Instant Pot Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

This July Sue got me an Instant Pot for my birthday. I'd wanted one for some time but, as I get scolded for always buying the latest kitchen doo-dads, I did not get one. 

An Instant Pot, for those of you who are not aware, is a pressure cooker. Okay... not only is it a pressure cooker... it works as a slow cooker, rice cooker, cake cooker, egg cooker, food warmer, steamer, aaaand you can saute in it. 

No... this is not an ad for the Instant Pot. I just like kitchen gadgets that have multiple uses. Do I get sucked in to the latest fads in kitchen gear? Why yes, yes I do. Thanks for asking.

I have to say though pressure cookers have been around for a looooong time so it's not like it's a new thing. They are much safer to use now, which is a big plus.

If we are being totally honest here.... I'm still super nervous to use my Instant Pot. I saw all those picture on the Internet of what can go wrong with a pressure cooker. When I have to release the the pressure valve I hold my breath and still jump when it hisses. 

Totally worth the 10 seconds of anxiety though. Meals like this meatloaf and mashed potato go from start to finish in less than an hour and only dirty one pot. I'd call that a win.

Instant Pot Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

Potatoes

2 lbs potatoes, peeled & quartered

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup herbed cream cheese

1/4 cup milk

salt & pepper

Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef

1/2 onion, diced

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

salt & pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg

1/4 cup bread crumbs

2 Tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbsp ketchup

Directions

Place the potato chunks in the bottom of the Instant pot. Add in the chicken broth. Place the wire rack that comes with the Instant Pot on top of the potatoes.

Prepare meatloaf - in a mixing bowl, mix together the meatloaf ingredients - except for the ketchup. 

Take a piece of tinfoil and form it into a "bowl" shape that will fit inside the Instant Pot. 

Form your meatloaf into a large loaf/ball shape that will fit in the tinfoil. Place inside the Instant Pot, on top of the wire rack on the potatoes. Brush the top of the meatloaf with the ketchup. 

Place the lid on the Instant pot. Use the manual setting on high. Set for 20 minutes. 

It takes about 15 minutes to come up to pressure so the total time in the pot will be about 35 or so minutes. When done, do a quick release.

Carefully remove the meatloaf from the pot. (If desired, you can brush the meatloaf with a bit more ketchup and place under the broiler of your oven to brown the top. I don't ever do this, but it is an option!)

Drain off any excess liquid from the potatoes. 

Add in the herbed cream cheese, milk, and salt & pepper. Mash directly in the Instant Pot until creamy.

Serve with gravy, if desired.

Super easy, am I right?

You can pretty much use any meatloaf recipe you like, stuff it with cheese, go nuts! I like to use chicken broth in the potatoes for extra flavor but you can certainly just use water if you like. And when you mash the potatoes you can use sour cream in place of cream cheese if you prefer. 

You can also NOT mash the potatoes if you prefer. Throw in some carrot chunks with the potato and then serve the potatoes and carrots with your meatloaf as chunks, not mashed. 

I'm starting to get braver with the Instant Pot so will try to come up with some more recipes to share. 

What are your favorite Instant Pot recipes?