Italian Meatball Sliders {Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe}

Update: 01/29/11 – This recipe would be great for Super Bowl Sunday!  Super Bowl Sunday Meatball Sliders!

This is a crowd pleasing recipe.  And it’s a great big easy cheating recipe!!!  And by cheating, I mean you can buy all the ingredients pre-made so you don’t have to slave away in the kitchen making everything from scratch!!!  Who can resist that?!

I’m co-hosting a big Halloween party coming up this weekend and I’m making a bunch of food, including the desserts!  And I had to think of food that was quick to make, light on the wallet, and easy to make in BULK!

So Italian Meatball Mini Slider Sandwiches is what I came up with.  There are a ton of different ways to make these as you can see in the photos.  Using different kinds of breads, sauces and even add-on condiments will give this recipe a variety of possibilities.

INGREDIENTS:
– Two bags of frozen meatballs.  I got 2 bags for a total of 40.
– 2 Lrg Jars Italian Marinara Sauce.  Or any spaghetti sauce will do.
– 1-2 Cups Chicken Stock
– 36-40 Hawaiian Sweet Rolls.  Or any kind of mini slider buns, etc.
– Mozzarella Cheese.  Shredded or sliced.
– Fresh Basil.  Chopped or whole leaves.

I decided to make this in the pressure cooker because it’ll soften up the meatballs so they’ll be more tender.  And keeping the meatballs inside the cooker once they’re done to keep it warm is also a plus.
Don’t worry about defrosting the meatballs.  Pour one jar of the marinara sauce into the main cooking pot.  Dump one bag of the frozen meatballs into the pot on top of the sauce.  Pour the other jar of sauce over the meatballs.  Then dump the other bag of meatballs in.  I like to layer it this way for some reason, it makes me feel more balanced.  Don’t ask.
Pour in the 1-2 cups of chicken stock to dilute the marinara sauce.  (Sometimes if the sauce is too thick, it may burn at the bottom of the cooking pan.)  Give everything a good stir.

Lock and load baby!!!

Secure the pressure cooker lid and set it to cook for 20-minutes.  Since the meatballs are frozen, it will take quite a while for the machine to pressurize.  Maybe 30-minutes or more.  Let it do its thing and get busy making your other party food.  That is, if you have a party to cook for.

Maybe you can toast the bread rolls or prepare the cheese and basil at this time.

Once the meatballs are done, release all the pressure and open the lid.  Give them a good stir and let it sit for a few minutes with the lid open.  You can top them off with some cheese if you like.

For the party, I’m leaving the bread and condiments on the side of the pressure cooker and guests can just help themselves and make their own meatball sliders.

Basically take a bread roll and break it open in the center.  Scoop a meatball into it with a little bit of sauce.  Top it off with some cheese and fresh basil and wha-la!

Yum!  Finger lickin’ good!!  They’re easy to eat in 3-4 bites.  Great for kids and husbands!