Instant Pot Ragu
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The most tender beef ragu you can make in just a fraction of the time! The beef simply melts in your mouth and the sauce is so hearty!
Every time I hear the word ragu, I think of that blue jar with the yellow cap. Like the massive-Costco sized ones that would last for a whole week. You know, the life-saving portions during those college years.
But guys. The Instant Pot brings magic to a classic ragu sauce because now it can be made in just a fraction of the time! No more simmering for hours on end while constantly babysitting.
Not to mention, the beef comes out just perfect. It shreds so effortlessly and basically melts in your mouth in the heartiest tomato-based sauce ever. Also, you’re welcome for adding some onions and carrots to get our veggie intake.
Be sure to serve with a glass of the remaining red wine and crusty bread for a complete, most fabulous meal.
Instant Pot Ragu
Ingredients
- 16 ounces fettuccine pasta
- 2 ½ pounds boneless beef chuck roast, excess fat trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ sweet onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well and set aside.
- Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting.
- Season beef with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat olive oil; working in two batches, add beef and cook until evenly browned, about 3-4 minutes; set aside.
- Add garlic, onion and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.
- Stir in red wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, thyme, cinnamon, bay leaf and beef. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 30 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Remove beef from the Instant Pot® and shred, using two forks, before returning to the pot; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately with pasta, garnished with parsley, if desired.
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Soooo delicious! Wow! A big hit with adults and kids alike. Going into our regular rotation.
Excellent! Easy to prepare and so good that we used our garlic bread to mop up every last drop. A few additions- 1 mini orange pepper, 1/2 a stalk of celery diced and a pinch of nutmeg.
Thank you for the great recipe.
Easy to make, instructions are clear and the results are delicious. What’s more the ingredients are standard-issue things most likely already in the pantry. A new family favorite and even better the next day.
Note: It took more than 30 minutes and I sautéed a bit longer to dry up some of the liquid, but aside from that adjustment no complaints.
I found your site during Covid Lockdown. I’ve never been a cook, but out of necessity, I had to turn that corner. Everything I do a search, your site comes up with a great recipe… always easy using ingredients I already have on hand. I made this recipe tonight and it turn our perfectly! I did cut it in half since it is just my husband and me. But, there is plenty for leftovers tomorrow, which I sure will taste even better. The only changes I made were to use a teaspoon of italian seasoning instead of the recommended individual spices. And, I used pappardelle for the pasta…because that is what was in my pantry. I’d say it rivals any ragu out there. I just subscribed to your email list and can’t wait to start receiving your new recipes.
I plan to make your Korean Beef recipe with the other half of my chuck roast.
My husband doesn’t like chunks of cooked tomato in anything, so I omitted the diced tomatoes. Since it’s just the two of us, I cut the recipe in half – except I used the whole can of tomato sauce and the 1/2c wine along with another 1/2c water to make up for not using the diced tomatoes. It turned out wonderfully – absolutely delicious! My husband licked the plate! Will make this again!
Be very careful and be sure to cut that beef into tiny cubes! I think mine were cut just a bit too large and therefore were a little harder to shred. On the whole this was a pretty yummy dinner. Thanks!
Do you have recipes for 3 qt. instant pot. We are only two and bought the samller pot.
I made this last night but since I didn’t have a lot of the ingredients that this recipe calls for, I skipped quite a bit of them and hoped for the best. I must say even with my limited ingredients, the dish came out really good and I can only imagine the extra ingredients would just add to the overall flavor and color for presentation.
Here are the ingredients that I skipped:
Tomato paste
Diced tomato
Oregano
Basil
Thyme
Cinnamon
Bay leaf
Parsley
Red wine (replaced with rice wine since that’s all I have for cooking)
As you can see, that’s quite a bit I omitted. I don’t know what tomato paste would add to the flavor but 15 oz of tomato sauce worked for me. Instead of beef chuck, I used beef shank which probably required a little longer cook time in the Instant Pot if you really want them to be very tender.
I didn’t think it would turn out as good since I have never made beef shank before but it was surprisingly good. Highly recommended for a weeknight dish as the prep time is minimal and you just sit back and relax once they are in the Instant Pot.
I love other DD recipes that I have tried thus far but this one did not work out for me. The short ribs were delicious and juicy! But the ragu; with tomato paste, diced tomato and tomato sauces I was hoping that 30 minutes at manual high pressure would work some magic to cut that strong acid taste but it didn’t happen which was a huge bummer for us. I tried adding a few tablespoons of sugar and fennel seed to try to soften that tomato acidity but to no avail. I’m here for the short ribs but not that super tomato-y ragu.
Another fantastic recipe. Rather than shred the beef at the end I just cut into smaller chunks to begin with.
Great alternative to the usual pasta dishes. Thanks for sharing
After 30minutes in the instant pot, the meat wasn’t cooked and I had to close it for another hour ! I don’t understand what went wrong. I also got a burn message . Did anyone experience the same issue ?
I just made this and it turned out too watery for a Ragu. Was it supposed to drain the water in the diced tomatoe can? The recipe didn’t call for that so I dumped the entire can in
No, the diced tomatoes did not have to be drained.
Can I double this recipe? Will it affect cooking time?
Yes, cooking time will have to be adjusted as needed. 🙂
My instant pot is a newer version and does not have anything on it that says “Manual setting” can you advise what this setting is?
Paul, you can press “PRESSURE COOK” and use the dial to select your cooking time.
Hi! This looks lovely 🙂 it’s a pretty huge batch for me. Is this good for freezing in smaller portions?
Freezing sounds like an amazing idea but unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
This sauce looks amazing! I need it asap!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Great just s usual you have given us so many great meals to make my family and friends have enjoyed them so much. I did the potstickers and my grandson asks dot them every time he comes over and I have plenty stocked up. Thanks
That’s so great to hear, Mike! Thank you!
Can I use beef broth instead of the wine?
Yes.
I don’t have an instant pot but I am assuming that this recipe will work with a crock pot. Is that correct?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Can you convert this into cooking in a crock pot? Sounds amazing!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
thank you for a wonderful reminder, used to make ragu or bolognese routinely and the perfect Sunday dinner, even if made low and slow!
Can you use a traditional pressure cooker for these recipes for instapot?
Tammy, without further recipe testing in a traditional pressure cooker, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
This recipe sounds delicious! I don’t really drink wine (I’m more of a beer kinda girl ☺️) so I was wondering what brand of wine you use? I don’t want to sub in broth but I’m not too sure which wine would work best.
Thank you!
I find that merlot, cabernet, chianti and pinot noir are the best reds for cooking. 🙂
And thank YOU for answering so quickly such great recipes!!
I was just wondering the exact same thing!!! Thank you for asking!!
Dear Ms. Rhee. What is an Instant Pot? Thank you and I enjoy your great recipes.
Hi John! An Instant Pot is a programmable pressure cooker. You can read more about it here: https://instantpot.com/.
I have a rump roast that I’ve been looking to use. Can I substitute the rump roast for a chuck roast and if so, would it change the 30 minute cooking time for the meat? Thanks.
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.