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Instant-Pot Ragù Bolognese

Instant-Pot Ragù Bolognese

By Rose HattabaughSeptember 4, 2025

  • Makes
    Makes about 4 cups
  • Cook Time
    1 hour
  • Slow Cook Time
    6¾ to 7¼ hours
  • Active time plus cooling
    40 minutes

Made the classic way, ragù Bolognese requires many hours of gentle simmering. The Instant Pot, however, allows you to pressure cook the ingredients so the rich, meaty sauce is ready in a fraction of the time—about an hour—or you can slow-cook it for about six hours without having to babysit. Meatloaf mix is a combination of ground pork, beef and veal. If you prefer, 8 ounces each ground pork and 80 percent lean ground beef work well, too. This recipe makes about 4 cups sauce, enough to sauce 1 pound of pasta, cooked and drained; reserve some of the starchy cooking water before draining the pasta for tossing with the noodles and sauce. Ribbon-like tagliatelle is the classic pasta pairing for ragù Bolognese, but use whatever shape you prefer. Offer additional grated Parmesan on the side.

Tip

Don’t forget to add ¼ cup water along with the tomato paste, cream and cheese. The liquid is necessary to avoid receiving a Burn message. Milk is a common ingredient in ragù Bolognese, but don’t swap milk for the cream in this recipe, as it will curdle due to its lower fat content.

Ingredients
  • 1

    tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 4

    ounces pancetta, chopped

  • 1

    small yellow onion, finely chopped

  • 1

    medium celery stalk, finely chopped

  • 1

    medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped

  • 2

    medium garlic cloves, chopped

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • ¼

    cup dry red wine

  • 1

    pound meatloaf mix (see headnote)

  • 6

    ounce can tomato paste

  • ½

    cup heavy cream

  • ½

    ounce Parmesan cheese, finely grated (¼ cup)

  • ¼

    cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Step 1

In a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the oil, pancetta, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the pancetta has rendered some fat, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the wine and meatloaf mix; cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces, until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cream, Parmesan and ½ cup water, then distribute the mixture in an even layer.

Step 2

Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 15 minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, quick-release the steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.

Step 3

Stir the parsley into the sauce, then taste and season with salt and pepper.