Name: Instant Pot Bolognese
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 pound lean ground beef; 1 pound ground pork; 1 medium yellow onion (finely diced); 5 garlic cloves (minced); 2 celery stalks (finely diced); 2 medium carrots (peeled and finely diced); 1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus extra as needed); ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (plus extra as needed); ½ cup dry red wine; 28 ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes with liquid; 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning; 8 ounce can tomato sauce; 6 ounce can tomato paste

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Instant Pot bolognese makes a flavorful sauce that tastes like it simmered all day but is so quick and easy to make!

A fork holding a twirl of spaghetti topped with Instant Pot bolognese.

The Instant Pot is a great way to get simmered all day flavor in a lot less time! This easy Instant Pot bolognese recipe is simple but delicious.

It has great long-simmered, flavor. This quick recipe takes just over an hour to make, and it's a great choice for weeknights or weekends.

This tasty sauce also freezes well. So, you can have half a batch tonight for dinner and freeze the second half for another night!

How to make Instant Pot bolognese

Here you'll find step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe with ingredients is given below.

Step 1: Press sauté on the Instant Pot.

A pink spatula stirring browned ground pork and ground beef.

Step 2: Once it reads "hot", add the beef and pork. Cook, stirring to break up, for about 10 minutes or until cooked through and no pink remains.

Onion celery and carrot sauteeing with ground pork and beef mixture.

Step 3: Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, salt, and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

Wine stirred into vegetable and meat mixture in an Instant Pot inner pot.

Step 4: Stir in the wine, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Step 5: Layer in the whole tomatoes with juices, Italian seasoning, and tomato paste. Do not stir.

Step 6: Close and lock the lid. Be sure that the pressure release valve is set to sealing.
Press manual high pressure and adjust the cooking time to10 minutes.

Step 7: When the cooking time ends, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Carefully turn the pressure release valve to venting to release any remaining pressure.

Step 8: Unlock and remove the lid. Use a spoon to smash the tomatoes against the side of the pot.

A black ladle holding a scoop of hot Instant Pot bolognese in a pot.

Step 9: Give the sauce a good stir, and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

A black ladle holding a scoop of Instant Pot bolognese.

Tips

Meat: You can use all ground beef in this recipe if you prefer.
Carrots: If you'd like less chunky sauce, grate in the carrot after sautéing the vegetables.
Wine: If you would like to skip the wine, you can substitute an equal amount of chicken broth or beef broth.
Creamy sauce: If you would like creamier sauce, you can add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream in step 13.

A plate of spaghetti topped with Instant Pot bolognese.

Serving suggestions

Bolognese is traditionally served over fresh tagliatelle. However, it can be served over a tubular pasta like penne or rigatoni or even over spaghetti.

I like to serve it topped with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese.

A fork holding a bite of spaghetti topped with bolognese.

How to freeze

To freeze the sauce, cook according to the recipe. Let the recipe cool to room temperature and then add to a resealable freezer-safe container.

Seal and freeze for up to 3 months.

Storage

Store any leftover bolognese in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The sauce will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored in the fridge.

More Instant Pot recipes!

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