use a trivet with handles if you don't have a sling (but invest in the sling for next time- you'll thank me!).
Aluminum foil: used to cover the meatloaf and wrap the carrots. It's a must for this recipe.
Cooking Instructions
STEP 1: Scrub dirt off the potatoes and pierce a few times with a fork. Peel the carrots and trim off ends. Pour 1 ½ cups of cold water into the inner pot. Place the potatoes inside.
STEP 2: Wrap the carrots tightly in foil, keeping them in a single layer so they lay flat.
Place the foil-wrapped carrots on top of the potatoes.
STEP 3: Mix the meatloaf. Combine the ground beef, onion soup mix, tomato sauce, breadcrumbs, egg and milk in a mixing bowl. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and salt. Use your hands to mix well, until all ingredients have been evenly combined. Put meatloaf mixture into the cake pan and shape into a loaf.
STEP 4: In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste and remaining tomato sauce until smooth. Use a spoon to brush the mixture onto the meatloaf. Cover the meatloaf with a foil tent, being careful not to press down on the top.
STEP 5: Place the pan onto the silicone sling (or trivet) and put into the inner pot on top of the potatoes and carrots.
Close and seal the lid. Set to pressure cook/manual on high for 18 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 10-15 minutes to come to pressure.
STEP 6: Allow a 10 minute natural release when pressure cooking has completed. Then quickly release the remaining steam. Transfer the silicone sling from the pot to the counter and remove the foil. Use tongs to remove the carrots and potatoes immediately so they do not continue cooking in the hot steam. Use a digital thermometer to ensure the center of the meatloaf has come to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. (If it hasn't, cook in the oven until temperature has been reached)
Serve meatloaf alongside carrots and potatoes garnished with butter, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!
Variations
- Make mashed potatoes: once pressure cooking is done, mash the potatoes and mix with milk, butter and salt and pepper rather than serving them whole.
- Use a different meat: ground turkey and pork, or a combination of, also make great meatloaf.
- Try barbecue cheddar meatloaf: feeling creative? Try a unique spin on traditional meatloaf, like this cheesy barbecue flavored meatloaf.
- Use another vegetable: ditch the carrots and use a different veggie. Keep in mind that most vegetables pressure cook quickly, so use one that has a longer cook time.
Tips For Getting It Perfect
- Use a silicone sling to easily remove the pot of meatloaf without it slipping.
- Carrots cook quicker than potatoes and meat so always use foil. Any item wrapped in foil takes slightly longer to pressure cook than when not covered in foil.
- Use large potatoes and poke them a few times so they don't split while cooking. Potatoes pressure cook for 12-18 minutes based on their size, so using large ones will keep them from overcooking.
- Cover the meatloaf in foil to prevent steam and condensation from forming on the meat. But don't wrap too tightly as you don't want the foil to press down on the tomato sauce glaze.
A one pound meatloaf takes 15-18 minutes to cook fully.
A two pound meatloaf takes 25-30 minutes to cook.
Store leftover meatloaf, potatoes, and carrots in the fridge in a covered container for up to 7 days. It can be frozen for up to 6 months when stored in freezer safe bags. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave, toaster, or oven.
If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure to give it a star rating and let me know what you thought in the comments! And follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Recipe
Pressure Cooker Meatloaf and Potatoes
Equipment
- silicone sling or trivet
- small round pan
- aluminum foil
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 6 large potatoes
- 8 carrots
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 package of onion soup mix
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tablespoon milk
- ½ cup tomato sauce divided
- ¼ cup tomato paste
Instructions
- Scrub dirt off the potatoes and pierce a few times with a fork. Peel the carrots and trim off ends. Wrap the carrots tightly in foil, keeping them in a single layer so they lay flat.
- Pour 1 ½ cups of cold water into the inner pot. Place the potatoes inside directly in the water. Lay the foil-wrapped carrots on top of the potatoes.
- Combine the ground beef, onion soup mix, half of the tomato sauce, breadcrumbs, egg and milk in a mixing bowl. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and salt. Use your hands to mix well, until all ingredients are evenly combined. Put meatloaf mixture into the cake pan and shape into a loaf.
- In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste and remaining ¼ cup of tomato sauce until smooth. Use a spoon to brush the mixture onto the meatloaf. Cover the meatloaf with a foil tent, being careful not to press down on the top.
- Place the pan onto the silicone sling (or trivet) and put into the inner pot on top of the potatoes and carrots. Close and seal the lid. Set to pressure cook/manual on high for 18 minutes.
- Allow a 10 minute natural release, then quickly release the remaining steam. Transfer the silicone sling to the counter and remove the foil. Use tongs to remove the carrots and potatoes immediately so they do not continue cooking in the hot steam. Use a digital thermometer to ensure the center of the meatloaf has come to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. (If it hasn't, cook in the oven until temperature has been reached)
- Serve meatloaf alongside potatoes and carrots.
Rebekah
This recipe was simple enough to follow and delicious! Thank you for sharing.