Bolognese Sauce Recipe

This rich meaty Bolognese Sauce prepared in an Instant Pot, slow cooker or stove top is quite simply delicious!

Making Bolognese in the Instant Pot is quicker than making Bolognese the traditional way, but this recipe can also be made in your slow cooker or a dutch oven. This classic Italian meat sauce is great for dinner and perfect for feeding a crowd.

Bolognese Sauce is also called ragù. In Italy, ragù is a term used to describe a type of meat sauce that has been cooked for many hours over low heat. This Bolognese Sauce recipe is perfect for the Instant Pot because it dramatically shortens the cooking time with the same deep rich flavor.

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Ingredients needed for Bolognese Sauce:

• Olive oil
• White onion, carrots, and celery – (also known as Italian soffritto)
• Pancetta
• Ground beef and ground pork
• Garlic
• Tomato Paste
• Red wine – dry variety such as Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Merlot or Sangiovese
• Crushed (or whole tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped). We prefer San Marizano variety
• Italian parsley
• Cream or half & half
• Parmesan cheese
• Pasta for serving – fettucine, tagliatelle, pappardelle

How to make authentic Bolognese Sauce recipe in an Instant Pot:

It takes a little time to make this sauce but every step is really easy and worth it for this rich meaty sauce! Just follow the step-by-step below and you cannot fail.

Traditional Bolognese Sauce is better when you build the sauce in this order:

• Make a “Soffritto” which is a mixture of carrots, celery, and onions that are uniformly chopped
• Sauté with soffritto with olive oil until soft and translucent. Soffritto is an important building block in Italian cooking.

One of the nice things about the Instant Pot is that you can sauté everything right in the pot, much like a dutch oven on the stovetop. Sautéing starts to build the flavors.

• Add the diced pancetta and lightly brown. This will really deepen the flavor of the sauce.

• Add the ground pork and ground beef. Once you’ve add the ground meats season well with salt and pepper and cook until most of the juices have evaporated and the meat is lightly browned.

• Add the tomato paste and garlic and allow the flavors to blend for a few minutes.
• Pour in the red wine. Be sure to deglaze with the wine by scraping up any of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Don’t skip this step because those brown bits are full of flavor! Simmer until the wine is mostly evaporated.

• Before you pressurize in the Instant Pot you will need to add the liquids – crushed tomatoes, water, and parsley.

Cooking Times:

• Since the meat is already cooked, the Instant Pot will just need to pressurize for 20 minutes to deepen all the flavors.
• If you are cooking in a slow cooker double the water (to 1-1/2 cups) and cook for about 6-7 hours.
• If cooking on the stovetop double the water (to 1-1/2 cups) and cook over low heat for about 3 hours.

How to cook Bolognese in a slow cooker or on the stovetop:

The recipe is the same as cooking in a pressure cooker, except for the cooking time, and the addition of more water (noted above and in the recipe card below).

• In a slow cooker begin cooking on high for 2 hours and then cook on low for an additional 5 hours or until thickened.
• On the stovetop cook on medium for about 30 minutes, and then turn to low, and simmer for another 2.5 hours or until thickened.

Finishing Classic Bolognese Sauce

Finishing classic Bolognese Sauce in an Instant Pot is the same as in a slow cooker and a dutch oven. Once you have the thick consistency you want, add a small amount of cream and parsley, blend and serve.

Best type of pasta to use for serving:

Bolognese Sauce is traditionally served over a wide noodle, such as Tagliatelle, Pappardelle, or Fettucine. These sturdy cuts of pasta will stand up to the weight of the sauce. Top with a sprinkling of shredded Parmesan cheese.

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Freezing and refrigerating Bolognese Sauce:

This sauce freezes beautifully. Allow the sauce to cool completely before preparing to freeze.

I like to freeze it in a variety of glass jars (based on the amount you know you’ll want to reheat later). It’s easy to thaw out a glass jar by simply placing it in a bowl of warm water, or leaving it in the refrigerator overnight.

You can also store prepared Bolognese in the refrigerator safely for about 3 days.

Looking for an Instant Pot?

If you are still looking for an Instant Pot we recommend the Instant Pot DUO Plus 6 quart. It’s the ideal size for this recipe and is easy to use.

Suggested Wine Pairings:

The history of Bolognese sauce dates back to the late 18th century in Bologna, Italy. When thinking of wine pairings for this classic dish look no further than Italy itself. Sangiovese is one of the great indigenous grapes from Italy making this medium-bodied wine a perfect pairing for our classic Bolognese Sauce.

Your weekday wines:

• Gabbiano Chianti Classico Riserva, Italy
• Tenuta La Badiola 642 II Canapone Red Wine, Italy

Your weekend wines:

• Castello Banfi Sangiovese Rosso di Montalcino, Italy
• Antinori Guado al tasso II Bruciatto, Bolgheri

A special occasion wine:

• Castello Banfi Sangiovese Brunello Di Montalcino, Italy
• Bibi Graetz Testamatta Sangiovese, Italy

Other dinner ideas:

• Perfect Pan Seared Scallops
• Slow Cooker Irish Pot Roast
• Classic Beef Stew
• Garlic Mushrooms over Pasta
• Cornish Game Hens with Roasted Root Vegetables