Easy Instant Pot Beef Bolognese
This Bolognese sauce recipe is a staple in my home. My stovetop bolognese is often reserved for Sundays when I can spend time doting over a pot while it simmers for hours. When a craving strikes for cozy meat sauce in a hurry, however, I make Instant Pot bolognese. The pressure cooker brings all that slow-simmered flavor to this sauce in a fraction of the time. It makes it easy to whip up our favorite weekend pasta sauce any night of the week!
What Is Bolognese Sauce?
Bolognese is a type of ragù (Italian meat sauce) that originates in Bologna, Italy. This regional recipe is made with ground meat, vegetables, a touch of tomato, and milk. Bolognese is thicker and creamier than recipes for spaghetti and meat sauce, which tend to be heavier on the tomato.
What You’ll Need
I’ll give a short overview of the ingredients for Instant Pot bolognese. Be sure to refer to the recipe card below the post with the full amounts and details.
Pancetta or Bacon – Chopped and sauteed pancetta (or bacon) brings richness to the meat sauce. Aromatics – Diced onion, celery, and carrots form the flavor base. In French cooking, this aromatic combo is called mirepoix, while in Italian it’s known as soffritto. Ground Meat – I make my bolognese with lean ground beef, but feel free to use half ground beef and half ground pork or sausage, or another combination. See below. Wine – Traditional bolognese recipes use white wine, like Pinot Grigio. You can use any dry white you prefer (or even a dry red wine if that’s what you have on hand). If you’d prefer to cook without alcohol, use equal parts chicken stock in place of wine. Tomatoes – Canned crushed tomatoes work great here. My favorite is Tuttorosso. Seasoning – Bay leaves, plus salt and pepper to taste. Cream – You’ll finish the bolognese sauce with half-and-half along with a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley. You can use whole milk or 2% milk in place of cream if you’d like.
What Is the Best Meat for Bolognese?
You can use all ground beef for this recipe, or a variety of ground meat will give the sauce different flavors depending on what you choose. Adding ground pork or Italian sausage offers extra fat and more richness. On the other hand, ground chicken sausage or turkey will make a leaner sauce. You can experiment with different meats and ratios to find one that you prefer.
How to Make Bolognese Sauce in the Instant Pot
Ready to make the quickest bolognese sauce, ever? Here’s how:
Saute. First, set the Instant Pot to saute and cook the pancetta on low to render the fat. After about 4-5 minutes, add butter along with your soffritto ingredients: celery, carrots, and onions. Cook the veggies, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the meat. Next, add the beef mince and brown it for a few minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go. Combine. Pour in the wine. After it’s cooked off, add tomatoes, toss in the bay leaves, then season with salt and pepper. Cook. Finally, cover and set the pot to cook for 15 minutes at high pressure, followed by a natural release. Afterward, lift the lid and stir in the half-and-half along with fresh parsley. Serve. Your bolognese is ready to serve! Dish up over pasta, or use bolognese in more recipes, like homemade lasagna. Scroll for some of my favorite ideas.
Tips for Success
These are my final tips for the best pressure cooker bolognese sauce:
Deglaze the pot. After adding the wine, scrape up any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot. This helps to prevent the IP from throwing a burn notice. If you get a burn notice, this can happen if there isn’t enough liquid to create the steam. Add another ¼-cup of water to the pot before going ahead. If you’ve already cooked your pasta, you can reserve pasta water for this purpose! No Instant Pot? No worries. Try my recipe for crock pot bolognese sauce.
Common Questions
Variation Ideas
This Instant Pot bolognese recipe keeps things classic, but you can adapt the flavors and add-ins to suit. Try these ideas:
More Veggies – Add diced zucchini or chopped mushrooms. Sundried Tomatoes – Sprinkle in some sundried tomatoes for extra texture and ripe, sunkissed flavor. Anchovies – Love briny, salty anchovies? Chop them up and add them in. Herbs – Add fresh or dried rosemary, thyme, basil, or oregano for an even more aromatic flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Bolognese is a hearty meat sauce, so the best pasta for bolognese is sturdy, long pasta like spaghetti, tagliatelle, and pappardelle. Or, you can serve it over short varieties like penne or bucatini. Alternatively, swap the carbs for veggies and serve bolognese over roasted spaghetti squash, these butternut squash noodles (so good!), or zoodles. Looking for easy side dishes to pair with pasta bolognese? Try these ideas:
Bread – Serve with a side of garlic cheddar biscuits or a healthy appetizer of whipped ricotta toast with roasted tomatoes. Salad – We love pasta served with Tuscan Panzanella salad, a fresh Caprese salad, or Caesar salad drizzled with homemade Caesar salad dressing. Veggies – Pair with a side of sauteed vegetables, roasted asparagus, or garlicky wilted spinach.
More Ways to Use Bolognese Sauce
Try these additional ways to use this easy bolognese sauce in more recipes:
Lasagna – Layer Instant Pot bolognese and ricotta cheese between lasagna noodles, then bake. You can also use this sauce to make easy lasagna roll-ups. Baked Ziti – Bolognese is great in pasta bakes. Use this sauce in place of tomato sauce in a meaty version of baked ziti, or give this Instant Pot baked ziti recipe a try! Stuffed Shells – Such an easy weeknight meal, and delicious to make with bolognese! Try my recipe for spinach ricotta stuffed shells with meat sauce.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Fridge. Store your Instant Pot bolognese sauce refrigerated airtight for up to 4 days. When possible, store sauce and cooked pasta separately. Reheat leftover bolognese sauce on the stovetop, stirring often, until heated through. Freezer. This bolognese sauce freezes great! Once it’s completely cooled, store it airtight and keep the sauce frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the sauce in the fridge overnight before reheating.
More Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Picadillo Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs Ropa Vieja Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore Instant Pot Risotto
