I introduced you to a giant meatball earlier this month, now it’s time to eat the miniature ones. They’re not just cute, they’re delicious!

You don’t need a stock to make this broth because you make it yourself.  Then, the vegetables come out of the pan, to serve as a side dish, and then meatballs, and pastina go in to turn this dish into a one pot meal!

Pastina is a miniature pasta, usually stars, or little rigatoni called dialtini.  Use the smallest pastina you can get your hands on – not couscous – and then cook in the broth according to package instructions.  If you can’t find any pastina, you can cut tagliatelle into little squares, or break spaghetti into small noodles.

Pressure Cooker Accessories Pr. Cook Time Pr. Level Open
6 L or larger none 7 and 5 min. High(2) Normal

4.0 from 2 reviews
Mini Meatball Broth - pressure cooker one pot meal
 
Author: 
Nutritional Information
(per serving)
  • Serves: 4-6
  • Serving size: 4
  • Calories: 412
  • TOTAL Fat: 19.6g
  • TOTAL Carbs: 23.2g
  • Sugar Carbs: 4.8g
  • Sodium: 1547.1mg
  • Fiber Carbs: 4.4g
  • Protein: 35.4g
  • Cholesterol: 168.2mg
Recipe type: pressure cooker
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
INGREDIENTS
For the Miniature Meat balls:
  • 1 lb. (500gr) Ground Veal
  • ¼ cup ground Parmigiano Reggiano
  • ½ cup plain bread crumbs
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • salt and pepper
For the Vegetable Stock:
  • 6 cups (1.5 Liters) water
  • 1 celery stalk, cut in half
  • 2 medium potatoes, whole
  • 2 carrots, peeled
  • 1 onion halved
  • 3 tomatoes halved
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
  • 8 oz. (250 gr). pastina
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. In a large mixing bowl mix the veal, cheese, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, and pepper.
  2. Using a melon-baller, dose out the right amount of meat mixture and make little meatballs. Make them smaller than you think you will need because they will almost double in size when pressure cooked.
  3. In the pressure cooker make the vegetable stock by adding all of the vegetables, water and salt in the pot.
  4. Close the lid and set the valve to pressure cooking position.

    Electric pressure cookers: Cook for 10 minutes at high pressure.
    Stovetop pressure cookers: Lock the lid and cook for 7 minutes at high pressure.
  5. When time is up, open the cooker by releasing the pressure.
  6. Delicately remove out all of the vegetables and place on a serving dish except for the tomatoes (leave those in). If you see any tomato skins floating around, you can remove and discard those.
  7. Taste the broth and adjust salt and pepper according to taste.
  8. Gently add the miniature meatballs into the still hot vegetable broth.
  9. Close the lid and set the valve to pressure cooking position.

    Electric pressure cookers and stove top pressure cookers: Cook for 5 minutes at high pressure.
  10. When time is up, open the cooker by releasing the pressure.
  11. Put the pressure cooker, with the top off, back on the heat and add the pastina. Boil the pastina in the time indicated on the package (minus one minute). Don't worry, the pastina will keep cooking while you serve the dish.
  12. In the meantime, make a vinaigrette with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar by putting them in a small vase and shaking vigorously and pour on the vegetables you previously pulled out of the pressure cooker -- they are now your side dish!
  13. When the pastina is one minute away from being cooked, turn off the heat and serve your miniature meatball soup!


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37 Comments

  1. everything but the pastina is listed twice I thinking this was a processing error but my 8 yr old grandson pointed this out as we were going to make this recipe, he wanted to make sure we were doing it right.

    1. Thanks for your note, it helped me find a bug on the website that listed all the ingredients and instructions twice on some recipes! It’s fixed, and I also calculated and added the nutritional information while I was at it.

      I hope you enjoyed the meatball soup!!

      Ciao,

      L

      1. If you double the broth recipe, do you cook for the same amount of time?

        1. Yes, doubling the recipe will have the same cooking time. That’s because this recipe timing is based on the size, and not the number of meatballs. In other words, the amount of time it takes for the heat to cook each meatball to the center is the same, regardless of how many are in the pressure cooker.

          Ciao,

          L

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