Instant Pot Beef Ragu
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Create the delicious taste and texture of a slow cooked beef ragu in under an hour with this Instant Pot Beef Ragu recipe! It’s so flavorful, served with pappardelle pasta or over Creamy Cheesy Polenta, for an easy Italian weeknight meal.
Table of contents
Introducing my new and improved Instant Pot beef ragu recipe! This was one of the first recipes I made in my Instant Pot back in 2018 and I’ve made it dozens of times in the years since, testing and perfecting the recipe to what it is today.
This recipe was originally requested by readers when I first introduced Instant Pot Recipes on the blog. Everyone wanted a quicker version of my popular slow cooker recipe for beef ragu. Ask and ye shall receive!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- The texture is perfect! After testing this recipe dozens of times, I’ve found the perfect combination of ingredients and timing in the Instant Pot to make this beef ragu recipe thick and meaty, and not runny at all! The meat is perfectly tender, creating an Italian sauce with an amazing texture.
- The flavor is perfect! A rich combination of flavors from Italian seasoning, to fresh rosemary, to the umami flavor of tomato paste, gives this dish a delicious depth of flavor.
- It’s quick and easy to make! Unlike slow cooker beef ragu that takes all day to cook, this recipe takes under an hour to cook! And it’s easy to make. Just follow my tips and tricks throughout this post and you’ll be making this easy beef ragu recipe over and over again!
Ingredients
- Beef chuck roast – this is my favorite cut of beef to use when making ragu. It has a rich, beefy flavor, and is great for braising and slow cooking. You could also use stew meat or boneless beef short ribs.
- Italian seasoning – click the link for my homemade seasoning. It’s a delicious blend of 7 herbs and spices, including pantry staples like dried basil, parsley and oregano. It’s easy to mix up in 5 minutes, and you can keep it in the pantry for up to 6 months, so you can make it ahead of time.
- Olive oil – or another neutral-flavored oil to sear the chuck roast and cook the vegetables.
- Onions – you’ll need one cup of diced yellow onions for this recipe, which is equal to one small onion, or half of a large onion
- Carrots – you’ll want to peel and dice about a quarter pound of whole carrots to get 1 cup of diced carrots for this recipe.
- Celery – same as the carrots, you’ll want to dice up about a quarter pound of celery to get 1 cup of diced celery for the ragu.
- Garlic – I recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
- Red wine – I recommend using a cabernet sauvignon, or another full-bodied red wine. You can also omit the wine and simply add an additional ¼ cup beef broth to the recipe.
- Kosher salt + black pepper – to season the ragu.
- Beef broth – since this is the main ingredient used to braise the beef, I recommend purchasing, or making, a high-quality beef stock, or broth. Beef stock has a richer, deeper flavor than beef broth. I found this Custom Culinary Beef Base at a restaurant supply store in San Diego and am absolutely obsessed with it.
- Tomato paste – since tomato paste is cooked down to a thick paste, it adds a wonderfully sweet and acidic umami flavor to the ragu.
- Crushed tomatoes – these canned tomatoes will cook down perfectly in the sauce, leaving you with a thick sauce that’s not runny. I’ve used diced tomatoes in the past to make this sauce, but the sauce can out thinner, so I always use crushed tomatoes now to get the perfect consistency.
- Fresh rosemary – you can also use fresh thyme sprigs if you prefer.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Season and sear the beef. Use a sharp knife to cut a beef chuck roast into large chunks, then season them on all sides with Italian seasoning. Press the sauté button on an Instant Pot pressure cooker, then use the adjust button to set it on the “normal” setting. Add olive oil to the Instant Pot. When the display says “hot”, add the seasoned chunks of beef and sear them on all sides for 1-2 minutes per side, or until browned on all sides.
- Cook the vegetables. Use kitchen tongs to remove the seared beef from the Instant Pot and set it aside. Pour more olive oil into the pot. Add diced onions, carrots and celery and cook for 4 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the liquids. Pour red wine into the pot and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the chuck roast back to the pot. Pour in the beef broth and crushed tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and tomato paste. Stir to combine everything, then add the rosemary sprigs to the pot.
- Pressure cook the ragu. Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure that the steam release float valve is set to “sealing”. Press the “manual” button and set the Instant Pot to high pressure, then use the +/- buttons to set the Instant Pot for 30 minutes. When the cooking timer beeps, wait 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure before unlocking the lid.
- Simmer the beef ragu. After removing the lid, use tongs to remove the sprigs of rosemary and discard. Use the tongs to also remove the chunks of beef and place them on a large cutting board. Use two forks, or meat claws, to shred the beef, then add it back to the Instant Pot. Press the saute button on the Instant Pot and use the “normal” setting to cook down the sauce for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. This will give you that hearty, thick sauce that we all know and love in a beef ragu! Also, while the sauce is cooking down in the Instant Pot, you can use this time to boil pasta to pair with the sauce.
Ways to serve it
One of my favorite things about both the slow cooker and Instant Pot versions of this Beef Ragu dish is it’s versatility. You can serve it with pasta, polenta, vegetables, or in a lasagna. Try it with any of these pairings for the perfect meal!
- With pappardelle pasta – this thick pasta noodle is perfect for twirling up the beefy ragu sauce. Top it with fresh grated parmesan cheese for a tasty Italian meal!
- Over Creamy Cheesy Polenta – this is like an Italian version of pot roast and mashed potatoes. It’s so comforting and it makes the entire meal gluten free!
- In lasagna – looking for an impressive meal for a dinner party? Use this Instant Pot Beef Ragu in this Beef Ragu Lasagna for a seriously flavorful meal.
- Over raviolis – to keep things simple, pick up a container of pre-made fresh cheese raviolis in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. They cook up in 2-3 minutes and pair perfectly with the beef ragu sauce.
- With spaghetti squash – for a low carb meal, serve the ragu sauce over cooked spaghetti squash. Follow this link for 3 ways to cook spaghetti squash, in the oven, air fryer or microwave.
No matter how you serve it, I guarantee it will be hard to put your fork down while gobbling up all the goodness of this beef ragu!
What to serve with it
After deciding how to serve the ragu, it’s time to decide what to serve on the side. I usually keep it simple with a salad and bread to soak up any extra ragu sauce left behind!
An easy caesar salad and warm baguette are perfect, but if you want to step it up a notch, here are a few of my favorite salad and bread side dishes to serve with the beef ragu.
- Garlic Bread
- Pull Apart Rolls – viral recipe!
- Garlic Knots
- Italian Salad – Olive Garden copycat recipe!
- Blue Cheese Salad
- Grilled Caesar Salad
Storage and reheating
Store leftover Instant Pot beef ragu in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat the ragu on the stove, or in the microwave.
To reheat the ragu on the stove, simply add the sauce to a pot on the stove over medium heat. Stir the sauce and simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until heated through. To reheat the ragu in the microwave, place one portion of the ragu in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through the time.
Cooked beef ragu can be frozen for up to 6 months. Make sure the beef ragu has completely cooled to room temperature before transferring it to a freezer-safe container. Label, date and freeze the beef ragu for up to 6 months. To defrost the ragu, transfer it from the freezer to the fridge for 24 hours.
To heat up the thawed beef ragu, place it in a large pot, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium-low heat. Cover and reheat for 30-45 minutes, or until heated throughout. You can also place it in a slow cooker set to low for 1-2 hours.
More Instant Pot recipes
Try my other go-to recipes, made in the Instant Pot!
Instant Pot Beef Ragu
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, click link for my homemade recipe
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 cup onion, diced
- ½ cup carrots, peeled and diced
- ½ cup celery, peeled and diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup red wine, see notes below
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, or thyme
Instructions
- Slice the chuck roast into large chunks, then toss with the Italian seasoning.
- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot, use the adjust button to set on the “normal” setting.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the Instant Pot, when the display says “hot”, add the seasoned chuck roast and sear the pieces about 4 minutes, or until browned on al slides. Use tongs to remove the beef from the pot and set it aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot. Add the onion, carrots and celery, and cook for 4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Pour the red wine into the pot and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pot.
- Add the chuck roast back to the ppot, along with the salt, pepper, beef broth, tomato paste and crushed tomatoes, stir to combine. Add the rosemary sprigs on top.
- Press the Keep Warm/Cancel button on the Instant Pot.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the steam release is set to “sealing”.
- Press the “manual” button and set the Instant Pot to high pressure, then use the +/- buttons to set the Instant Pot for 30 minutes.
- When the cooking time is up, wait 10 minutes then release any remaining pressure before unlocking the lid.
- Remove the lid, use tongs to remove and discard the rosemary sprigs. Use the tongs to also remove the chunks of beef and place them on a large cutting board. Use two forks, or meat claws, to shred the beef, then add it back to the Instant Pot.
- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot and use the “normal” setting to cook down the sauce for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. This step is optional, but will give you a thicker sauce, with a deeper flavor.
Notes
- For the red wine, I recommend using a cabernet sauvignon, or another full-bodied red wine. You can also omit the wine and simply add an additional ¼ cup beef broth to the recipe.
- I recommend serving the sauce with cooked pappardelle pasta, creamy cheesy polenta, or cooked spaghetti squash.
- Store leftover Instant Pot beef ragu in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat the ragu on the stove, or in the microwave.
- To reheat the ragu on the stove, simply add the sauce to a pot on the stove over medium heat. Stir the sauce and simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until heated through.
- To reheat the ragu in the microwave, place one portion of the ragu in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through the time.
Nutrition Facts
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6 Comments on “Instant Pot Beef Ragu”
After looking at a LOT of Instant Pot Beef Ragu recipes, I picked yours for my 1st IP trial after just getting the Duo Nova 6qt for my b-day. OMG, it is fabulous! My husband is in heaven. TY😋
That makes me so happy Michelle! I’m glad you and the hubby enjoyed it!
Hi There! Do you add the can of tomatoes with the liquid or without? Making this tonight!
Hi Debbie! You add the tomatoes with the liquid. Enjoy!
This is terrific, Whitney! I used 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary, and it still worked beautifully (to my relief!). I wondered if it would be too salty, given all the sodium from the beef broth and the 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, but I thought it was just right. The amount of pepper was perfect too. We will be making this again and again!
Hi Wendy, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much!