Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce is a quicker version of this classic Italian dinner recipe. No hassle, quicker than on stove top but equally delicious!
Guys, if you like Spaghetti Bolognese, then you will definitely enjoy this Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce.
What to cook in Instant Pot?
There are endless possibilities when it comes to cooking in pressure cooker. Soups, stews, pasta sauces (see this pressure cooker Bolognese sauce), rice (check my Instant Pot Fried Rice), chili or curry dishes (Instant Pot Chicken Curry), pulled pork. There are hundreds of recipes you can make in your Instant Pot!
Step by step – How to make Bolognese sauce in Instant Pot:
Prep the veggies: Dice the carrots, celery and finely chop the onion. Press the “SAUTE” function and throw all the veggies in. Saute this for about 5 minutes. Turn off the saute function and add the rest of the ingredients.
Mix everything well and close the lid. I buy plum tinned tomatoes so I like to break them with a wooden spoon before I close the lid.
Turn the steam release to “SEALING” position. Press “MANUAL” and adjust the time to 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes is all it takes to make this Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce.
Remember, that the pressure cooker needs time before AND after the active cooking time to bring the pot to pressure and then release the pressure. This time varies with every dish.
When making this Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce count with about 10 minutes for pressurizing and after the cooking is finished, wait 10 minutes before releasing the pressure.
Note: I add a lot of carrots and celery because they give this Bolognese sauce an amazing flavor and that is exactly how I was taught to do it by an Italian. If you prefer more meat, rather than veggies, then simply decrease the amount of carrots and celery and increase the amount of ground meat.
I also recommend using less salt at the beginning and adding more (if needed) after the cooking is finished. Bear in mind that every salt has a different level of saltiness.
Instant Pot Bolognese sauce – Ingredient substitutions:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – regular olive oil or sunflower/vegetable oil can be also used. However, I highly recommend using olive oil.
- Ground Beef or Pork – you can also use a mix of beef and pork.
- Celery, Carrots – these add this sauce a great flavor and I would not omit them. Because they are cooked in an Instant Pot, they are so soft they will melt in your mouth. However, you can reduce their amount if you feel like 3 of each sound too much for you.
Guys, I hope you will like this Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce as much as we do. It reduces the cooking time significantly and making Bolognese sauce in a pressure cooker is definitely worth it!
Check out more Easy Instant Pot Recipes!
Want to see how to make Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce? Watch the video!
Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 Medium Carrots
- 1 Medium Onion
- 3 Celery Sticks
- 1 lb Ground Beef or Pork (450g)
- 1 can Plum Tomatoes (14oz/400ml)
- 1 can Strained Tomatoes (14oz/400ml)
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 2 tbsp Dried Oregano
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp Salt
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dice the carrots and finely chop the onion. Slice or dice the celery.
- Turn on Instant Pot pressure cooker and press “SAUTE”. Pour in olive oil and add the carrots, onions and celery. Saute for 5 minutes before turning off the “SAUTE” function.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix them well. Break the plum tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
- Close and lock the lid. Turn the steam release to “SEALING”. Press “MANUAL” function and set the timer to 5 minutes.
- When time is up, turn it off and wait 10 minutes before releasing the pressure.
- Taste and add more salt and black pepper, if needed.
Soniya says
02/11/2017 at 14:24This looks so Delicious and easy to make.. instant pot has made our life so easy ;) I am always looking for new instant pot recipe and I have found one I am try this weekend!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
02/11/2017 at 15:12Glad to hear that, Soniya! Let me know how you liked it :)
Tina says
02/11/2017 at 14:33Such a great way to sneak extra veggies into kids;) I love this stuff!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
02/11/2017 at 15:12Exactly! :)
Amy | The Cook Report says
02/11/2017 at 14:39I’m hopefully getting an instant pot for Christmas, this recipe will be top of my list to try!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
02/11/2017 at 15:14:) Happy to hear that!
Jessy says
02/11/2017 at 15:47Yum! I just got an instant pot and I’m regretting not getting it sooner because it’s amazing! I can’t wait to try this!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
03/11/2017 at 15:06I too can’t believe I waited so long to get it! :) It’s a great appliance to have!
Liz says
02/11/2017 at 16:47I’ve been seeing so many fun instant pot recipes! I Think I’m going to have to get one for Christmas!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
03/11/2017 at 15:07You will love it, Liz! :)
Jamie says
12/01/2018 at 18:42This is delicious! If I double the recipe next time, do I change the cooking time?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
16/01/2018 at 12:19Not sure about this, Jamie. I guess I would add extra 2 minutes just to be sure. Hope this helps.
Carey says
10/01/2019 at 03:09I doubled it tonight & added 2 minutes- it turned out perfect! Fantastic recipe!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
10/01/2019 at 08:07Hi Carey, thanks so much for your feedback! I hope you will find more recipes here that you love! :)
Pete says
10/02/2018 at 20:32Hello Julia,
In most of the recipes I’ve tried it seems like the meat is browned on the saute mode first. Is that not the case here?. Thanks, looking forward to trying this one.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
11/02/2018 at 18:55Hi, Pete. You can brown the meat altogether with veggies if you prefer it this way. I personally don’t do it in this case. Let me know how you liked it if you do try!
Judy says
11/02/2018 at 16:49Certainly you add meat in with veggies to sauté? It isn’t mentioned on the recipe. I’m new to this Instant Pot stuff so thought I’d ask….
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
11/02/2018 at 18:53Judy, you can add the meat in with veggies but it is not necessary. I saute only the veggies. Hope this helps. Happy cooking!
Jen says
15/02/2019 at 20:36Any ideas on how to make the sauce thicker? I followed this recipe yesterday but it was a little bit watered down.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
16/02/2019 at 10:47Hi Jen, to thicken the sauce you can stir in concentrated tomato puree at the very end. Some canned tomatoes are also more watery than others that is why I prefer not using the ready-chopped ones. Hope this helps.