Classic Bolognese in an Instant Pot?! You betcha! Is it as delicious as Bolognese sauce that’s been simmered all day long? You betcha! In a little over an hour, you can have this classic Italian dish on the table and boy, is it good! How long it takes: 1 hour, 15 minutes Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot pressure cooker, pasta pot Servings: 6 While I love vegan Bolognese with lentils and quinoa, it can hardly be called a “classic” Bolognese sauce. And turkey Bolognese is so good, but again, hardly a classic Bolognese sauce. I sometimes drag my feet on making the classic, though, because it takes lots and lots of simmering time. Then I found this recipe for Instant Pot Bolognese in my friend, Meseidy Rivera’s new cookbook, Weeknight Gourmet Dinners. How perfect is that! An Instant Pot takes all the hours of simmering right out of the equation. Pressure cook that sauce! Thank you, Meseidy!
What is Bolognese?
Classic Bolognese is a type of Italian ragú originating in Bologna, Italy. It’s a meaty pasta sauce usually served with a wide pasta such as lasagna, tagliatelle, pappardelle or fettuccine. Bolognese sauce is made with a soffritto (onions, carrots and celery) and lots of tomatoes, with ground beef, veal, or pork. It often contains red wine and milk.
About this Bolognese recipe
The ingredients for this Instant Pot Bolognese are classic all the way. But don’t think classic means tricky or hard to find. A Bolognese sauce is made from very simple ingredients that most of us have in our pantry or fridge. Begin by sautéing finely chopped onions, carrots, and celery in your Instant Pot with a little olive oil. Throw in some fresh chopped herbs (oregano, basil, parsley), minced garlic and anchovy paste. Next, add ground beef and cook that until it’s browned and crumbly. This whole process of sautéing shouldn’t take you more than fifteen minutes and it’s all done right in your Instant Pot. Add tomato paste, canned crushed tomatoes, red wine, and a couple of bay leaves. Stir well, making sure that the bottom of the pan is clear of browned bits. Cover and seal, and set your pressure cooker for thirty minutes. No more stirring necessary! Go ahead and make a salad or catch up on social media. When twenty minutes have gone by, get some pasta water heating on the stove so your pasta will be ready when the Bolognese is done. Use a hearty pasta, like linguine, pappardelle, rigatoni, or penne. Orzo has no place here. When the timer beeps, allow the pressure to natural release for ten minutes, release any remaining pressure, remove the lid, and serve. Your Bolognese sauce will taste like it’s been simmered all day but it only took you an hour from start to finish. It’s amazing!
Make It Your Own
Meat options: In place of the ground beef, try ground veal, pork, turkey, or even venison. You could use a mixture of two kinds of meat. I love this turkey Bolognese recipe with ground turkey and turkey Italian sausage. Go meatless with vegan Bolognese. Use dried herbs instead of fresh. Remember that you won’t need to use as much. The general rule is to use a third of the amount of fresh herbs called for. Add milk or cream to the sauce. Gently warm a half cup of whole milk or cream on the stove or in the microwave. When the Bolognese has finished cooking, slowly stir the warm milk into the sauce until incorporated. You may want to simmer the sauce a bit to blend the flavors. Make it paleo friendly. Omit the wine, and instead of pasta, serve with “zoodles” (zucchini noodles) or spaghetti squash. Make it on the stove. Don’t have an Instant Pot? You can easily make this recipe in a heavy Dutch oven on the stove. Allow lots of extra time for simmering. Or try it in a slow cooker. Looking for a one pan meal? Try Instant Pot spaghetti with meat sauce for a one pan pasta dinner. The pasta is cooked right in the sauce.
About Weeknight Gourmet Dinners
If you’re looking to take your weeknight meals to the next level, Weeknight Gourmet Dinners: Exciting, Elevated Meals Made Easy by Meseidy Rivera of The Noshery is for you! With recipes like goat cheese-stuffed shells with honey and chorizo, fontina cheese waffles with cremini mushroom sauce, roast carrots with gochujang glaze, and sweet plantain and coconut whipped cream crepes with dulce de leche, you’ll truly feel like a chef in your own kitchen. If you’re a fan of your Instant Pot and quick recipes, you will love this bolognese but you’ll also love Meseidy’s Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon and Instant Pot Risotto à la Carbonara – dishes that traditionally utilize long cooking times, made quickly and easily in the pressure cooker. She also features some slow cooker recipes and recipes that help you plan and prep ahead. The recipes are made with weeknights in mind but they would all be perfectly suited for weekend entertaining as well.
Make-Ahead Ideas
Bolognese sauce is a wonderful make-ahead idea. It can be refrigerated or frozen for an easy dinner in the future.
Storage & Reheating Tips
Refrigerate/Freeze: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months. For best results, thaw frozen sauce overnight in the fridge. To Reheat & Serve: Cook pasta of your choice, and drain (reserve a little of the cooking water). While the pasta is draining, warm the leftover sauce in the pasta pan, return pasta to the pan, and mix everything together. Add a little of the pasta water to thin, if necessary.
More Instant Pot shortcuts
I love how you can use an Instant Pot pressure cooker as a shortcut for traditional favorites like this Bolognese sauce. You get fantastic results in much less time. Try:
Instant Pot Pork Carnitas Instant Pot Risotto (no continuous stirring!) Instant Pot Short Ribs Instant Pot Pinto Beans (cook dried beans to perfection in no time at all, with no soaking) Instant Pot Black Bean Soup (soaked or dry beans!) Instant Pot Pulled Pork (fall apart tender in an hour and a half!) Instant Pot Ribs Instant Pot Beef Stew
in your Instant Pot!
