Alfredo meatballs with homemade sauce are a great appetizer or served with noodles for dinner. If you loved our Instant Pot Swedish meatballs this is another way you can tweak the sauce for another family favorite meal or snack.
Meatballs with alfredo sauce can be enjoyed as a hearty appetizer or meal over a bed of pasta! Made in a pressure cooker is quick and easy but on the stovetop is possible too. Use bottled or our homemade sauce with ground beef or chicken mixture or with frozen meatballs. (affiliate links present)
You can use defrosted or even pressure cooker frozen meatballs with this. Below we will explain homemade but that is up to you. If you use store bought then you can skip that step entirely to make it even faster. I will say that from scratch isn’t always best in this case just because if not browned they will fall apart a bit.
With a creamy sauce shown, or use our Cajun alfredo sauce if you want them spicy this is always a crowd pleaser. Yes we have done something similar with other sauces which is great if you want lots of appetizer choices for a larger crowd.
Ingredient Notes
We make these with 1 pound of ground turkey, chicken or ground beef. The only difference between these is the fat content. For a leaner you will likely need less breading inside the mixture to bind everything together.
Egg should ideally be added at room temperature with some breadcrumbs, regular, not Panko to bind everything together and be able to form them into balls or patties. Or you can make meatballs without breadcrumbs here.
For the sauce you will use some butter or dairy free alternative with heavy cream to make it thicker. Seasonings are listed below but can be adjusted to your liking along the way as you simmer. Add 1 cup grated parmesan cheese to make it cheesy.
with frozen meatballs
You could do this same thing but with jarred pasta sauce like we do with our Crockpot Frozen Meatballs recipe. Essentially you are just allowing some cook time with the meat to soak up the spaghetti or homemade alfredo sauce for a bit to = pure comfort food for your family and guests. Jump to recipe and get started!
Variations
If you have a favorite meatballs recipe of your own then by all means use that, or use pre cooked meatballs from the store. Ground Chicken Meatballs are lower in fat but less flavor.
You can use the same sauce we did in our vegetable lasagna with white sauce too. It is super versatile for sure and can be made dairy free if need be. More and more I am able to find lactose free varieties of butter at the store and coconut milk works, but will add a tad of sweetness.
on the Stove
If you want to make Meatballs on the Stovetop then you would follow these same basic steps but keep them in a cast iron pan. Under high pressure isn’t necessary rather you could just keep at medium heat to cook the meat and sauce together until thickened, about 15 – 20 minutes that way.
in Pressure Cooker
Below we share just one version of our Instant Pot Meatballs because it is our favorite method of all. Quick and gets them as tender as possible with little to no effort or wait time.
Alfredo Meatballs Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker or use pan on stove
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey, beef or chicken
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 c heavy cream
- 1/2 c water
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 c parmesan, grated
Instructions
- In a large bowl take ground chicken and add all the ingredients given under meatballs and mix. Form golf size balls with your hands and set them aside. Turn the Instant pot on and select the Sauté button. (or use pan over medium high heat)
- Melt butter and add heavy cream, water, garlic powder, salt, nutmeg powder, and ground black pepper. Next, add the prepared meatballs. Spoon sauce over the top of them to coat. Select the PRESSURE COOK button on HIGH PRESSURE for 7 minutes.
- Once the pressure cooking cycle is over, quick release pressure. Select the CANCEL button and take the lid off carefully.
- Turn the Instant pot on and select the Sauté button. Add parmesan cheese and let the sauce bubble for 5 minutes. Select the CANCEL button. Serve hot over pasta or with bread and enjoy.
Video
Notes
on the Stove
You would follow the same directions except skip pressure cooking and instead set lid on pan set over medium heat for about 15 minutes.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to save leftovers
For leftovers you need to allow this to completely cool first. Transfer to an airtight container and store in fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 1 minute stirring halfway thru timing.
