My Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese recipe is so delicious and quick to make at home. I cook the hearty meat sauce in the Instant Pot to save time and hassle. It‘s a family favorite that‘s perfect for a busy weeknight!
I love cooking the bolognese sauce in my Dutch oven over the stovetop, but it takes hours. So today, I’m sharing a quicker alternative and just as tasty, Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese (圧力鍋スパゲッティボロネーゼ) recipe with you.
Stovetop vs. Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
Just to be clear, I am NOT saying that a pressure cooker makes better Bolognese sauce. There’s just something magical about slow cooking as if you are adding love to the food every time you stir. However, just because you don’t have time, you don’t have to give up on homemade bolognese sauce altogether.
With a pressure cooker, you can save time and effort, but achieve a full depth of flavor equivalent to the slow-cooking sauce that’s been simmering on the stovetop for hours.
And for busy moms who often struggle to put time in the kitchen, that’s a huge win!
3 Key Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
1. Soffritto (in Italian, and Mirepoix in French)
What is soffritto? It’s a mixture of finely chopped onions, carrots, and celery (it really depends, but usually in 2 parts : 1 part : 1 part ratio) that are sautéed with olive oil or butter until tender and golden.
It’s an umami-rich magical flavor. It’s used as the flavor base for a wide variety of dishes including soups, stews, stocks, ragu, sauces, risotto, and more.
2. Beef and Pork
I use two types of meat for my bolognese sauce: beef and pork (both about 20% fat). They are both juicy, flavor-rich meat, but when the beef is used by itself, the texture of the meat sauce tends to be harder. Therefore, blending in the pork makes the sauce more tender.
You can use Italian sausages too, but I like my bolognese sauce with ground beef and pork as I grew up eating it this way.
3. Use Red Wine
Both red and wine will work, but I use red wine because it’s a red meat dish. Plus, we can enjoy the rest of the wine with the meal after cooking.
The alcohol in the wine evaporates while the food is cooking, and the only flavor remains. The wine flavor adds complexity and a variety of tastes (acidity, sweetness, etc) to the dish that’s difficult to substitute.
Why Pressure Cooker Instead of Slow Cooker?
I usually use pressure cooking mode on my favorite Instant Pot (I’m not sponsored; I just love this gadget!) rather than slow cooking mode simply because I typically decide on dinner menus pretty last minute.
If you have an electric slow cooker, or slow cooking fits your lifestyle, you can definitely use this recipe as well.
To quickly explain, this Instant Pot is a 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Cooker. It can be a rice maker/porridge maker, steamer, sauté/browning, yogurt maker, and warmer. My mom used stove top pressure cookers at home growing up but they scare me a bit with the loud whistling noise. You also need to stay in the kitchen to control the heat. With the Instant Pot, you can just set and walk away!
A Little Tip for Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
As the liquid stays in the pot during the cooking process, not much liquid is lost compared to the stovetop. If there is too much liquid for your liking, turn the Instant Pot to “Saute” mode and evaporate some liquid.
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Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 carrot (3.2 oz, 90 g)
- 1 rib celery (3.5 oz, 100 g)
- 1 onion (8.5 oz, 240 g)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 6 button mushrooms
- 8 oz ground beef chuck (about 20% fat)
- 4 oz ground pork (about 20% fat)
For the Seasonings/Condiments
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup red wine (4 Tbsp)
- 1 28-oz can whole peeled or crushed tomato and juice (800 ml)
- ¼ cup chicken or vegetable stock (4 Tbsp)
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (and more to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper
To Serve
- 1½ lb spaghetti (4 oz, 113 g of pasta per person)
- 1½ Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for boiling the pasta)
- Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese
- parsley (I actually love using cilantro instead of parsley. Have you tried it? So good!)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Cut 1 carrot, 1 rib celery, and 1 onion into small, roughly equal-sized chunks.
- Put the vegetables in the food processor and pulse a few times until minced. (If you don’t have a food processor, simply mince them by hand.) If a few pieces are too large, mince those remaining pieces by hand; do not continue with the food processor as you will overprocess the rest. Set aside.
- Mince 2 cloves garlic. Brush off any dirt and debris from 6 button mushrooms and slice them. Alternatively, you can lightly rinse the mushrooms with cool water and pat them dry with paper towels, but do not soak them (they absorb water like a sponge).
- Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot (I use 6-QT Instant Pot) and heat 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
- Add the minced garlic and 1 bay leaf and stir until fragrant.
- Add the minced vegetables and sauté until the onion is tender.
- Add 8 oz ground beef chuck and 4 oz ground pork to the pot. Sauté and mix the meat with the rest of the ingredients in the pot.
- Add ¼ cup red wine and stir, scraping the juicy bits stuck to the bottom and sides of the pot and evaporate the alcohol completely, about 5–7 minutes.
- Crush your 1 28-oz can whole peeled or crushed tomato and juice if they are not already crushed. Then, add the tomatoes and ¼ cup chicken or vegetable stock to the pot.
- Add the sliced mushrooms, 2 tsp dried oregano, and 2 tsp dried basil on top.
- Cover and lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Make sure the steam release handle points at Sealing and not Venting. Press the Keep Warm/Cancel button on the Instant Pot to stop the Sauté mode. Press the Manual button to switch to the pressure cooking mode. Press the minus (-) button to change the cooking time to 20 minutes.
- If you’re using a stove-top pressure cooker, you won’t have any buttons to press. Just cook on high heat until High pressure is reached. Then, reduce the heat to low but maintain high pressure for about 20 minutes.
- When it is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the Keep Warm mode. Let the pressure release naturally, about 15–20 minutes. Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water (4–5 QT), add 1½ Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and boil 1½ lb spaghetti or your choice of pasta. Cook according to the package instructions and drain the pasta.
- After de-pressurizing is complete, unlock the lid and add 1 Tbsp unsalted butter and freshly ground black pepper. Taste the spaghetti sauce, and if necessary, season with up to 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If the sauce is too thin or soupy due to moisture released by the ingredients, turn on the Sauté mode and reduce the sauce to the desired consistency (I did not need to do that).
- Finely mince fresh parsley. Serve the spaghetti sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month. I recommend packing the sauce in individual portions so you can easily enjoy it later on. It‘s great emergency food if you‘re really behind on prepping a meal. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in a pot over very low heat on the stovetop.
Hi,
If I don’t want to use canned tomatoes because of BPA exposure, how much fresh tomatoes can I use, and how should I skin them?
Thx!
Hi D! Hmmm… I checked online and I found that one 28-ounce can of tomatoes equals about 10 to 12 whole tomatoes, peeled (or about 2 pounds). Hope that helps!
Hi Nami, I’ve seen other recipes where people have added the pasta on top of the meat before it starts pressure cooking. Can you tell me why you chose to cook the pasta separately on the stove? Thanks.
Hi Janny! A couple of reasons. Unless the noodles come out PERFECT al dente, I do not want to ruin my spaghetti… the texture is very important. I think American spaghetti tend to be over cooked in my opinion, and if people are used to that, maybe it doesn’t bother much.
I really love al dente pasta… 🙂
Also, when you cook pasta in water, you see that the water gets cloudy due to the gluten/flour coming from the pasta? I do not want to ruin my pasta sauce with that… especially if I want to keep the leftover sauce.
Some people think it’s convenient and easy, but I’m okay boiling water separately for the best eating experience. 😀
Hi Ms. Nami. I tried it right away when I came across your recipe while searching how to cook sushi rice. It turned out so well that my sons and my daughter-in-law loved it. I used white wine which was already open. Thank you so much for making me a hero tonight. LOL!
Hi Ernesto! Awww! Your words are way too kind. I’m so happy that you got to enjoy your home cooked meal with your family. It’s the best feeling! Thank you for taking your time to write feedback here. xo
Just a quick tip if I may…
With ANY pasta dish (while the pasta is hot), add just a bit of your sauce and toss to combine. The hot pasta will absorb all that delicious flavor! Italians don’t overdue it on the sauce in general, but this is a must do!
Hi Justin! Thank you SO much for sharing your tip! I’ll do that from now on. 😀
I made this last night with a little more mushroom and a little less tomato. Wow! It was sooo good, especially considering how easy it wa to make. Thanks for yet another terrific instant pot recipe!
Hi Christine! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe and thank you for writing your kind feedback. 🙂
What amperage? Does it need a dedicated circuit?
Can one bake bread in it?
Hi John! You can’t “bake” with it, but you can check the product details on their website here: http://instantpot.com/
Instant pot is a fantastic rice cooker. Rice releases from the pot the same as any I’ve used.
Thank you so much for sharing your valuable information with us, Bruce! I’ll have to try it one day. 🙂
I hope to be your follower. Tks.
Thank you Ann! Hope you subscribe to my blog and youtube channel! 🙂
Hi Nami,
Do you have a substitute you could recommend for the red wine?
Thanks!
Hi Dora, white wine? If you don’t want to use alcohol, then you can skip and replace with vegetables/chicken stock. 🙂
Nami san,
Is the flavor you get from Instant pot recipes the same as, not as good, or better than making in traditional pots? Thank you for your honest opinion! I am considering buying one, but am concerned about my past no so good results from slow cookers- mushy, not as tasty etc…
Arigato, Karen
Karen
Hi Karen! IF you have time to cook over traditional method (pots over stove), I would totally do that. But I can’t make the “same” meal in a short time without an instant pot (or any pressure cooker). Hence, I really enjoy using it. For example, the bone-in meat won’t become tender in about 30 minutes over stovetop, but we can do it thanks to pressure cooker. If you worry about “mushy” texture, I highly recommend adding the vegetables later – so you make meat first, then add in veggies to pressure cook. I don’t have the time to do 2 steps, so I cut vegetables bigger chunks (so it takes time to cook longer)… and that’s my shortcut. I hope this help? Basically I like simmering and reducing the sauce/soups in cooktop. The flavor become richer. It’s kind of hard to do that in pressure cooker, as steam doesn’t escape.
Hi Nami-san!
I just bought an IP too so really appreciate these recipes as my family is picky about standard pressure cooker fare.
I used my usual Japanese pudding recipe and steamed it in the IP for 12 mins on high pressure, it turned out perfectly and actually much smoother than when I steam in the oven.
I hope you will do an IP chawan-mushi recipe some day!
Hi Tamryn! Ohhh chawanmushi! Good idea. I probably need steamer basket for chawanmushi (flat one, since mine is collapsible and not flat). Thanks for the great idea! Have fun cooking in your IP! 🙂 xo
Typically in classic Bolognese, milk is added and allowed to be completely absorbed prior to adding the wine. This gives it a smoother, silkier texture. Also, a little nutmeg is added as well. How do you feel about this?
Hi John! Sure I put milk or heavy cream sometimes too. But I had never added nutmeg before. It sounds delicious. We put nutmeg in Japanese Hambagu (hamburger steak) that is made with ground beef and pork. I’ll definitely give that a try next time!
if i don’t use tomato can, how many fresh tomato do I use?
Hi Wing! When making tomato base sauce/soup, fresh tomatoes are usually not recommended because it’s very watery, so you might notice that majority of recipes use canned tomatoes.
If you use fresh tomatoes, I recommend using tomato paste. 🙂
Looks delicious! Do you think it works also by changing the pressure cooking step to slow cooking for several hours (also in the IP), and keeping the rest the same? And more importantly, do you think it would actually taste better like that and be worth that extra time? I’m new to the whole slow cooking thing, so I’d be happy to hear your opinion! Thanks!
Hi Eran! Thank you. 🙂 Yes you can use slow cooker for this. The only big difference between pressure cooker/slow cooker VS. stovetop is the lack of evaporation. The flavor is better when the moisture is evaporated and the sauce is reduced, kind of like less watery, and strong flavor. IF I have the time for slow cooker AND I’m at home, I might prefer to do it on old fashion stovetop cooking. I don’t have the time so i use pressure cooker instead. So I haven’t had a chance to use slow cooker to make this particular recipe. It’s possible that after cooking for hours, the sauce is still loose (not evaporating), so you might need to reduce using “saute (low)” mode. I hope this helps… 🙂
Thanks for the detailed reply! I’ll probably try making it sometime soon!
How long can this sauce be stored in the freezer? Thank you Nami.
Hi Leony! It’s good for a month. Make sure it’s in air-tight container. 🙂