Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce: the perfect comforting family dinner recipe! Save hours but still get that classic rich bolognese flavor by using the Instant Pot.

This recipe post was originally published on February 21, 2020. It was updated on October 26, 2021.

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Article summary

In this recipe we will be making bolognese sauce in the Instant Pot. This meat pasta sauce is hearty, comforting, saucy, and authentically seasoned. In this post, I shared illustrated instructions on how to make the ragu, answers to common questions, serving suggestions, and more.

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The first time I tried ragu was 2 years ago. It was a mid-summer evening and we were at RARE in downtown Fort Collins with friends.

I can't remember if the ragu was lamb or meat-based (it's currently meat and pork sausage-based) but I remember being grabbed by the menu description. A slow-cooked meat sauce with red wine, onions, carrots, and finished with cream? Sign. Me. Up.

There's something about a meat sauce that cooks low and slow. The meat gets super tender and the flavors develop a savory depth that only comfort food can.

And so I ordered the ragu. And so I started down a journey of developing my own ragu recipe to share with you here.

Though the recipes I tried at Rare and other local restaurants were shredded meat based, I decided I wanted to step up my meat sauce recipe by finessing my bolognese recipe.

After all, classic bolognese is just a type of ragu. Meat, veggies, tomatoes, wine, and seasonings are simmered for a long period of time and then finished with milk or cream.

Whereas I'm all down for the meat, veggies, tomatoes, and more, the simmering for a long period of time is seldom my style. Thankfully, this is an issue we can easily solve with the Instant Pot!

Thanks to this favorite appliance, I was able to reduce the original stovetop cooking time of 2 ½ hours down to 1 just one hour. After we sauté the meat and veggies on the sauté setting, we pressure cook the mixture for just 30 minutes.

The result? A rich, hearty, and savory pasta sauce that's worthy of a restaurant but easy & quick enough to be on your family dinner table any day of the week.

This Pressure Cooker Bolognese Recipe is...

• Rich
• Savory
• Hearty
• Satisfying
• Comforting

This recipe will be enthusiastically received whether you make this dish for Sunday dinner or a weeknight meal!

Recipe ingredients:

• Olive Oil
• Onion
• Carrot
• Celery
• Ground beef -- 85% or 90% lean is perfectly fine
• Sweet Italian pork sausage
• Garlic cloves
• Red wine -- use a dry red wine, like cabernet sauvignon, chianti, Sangiovese, or a red blend wine for the best results
• Tomato paste
• Canned diced tomatoes -- I love to use the San Marzano tomatoes whenever possible, but classic diced tomatoes also work well.
• Salt
• Dried spices - thyme and rosemary
• Half & half

Substitutions:

• Beef - this recipe can also be made with ground turkey. For best results, use 93% lean or less turkey, or a mixture of dark and white meat. All white meat won't add enough flavor to the sauce.
• Sausage - sweet Italian chicken sausage can substitute for the pork sausage but the sauce won't be as rich and flavorful with it. Either way, you want to use raw or bulk sausage, not precooked links.
• Half & half- ¼ cup heavy cream or ½ cup whole milk can substitute for the half & half.

How do you make bolognese in the Instant Pot?

1. Saute the onions, carrots, and celery in the pressure cooker or Instant Pot's saute setting.
2. Add the ground meat and sausage to the veggies and saute until the meat is cooked through, crumbling the meat as you cook.
3. Stir in the garlic and saute it with the meat until its fragrant.
4. Pour in the red wine and cook until the wine has reduced.
5. Add the tomato paste, salt, tomatoes, and seasonings.
6. Turn off the saute feature and lock on the pressure cooker lid.
7. Set the pressure cooker or Instant Pot to cook on high for 20 minutes. When done cooking, quick-release the pressure.
8. Remove the lid and stir in the half-and-half and until its incorporated. Serve the ragu hot!

Recipe pro-tips:

1. Prepare the ingredients before you start cooking. The first few steps go very fast so the recipe works the best when you have all the ingredients ready to go as you need them. This helps the food cook evenly and to develop the best flavor.
2. Cook the meat completely before stirring in the garlic and wine. This will help the texture of the sauce as well as the flavor, as browning the meat develops both.
3. Choose a good quality wine. The flavors will show in the final result, so you want to use a dry red wine that's better than a cooking wine, if possible.
4. Season the sauce adequately. 1 ½ teaspoons salt may seem like a lot, but it's crucial in bringing out the flavor of this sauce. Also, if sodium is a concern for you, know that the salt will be stretched over the 10+ servings that this recipe makes.
5. Releasing the Instant Pot. You can quick release the pressure cooker to save time, but if you have more time natural-releasing also works.
6. Splurge on good quality tomatoes, if you can afford it. Since tomatoes are such a star ingredient, going with the best you can will contribute the best flavor to the sauce. San Marzano or other Italian tomatoes are best, but common American brands like Hunts or Contadina also work.

Instant pot spaghetti bolognese FAQ:

Serving suggestions:

This Instant Pot meat sauce is delicious served the following ways:

Over...

• Pasta (pappardelle, tagliatelle, rigatoni, linguine, etc.)
• Creamy polenta
• Mashed potatoes

With...

• Simple green salad
• Roasted or blistered green beans
• Sauteed zucchini or air fryer zucchini
• Roasted lemon broccoli
• Garlic bread

Storage directions:

Leftover bolognese sauce can be stored covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. It can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for 2-3 months.

Tools needed to make this recipe:

• Cutting board
• Chef knife
• Measuring cups & spoons
• Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
• Heat-safe spatula or turner

More Italian recipes:

• Instant Pot Meatballs
• Instant Pot Risotto
• Pesto Gnocchi
• Chicken Bolognese
• Turkey Bolognese
• Baked Italian Sausage Casserole with Ricotta Cheese
• Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (Red Pesto)
• Sausage Risotto
• Easy Homemade Pasta Sauce
• Zucchini Lasagna
• Italian Tuna Pasta Salad

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