Instant Pot Bolognese
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Now you can make the most EPIC bolognese sauce in just 1 hr rather than 3-4 hrs! So rich, hearty, and chockfull of meat and veggies!
There’s honestly nothing better than this.
A giant bowl of pasta smothered in the meatiest, heartiest bolognese sauce ever, sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan and paired with a glass of red wine.
Nope, nothing better, especially in this cold Chicago fall season we’re having right now.
And that vat of bolognese? Yes, I’ll take that in one bath, please.
That vat is conveniently the Instant Pot, which helps cook the bolognese in just 1 hour. I know. No more 3-4 hour bolognese sauces. The pressure cooker makes this too easy and fast, and it infuses the flavors even more, making this my all-time favorite bolognese sauce.
It’s also enough for 8 servings so it’s perfect for company or for leftovers because let’s be honest – it’s too cold to go out to eat right now!
Instant Pot Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery rib, diced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- 4 ounces pancetta, diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cups dry red wine
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup beef stock
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting. Melt butter; add onion, carrot and celery, and cook, stirring often, until onions have become translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add ground beef, pork, pancetta, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and cook until browned, about 5-10 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef and pork as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Stir in tomato paste, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, nutmeg and cinnamon until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and cook until reduced, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes and beef stock. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 20 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Select low sauté setting; simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until thickened to desired consistency, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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The flavor turned out well, but I had a hell of a time cooking this. I kept getting the “Food Burn” error when I tried to bring my IP to pressure. After the third attempt (and adding a bit more broth + water), I ended up sauteing this on low heat for 15-20 minutes until I was happy with the consistency and cooked off the additional liquid I added. Did anyone else have this issue? If so, what did you do to combat it?
Quick and easy. Generous portion size too. Better the next day. Might add some additional tomatoe paste and seasoning to bump it up a notch. Will definitely try it again.
This was so easy, and so delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
I tried this recipe tonight but when I put the pot on high pressure, I got the burn message before it reached full pressure and I had to stop, stir and finish on low pressure to avoid a burned dinner. Any ideas on how to avoid the burn message in the future? I followed all steps and ingredients exactly as in the recipe up to that point.
I also got “burn” message while cooking this. I turned it off and scraped the bottom of the pot and added some more canned tomatoes with its juice. Turned it back on on Low pressure, but still got the burn message again.
I also got the burn message. I usually brown my meat and so the rest in the crock pot. Thought I could speed it up tonight. No dice.
Same thing happened to me. Got the burn notice before it came to pressure. I have the 8 qt. model. Maybe I needed more liquid/broth. After getting the burn indication, I scooped out the sauce (without touching the bottom of the inner pot) into another saucepan and finished cooking on the stovetop on low heat for just a few minutes more.
Despite this hiccup, the sauce tasted amazing!!!! The whole family, including kids, loved it!
Proclaimed “the best sauce I’ve ever tasted” when I made it last night. Fantastic!
This was absolutely delicious and easy to make! my whole family enjoyed it and it was perfect for a cold winter night. So comforting! I will definitely make this again!
This was absolutely delicious! My kids asked for seconds and wanted leftovers in their lunch 🙂 Definitely a keeper and easy for a weeknight meal.
This was amazing!! I’m huge on spaghetti and I make my own sauce, but I wanted to switch it up a little. This did the trick. This was dinner and leftovers for 2 people, and we still had some left over that we used as a sauce base for homemade pizza. It made the best pizza sauce as well! Thanks for this recipe, I cant share it enough.
This. Recipe. Was. SO. Good. So, so, so good. I used bacon instead of pancetta and free handed the seasonings. It was perfect.
Is there a substitute you would recommend for the heavy cream to make this dairy-free? Could I just omit it? Thanks!
You can omit or use a non-dairy creamer. I sometimes substitute coconut milk when a recipe calls for heavy cream, but you have to like the taste. But as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications. Good luck! 🙂
As always, damn delicious did not disappoint! Other than having a heavy hand on the seasonings, I didn’t change a thing. Thanks for another great recipe!
This was so incredibly good! My husband loves spaghetti and he said this is the best ever! It makes a lot for two people – although we didn’t mind eating it for three meals in a row! Have you tried freezing the sauce? I would like to make it again and freeze the leftovers for a couple more meals.
Absolutely! You can freeze in covered airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags prior to adding the heavy cream. 🙂
If I want to make the sauce ahead of time to use the next day would I also omit the milk? Or can I add milk, let mixture cool and then refrigerate? Thinking of using this sauce for a lasagna.
Loved this! I added extra crushed red pepper because I love spicy sauce. I also didn’t have any pancetta so I subbed with bacon.
But I don’t think this recipe needed any modifications at all!! Spot on. Highly recommend.
Thanks for this great recipe! Fast, easy, & tasty! I followed to a T at first then I tasted the seasoning before adding the heavy cream. I felt it needed a bit more seasoning, prob just my taste buds needed more, so I added about 1/2 of the oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes you originally called for with a splash of red wine, Super tasty! The kids had seconds and enough for left overs! Thanks it’s a keeper!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Christina!
Marked it as 5 since it sounds delicious and that’s a required field…I’m just starting to use my instant pot. This may sound like a silly question, but any suggestions for how to drain off the fat? I’m used to browning meat in my skillet and using a lid to hold the meat back while draining and my instant pot doesn’t have a lid. Thanks in advance!
Beth, you can use paper towels directly in the Instant Pot (my preferred method) or you can carefully lift the insert using pot holders/towels to drain the grease. Totally up to you! 🙂
I made this today! Absolutely fabulous! I do not have an insta pot so I simmered it on my cooktop for two hours and then added the cream at the end with the parsley and s & p to taste. Delish!
Hi, do you think it would work to make meatballs with the meat instead? Thanks!
I made this last night for dinner, on the stovetop, it turned out delicious. For all those asking if it can be made that way, yes, I let it simmer for about an hour and it was a rich sauce. Just follow the exact same directions for sautéing/browning and let it simmer with a lid over it slightly ajar so that some steam can escape.
My vote for time savers of this kind. Always !
Hi..cannot wait to try this! Is it possible to use whole milk instead of cream for calories?
Yes, but please be mindful that the consistency will vary a bit with this substitution.