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White square plate with two meatballs covered in tomato sauce, a pile of cooked buckwheat groats and a pool of orange-red tomato sauce on a polka-dot tablecloth

Gluten-Free Polish Meatballs (Pulpety) in Tomato Sauce with Buckwheat: Instant Pot Pot-in-Pot

These gluten-free Instant Pot meatballs are pulpety, the Polish beef meatballs, cooked in a simple tomato sauce and served with buckwheat groats (kasha). Everything cooks pot-in-pot: the meatballs and sauce sit in the pot, and the buckwheat cooks in a bowl on a trivet above them.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Polish
Calories: 672
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 600 g ground beef about 1.3 lb. Pure beef, for the meatballs
  • 1 large egg for the meatballs
  • 1 small onion, very finely diced or grated about 70 g (2.5 oz) assumed for nutrition; no weight in the original recipe
  • 1 tsp dried marjoram 5 ml. Check the label
  • 1 tsp salt 5 ml
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper 2.5 ml
  • 1 to 2 tbsp cold water 15 to 30 ml, for juicier meatballs
  • 500 ml passata (strained tomatoes) about 2 cups. Check the label
  • 200 ml gluten-free beef broth about ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp. Must be certified gluten-free
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste 15 ml, about 16 g. Check the label
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 allspice berries whole
  • 1 pinch sugar plus more to taste
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste, for the sauce
  • 1 tsp cornstarch (corn starch) 5 ml, for thickening. Optional: stirred smooth in a little cold water. Check the label
  • 250 g buckwheat groats whole kasha grains, about 9 oz. Raw (whole) groats. Use groats labeled gluten-free; check the pack
  • 450 ml water a scant 2 cups, for the groats
  • 1 pinch salt for the groats
  • 1 tsp butter or vegetable oil 5 ml, for the groats

Method
 

  1. Mix the meat. Put the ground beef, egg, finely diced or grated onion, marjoram, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 ml) of cold water for juicier meatballs.
  2. Knead thoroughly until you have an even, binding mixture.
  3. Shape the meatballs. With slightly moistened hands, form 12 to 16 even meatballs, each about the size of a table-tennis ball. Do not press too hard.
  4. Make the sauce. Put the passata, gluten-free beef broth, tomato paste, bay leaf and allspice berries directly into the stainless steel inner pot of the Instant Pot (or another electric pressure cooker).
  5. Stir briefly with a spoon.
  6. Add the meatballs. Carefully lay the raw meatballs side by side directly in the sauce.
  7. Set the trivet. Carefully place a trivet with legs over or between the meatballs in the pot.
  8. Fill the bowl. Rinse the groats and put them in a heatproof bowl (stainless steel or ovenproof glass) with 450 ml (a scant 2 cups) of water, a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of butter or oil.
  9. Stack the bowl. Set the bowl steadily on the trivet. Leave some room at the sides for the steam, and make sure the bowl does not block the lid.
    Instant Pot with a stainless steel bowl of raw buckwheat groats standing on a trivet inside the pot; the meatballs and sauce underneath are not clearly visible
  10. Close the lid and set the pressure valve to Sealing.
  11. Cook under pressure. Choose Pressure Cook (High Pressure) for 8 minutes. Timings may differ between models and brands of electric pressure cookers.
  12. Release the pressure. Let the pressure drop by itself for 10 minutes (Natural Pressure Release), then release the remaining pressure carefully by hand (manual quick release).
  13. Lift out the groats. Using oven mitts or tongs, lift the hot bowl out of the pot and fluff the buckwheat with a fork.
  14. Take out the trivet.
  15. Stir gently. Carefully stir the meatballs and sauce.
  16. Thicken if you like. If you want a thicker sauce, set the pot to Sauté and stir in the cornstarch you have mixed smooth with a little cold water.
  17. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar.
  18. Serve the pulpety with the buckwheat.
    White square plate with two meatballs covered in tomato sauce, a pile of cooked buckwheat groats and a pool of orange-red tomato sauce on a polka-dot tablecloth

Notes

Gluten check: the dish contains no gluten ingredients. Buckwheat itself has no gluten, but groats can be cross-contaminated, so buy groats labeled gluten-free and check the pack. Also check the labels of the beef broth (must be certified gluten-free), tomato paste, passata, marjoram, pepper and any spice blends, and the starch. Use clean tools to avoid cross-contact.
Doneness: ground beef is generally recommended to reach 160 F (71 C) inside. This is general food-safety guidance, not part of the original recipe: check the thickest meatball with a food thermometer before serving.
Settings: 8 minutes Pressure Cook (High Pressure) and a 10 minute natural release are the settings used in the Instant Pot. Another electric pressure cooker may need different timings.
Butter or oil: the groats can be cooked with either 1 tsp of butter or 1 tsp of vegetable oil.
Safety: use oven mitts or tongs to lift the hot bowl out of the pot.
Nutrition values are an estimate calculated from the ingredient list, not a lab analysis. Ground beef is assumed at 250 kcal per 100 g (about 20% fat), the groats are counted dry and the whole sauce is counted. Optional items, salt, pepper, herbs, bay leaf and allspice are not counted.