• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Budget Delicious
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
  • All Recipes
  • Easy Chicken Recipes
    • Breast
    • Thigh
    • Whole Chicken
    • Drumstick
    • Wings
    • Ground Chicken
  • Air Fryer
  • Instant Pot
  • Subscribe By Email
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • All Recipes
  • Free Ebook
  • Easy Chicken Recipes
    • Chicken Breast Recipes
    • Chicken Thigh Recipes
    • Chicken Drumstick Recipes
    • Chicken Wing Recipes
    • Whole Chicken Recipes
    • Ground Chicken Recipes
  • Air Fryer Recipes
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Subscribe
×

Home » Instant Pot Recipes » Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce

Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce

Last Updated on October 5, 2021 by Bintu. 1 Comment

Jump to Recipe
Post may contain affiliate links. For more information, check my disclosure

Sharing is caring!

a bowl of pasta topped with bolognese sauce

Bolognese sauce is a hearty, classic Italian recipe. The delicious meat sauce is warm and comforting. It’s freezer-friendly and perfect for serving a crowd.

Suitable for gluten free diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.

the finished instant pot bolognese sauce served on spaghetti noodles

There are few meals that can make you feel as satisfied as a bowl of pasta with bolognese sauce. Sprinkle it with some cheese and serve it with a salad or veggie and some crusty bread for a dinner your whole family will enjoy.

Traditionally, bolognese sauce is slow-simmered for hours. It makes for a lovely, flavorful sauce but most of us don’t have the time (or the interest) to babysit a pot on the stove all day long. This Instant Pot Bolognese is ready in under an hour and still has that delectable slow-cooked flavor. It’s the perfect recipe for busy families. 

Instant Pot bolognese sauce is also super versatile. It can be served over garlic butter pasta or zoodles and can be layered in baked pasta dishes like lasagna. Pour it over a bowl of dump and start Instant Pot Garlic Butter Potatoes or bake it into a shepherd’s pie. 

Trust me, folks, this easy bolognese sauce is a meal you will return to over and over again. 

close up view of a fork removing a portion of bolognese sauce and pasta from a dish

Why Make This Recipe

  • Fast and Flavorful – Get that slow cooked taste “like grandma made” in under an hour. 
  • Comforting – When it comes to comfort food, nothing beats a warm bowl of meaty pasta.
  • Freezer-Friendly – This sauce freezes well and can be used in a variety of recipes.
instant pot cheat sheet banner in green

Ingredient Notes

  • Olive Oil – Or use any light oil.
  • Onion – White or sweet onion is preferred, but red onion will work. 
  • Carrots – Peel and chop them in even slices or dice. 
  • Ground Beef – You can substitute ground turkey or lean ground beef. 
  • Garlic – Fresh garlic will give you the most flavor, but you can use jarred garlic or granulated garlic (1 teaspoon) in a pinch.
  • Tomato Paste – Look for tomato paste in a tube, so you don’t have to open a whole can. 
  • Italian Seasoning – Commonly used spices include oregano, basil, thyme and rosemary.
  • Bay Leaves – Bay leaves last a long time, so keep a jar in your pantry. Leave them whole so they are easy to remove after cooking. 
  • Balsamic Vinegar – Many people prefer Worcestershire in bolognese so it makes a good substitute, but will not be as sweet as balsamic.
  • Chicken Stock – You can substitute bouillon and water. 
  • Diced Tomatoes – Try fire-roasted tomatoes for a slightly smoky flavor. 
  • Salt and Pepper – Add to taste. 
a serving of instant pot bolognese and spaghetti with a fork inside the dish

How To Make Instant Pot Bolognese

Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

  1. Sauté the onions and carrots in the Instant Pot until they begin to soften.
  2. Add the ground beef and cook until brown.
  3. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, Italian Seasoning, bay leaves, balsamic vinegar.
  4. Then pour in the chicken stock and deglaze the pan using a wooden spoon. 
  5. Add in the tomatoes but do not mix in.
  6. Cover the Instant Pot and set to manual pressure / high pressure for 20 minutes. When done, perform a quick pressure release (QPR), remove the bay leaf, and serve. 
image collage showing the steps for making instant pot bolognese sauce

Tips For Success

  • Be sure to deglaze the pan with a wooden spoon after adding the chicken stock. This removes cooked bits from the bottom of the pan.
  • To avoid getting a burn notice, do not stir in the tomatoes. 
  • Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf before serving.

Variations

  • Swap the Meat – Traditional bolognese is made with ground beef. Try using ground turkey for a leaner sauce or ground Italian sausage for a different flavor to the sauce.
  • Add A Little Dairy – When the sauce is finished, stir in ¼ cup of heavy cream just before serving. 
  • Add Bacon – Saute a bit of bacon before browning the beef and it will add an exciting depth of flavor to the recipe. 
the completed bolognese sauce recipe inside the instant pot

Budget-Friendly Tips 

  • Stock Up On Beef – Purchase beef in bulk or on sale and store it in the freezer for later use. 
  • Make Homemade Stock – If you have space in your freezer, it is easy to make homemade chicken stock by boiling a chicken carcass with water and veggies. It should be strained and stored in the freezer.
  • Buy Tomato Paste in Tube – Most recipes only call for a small amount of tomato paste. Purchase it in a tube and store it in your fridge so you can just squeeze out what you need. 
  • Make A Double Batch – This Instant Pot Spaghetti sauce freezes well, so make a double batch and freeze it for an easy meal later on. 

Make Ahead And Storage

Prep Ahead – Peel and dice the veggies and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. The sauce can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for about 5 days. 

Store – Pour leftover Instant Pot spaghetti sauce into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Stir and heat for an additional minute or two if needed.

Freeze – Bolognese sauce freezes very well. Just follow these steps:

  • Pour cooled sauce into freezer-safe bags and remove all the excess air.
  • Label the bags, lay them flat, and place them in the freezer.
  • This sauce can be frozen for 3 – 6 months. 
a portion of instant pot bolognese sauce in a glass storage container

FAQs

Which Pasta Is The Best For Serving With Bolognese?

Bolognese is a thick sauce so it needs a pasta that can stand up to its weight. Tagliatelle is a popular choice along with thick spaghetti, bucatini, penne and gnocchi. You can also serve bolognese sauce over zoodles (zucchini noodles) or spaghetti squash.

What’s The Difference Between Bolognese and Meat Sauce?

You can call bolognese meat sauce but it might be frowned upon. Bolognese sauce originated in Bologna, Italy and is typically thick and meaty with a higher meat to tomato ratio. While a meat sauce may have similar ingredients, it typically contains more sauce than meat.

More Recipes You May Like

  • Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta.
  • Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan.
  • Baked Feta Pasta.

More Ground Beef Recipes

  • Instant Pot Taco Pasta.
  • Instant Pot Hamburger Helper.
  • Wendys Copycat Chili Recipe.
  • Meatball Pita Pockets.
  • Eyeball Halloween Spaghetti.

Weight Watchers Points

There are 10 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.

Subscribe to my Newsletter and follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for more tasty recipes!

Get The Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce Recipe:

top down view of the completed bolognese sauce inside theinstant pot

Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce

All the flavor of traditional bolognese cooked in under an hour.
1 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate Save RecipeSaved!
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, Italian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 366kcal
Author: Bintu Hardy | Budget Delicious

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion peeled and diced
  • 2 carrots peeled and chopped
  • 2 pounds (900g) ground beef
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 ½ cups (350ml) chicken stock
  • 28 ounces (800g) diced tomatoes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • See the Instant Pot to sauté and add in the oil. When hot, add in the onions and carrot and cook for about 4 minutes until the onion starts to soften.
  • Then mix in the ground beef, making sure to break up any lumps, and cooked until browned.
  • Mix in the garlic, tomato paste, Italian Seasoning, bay leaves, balsamic vinegar, followed by the chicken stock, at which point you will want to deglaze the pot using a wooden spoon.
  • Add in the diced tomatoes but DO NOT MIX in (leave on top).
  • Place the lid on the Instant Pot, turn the valve to sealing, and set to pressure cook (or manual) for 20 minutes at high pressure.
  • When done, quickly release the pressure, discard bay leaves, adjust seasonings, and serve.

Notes

 
  • Be sure to deglaze the pan with a wooden spoon after adding the chicken stock. This removes cooked bits from the bottom of the pan.
  • To avoid getting a burn notice, do not stir in the tomatoes. 
  • Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves before serving.
  • Instructions do not account for the time it takes for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure.
  • Storage: keep in airtight container inside the fridge for  5 days, or freeze for 3-6 months.
  • There are 10 WW Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.

Nutrition

Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 326mg | Potassium: 665mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2737IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 4mg
« Grilled Huli Huli Chicken
Chicken Tinga »

Subscribe

for your weekly recipe fix.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nikki Krakauer “JustTabandMe”

    August 05, 2021 at 6:41 pm

    1 star
    Bolognese Sauce is a MEAT sauce. Around 3 Tablespoons of tomato paste is added for COLOR only! NO more tomatoes! If you add tomatoes, you are simply making spaghetti meat sauce with mirapoix, aka America’s bastardized idea of bolognese sauce!!! Check with Bon Appetite for authentic Italian recipe.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Welcome, Y’all!

Hi am Bintu and glad to meet you. You will find delicious easy recipes on a budget. Includes easy chicken recipes, easy Instant Pot recipes, easy Air Fryer recipes with simple ingredients loved by the whole family. Let's dig deeper →

Bintu: View My Blog Posts
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter

Dinner Tonight

top down view of the finished marry me chicken recipe

Marry Me Chicken

top down view of the completed chicken florentine recipe

Creamy Chicken Florentine

top down view of a bowl filled with wendys chili recipe

Wendy’s Chili Recipe Copycat

one honey garlic chicken tender on a spatula being removed from a pan

Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders

Reader Favorites

close up view of the finished crockpot buffalo chicken dip served in a ceramic bowl

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip

top down view of the completed fajita casserole with chicken

Easy Chicken Fajita Casserole

top down view of the finished instant pot red potatoes inside a pressure cooker

Dump And Start Garlic Butter Instant Pot Red Potatoes

two pieces of cinnamon chicken served with rice in a blue ceramic bowl

Cinnamon Chicken

the finished whole chicken in air fryer basket

Air Fryer Whole Chicken

Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti in an instant pot with herb garnish

Dump And Start Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti

Recent Posts

  • The Best Chicken Wings Recipes
  • Frozen Chicken Wings In Air Fryer
  • Garlic Parmesan Wings  
  • Oven Baked Chicken Wings 
  • Lemon Pepper Wings

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2021 Budget Delicious