Instant Pot Bolognese

This instant pot bolognese is one of those recipes that tastes like it’s been simmering on the stove all day, but it’s ready in a fraction of the time.

Traditional bolognese is all about low and slow cooking. The Instant Pot speeds that up without sacrificing the deep, rich flavor you want from a good meat sauce.

It uses a mix of ground beef and pork, along with a simple base of onion, carrots, and celery. Red wine and a touch of milk bring everything together into a sauce that’s hearty and smooth.

Serve it over wide pasta like pappardelle or tagliatelle, with plenty of parmesan on top. It’s a solid weeknight dinner that feels way more impressive than the effort it takes.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Tastes Like It Simmered All Day – The Instant Pot builds deep flavor in under an hour that normally takes 3 to 4 hours on the stove.

The Beef and Pork Combo Is Key – Using both ground beef and pork gives this bolognese a richer and more complex meaty flavor than beef alone.

The Milk Makes It Silky – Adding whole milk is a traditional Italian trick that makes the sauce creamy and mellows out the acidity of the tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1/2 lb Ground Pork
• 1 medium Yellow Onion, finely diced
• 2 Carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 2 Celery Stalks, finely diced
• 5 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 1/2 cup Dry Red Wine
• 1 (28 oz) can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1/2 cup Whole Milk
• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Dried Basil
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1 lb Pappardelle or Tagliatelle Pasta, cooked
• Grated Parmesan Cheese, for serving
• Fresh Basil, for garnish

Directions

Step 1

Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the ground beef and ground pork, breaking the meat apart and cooking for 5 to 6 minutes until browned. Drain any excess grease, then remove the meat and set aside.

Step 2

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pot along with the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the vegetables are softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Step 3

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the red wine and let it simmer for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze.

Step 4

Return the browned meat to the pot. Add the crushed tomatoes, milk, oregano, dried basil, bay leaf, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Stir everything together until well combined.

Step 5

Lock the lid and set the valve to sealing. Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.

Step 6

When the cook time is complete, allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then carefully switch the valve to venting. Remove the lid and discard the bay leaf.

Step 7

Stir the bolognese well. Set to saute mode and let it simmer for 3 to 5 minutes uncovered to thicken if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Step 8

Serve the bolognese over cooked pappardelle or tagliatelle, topped with generous amounts of grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Pro Tips

Brown the Meat in Batches

Don’t dump all the beef and pork into the pot at once. When you crowd the pot, the meat steams instead of browning, and you miss out on all that deep, caramelized flavor that makes a bolognese taste rich.

Brown the meat in two batches so each piece actually touches the bottom of the pot. Let it sit for a minute or two before breaking it apart so it gets a real sear on it.

That browning creates fond – the dark bits stuck to the bottom of the pot – which you’ll scrape up later with the wine. That’s where a huge chunk of the flavor comes from.

Deglaze Thoroughly

When you pour in the red wine in step 3, really take your time scraping every bit of the browned stuff off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Don’t rush this step.

If there’s anything stuck to the bottom when you seal the lid, you’ll likely get a burn notice and the Instant Pot will stop cooking. The wine loosens everything up and prevents that from happening.

Give it the full 2 minutes of simmering so the alcohol cooks off too. You want the wine’s flavor without any harsh boozy taste.

Dice the Vegetables Small

The carrots, celery, and onion should be cut into very small pieces – around a quarter inch or smaller. In a traditional bolognese, the vegetables are meant to break down and almost melt into the sauce so you don’t really notice them.

If you cut them too big, they won’t soften enough during the 20-minute pressure cook and you’ll end up with chunky pieces of carrot in your sauce. A quick way to get them small is to use the large holes on a box grater for the carrots.

Related Recipes

• Slow Cooker Bolognese
• Instant Pot Spaghetti
• Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
• Instant Pot Pork Ragu
• Instant Pot Goulash

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this bolognese with just ground beef and skip the pork?

You can absolutely use all ground beef if that’s what you have on hand. The reason the recipe calls for a mix of beef and pork is that pork adds extra richness and a slightly sweeter, more complex flavor to the sauce.

If you go all beef, just use 1.5 lbs total to keep the meat-to-sauce ratio the same. The sauce will still taste great – it just won’t have that extra depth the pork brings.