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Instant Pot Bolognese – make Italian style bolognese sauce in the Instant Pot. So rich and delicious and ready in a fraction of the traditional recipe!
A few years ago we took a trip to Italy and spent a majority of our time in the Bolgna area. I took a cooking class and learned how to make traditional bolognese from a real Italian chef. It was an an amazing experience, and I have made the sauce at home a few times since. The problem is classic bolognese takes at least half a day to make!
Well, we have fixed that with this Instant Pot version! It is ready in under and hour from start to finish, and is so delicious and rich and perfect with a big bowl of comforting pasta.
This recipe comes from the Weeknight Gourmet Dinners cookbook from my friend Meseidy, over at The Noshery. She is a trained chef who shows you how to make restaurant quality meals at home. And not only just at home, but quickly too. I mean, a 30 minute Instant Pot meal is great for weeknights!
What’s The Difference Between Ragu and Bolognese
Ragu is usually a meatier sauce. In addition to beef it often includes pancetta. Also at the end of cooking a ragu sauce usually has a little heavy cream mixed in. Bolognese has meat in the sauce, but it is more of a tomato based sauce. They are similar, but in Italian cooking they are looked at quite differently.
How To Make Instant Pot Bolognese
- In the base of the Instant Pot carrots, celery and onion are sauteed in olive oil until soft and tender.
- Then you add in the garlic with the herbs and cook them for about a minute, until you can start to smell them.
- Add in the ground beef and cook for about 5 minutes. You want to break it up and cook until is is lightly browned.
- Finally add in the liquid. This is the tomato paste, tomato sauce, and wine (you can also use beef broth). Stir in the bay leaf as well and once it is combined put the lid on.
- Cook with the lid locked in place under high pressure for 30 minutes. Once it is done cooking let it naturally release for 10 minutes before venting.
- If you are serving over pasta start cooking your pasta when there is about 10 minutes left of cook time, this way everything will be ready about the same time.
What to Serve with Spaghetti Bolognese
- Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Olive Garden Breadsticks
- Caesar Salad
- Favorite Side Salad
This easy bolognese recipe is a great weeknight recipe that your whole family will love. And there are so many other recipes like Instant Pot Carbonara Risotto, Bloody Mary Bacon Wrapped Chicken, and Creamy Brown Butter Tortellini from this new Weeknight Gourmet Dinners cookbook I can’t wait to try!
More Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Bolognese
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 3 sprigs fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 1/2 tsp dried)
- 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup red wine, can sub beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 oz dried pasta
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot on Saute. Add olive oil and carrots and cook until the carrots very lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add in onion and celery and cook for 3 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
- Stir in oregano, basil, parsley, garlic, and salt. Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add ground beef and cook for 5 minutes, breaking apart until lightly browned.
- Mix in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, and bay leaves. Lock the lid in place and cook for 30 minutes under high pressure.
- When there is about 10 minutes left of cook time, start to cook pasta according to the package instructions.
- Let the Instant Pot naturally release pressure for 10 minutes before venting.
- Serve over cooked pasta
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Pasta is one dish that we all enjoy and with the delicious sauce poured over it, it’s a total winner in our house! Love that the instant pot does all the work and it comes together so eaisly.
Another great recipe for my Instant Pot! Looks so bold and flavorful; looking forward to giving this a try with dinner tonight!
This was a huge hit with my kids. Great recipe!
Such a tasty dinner, can’t believe how simple the recipe is!
Bolognese traditionally HAS DAIRY added. And no garlic. This is simply a ragu. And not terrible. But bolognese couldn’t be made to the finish in an instant pot.
When we visited Bologna Italy, where Bolognese is said to have originated, I took a cooking classes with trained chefs. All of them said classic Bolognese DOES NOT contain dairy. They put a ton of Parmesan cheese on top, but that is the only dairy at all.
The best sauce! So tasty and loved how hands off it was!
Oh my! I do love a good instant pot recipe like this!
Is the pasta counted in the calories?
Yes, a 2 oz serving of dried pasta is included in the nutrition information. Everything is just an estimation, if you are watching calories closely, you will want to double check with the products to make sure it is close.
Would I be able to make it on a crockpot?
Yes, just do all of the sautéing in a skillet on the stove. Once the ground beef and vegetables are cooked, add everything to your crock pot and cook on low for a few hours for all the flavors to come together.