Bolognese is a traditional pasta dish that originated in Italy and specifically the city of Bologna for which it is named after. The meal is characterized by its meat sauce – a truly delicious mix of ground meat, chopped tomatoes, and simple seasoning.
This Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese recipe is a one-pot meal that can be made in your pressure cooker in less than 30 minutes! It’s a highly nutritious and equally delicious meal to add to the rotation of dinner menus.
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Why This Recipe Works
Traditional Bolognese takes hours to simmer on the stovetop. Why mess up the whole kitchen when you can make a dinner for the whole family using only the Instant Pot?
This adaptation simplifies the more traditional Bolognese sauce and speeds up the process by utilizing your pressure cooker. You’ll be surprised by how much flavor this recipe has when it’s made so quickly!
This dish is something you must try. Everyone likes simple yet tasty meals, and this one is perfect. It really takes so little of your time, and tastes amazing, although it is a simple recipe.
Recipe Ingredients
Ground beef – I use 85% lean ground beef because if you use beef that is too lean, it won’t be as flavorful.
Onion – use yellow Spanish onions in this recipe. They can be roughly chopped or minced finely based on your preference.
Beef broth – you can substitute chicken broth if necessary.
Spaghetti – this Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese recipe can be made with spaghetti, tagliatelle, or penne pasta (like I used for the Instant Pot chicken alfredo). You can choose any type of pasta you like.
Crushed tomatoes – alternatively, use whole peeled tomatoes and crush them up yourself. You can also use fresh plum tomatoes and their juices when tomatoes are in season. You’d want to make sure they’re very ripe or just used canned.
How To Make Spaghetti Bolognese
Gather your ingredients:
Heat Instant pot to Saute. Add 1 tbsp of oil and cook beef until no longer pink.
Once the beef is cooked remove it and place aside. Cook the onions and garlic until soft.
Then, place the beef back into the pot and add crushed tomatoes and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Next, add broken spaghetti and pour in the broth.
Close the lid and select High-pressure. Set the timer to 7 minutes. Then, perform a quick pressure release. Stir the spaghetti, and serve warm.
Recipe Notes
- You can enrich this Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese recipe with some chopped veggies, like celery or carrots, or toss in few chopped olives. It is really up to your personal preferences.
- For this recipe, I used thin spaghetti. If you are using regular spaghetti (not thin), just add 3 minutes to the cooking time (high pressure for 10 minutes). You may need to adjust the cook time a bit based on what type of pasta you are using.
How to Serve Spaghetti Bolognese
You can serve this Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese as is or over some grilled veggies, to create a nice mix, almost like a vegetable and beef lasagna.
Also, I like to serve it with a classic garden salad with Italian dressing.
More Italian-Inspired Recipes
Who doesn’t love Italian food!? We have lots of recipes that are inspired by authentic Italian recipes and tweaked to make them work in the Instant Pot. They’re just as delicious and so much quicker and easier! Here are some for you to try next:
Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup
FAQ About Spaghetti Bolognese
What can I garnish this dish with?
I always love to garnish Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese with a bit of fresh basil for color and vibrancy! It’s also delicious to garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cup yellow onion chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 cup beef broth
- 12 ounce spagheti
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 28 oz
- Turn on the Instant Pot, select "saute" and add some oil.
- Add beef and cook until it's browned . Remove the beef and place it aside.
- Add onion and cook on "saute" for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Place back in the beef, and add the crushed tomatoes.
- Break spaghetti in half and place inside the Instant Pot over the tomatoes and beef. Pour over the stock and make sure the spaghetti are nicely covered.
- Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 7 minutes.
- Once done, do a quick pressure release (move the steam valve to "venting").
- Open the lid and separate pasta by stirring for 1-2 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy! Feel free to garnish with cheese and basil.
This recipe is a big WOW! The flavor is exquisite. I followed this recipe without any amendments and me and my wife were astonished as it tastes the same as the Bolognese at our favourite dine in place. I will be definitely making it again.
I’m gratified by your lovely compliment! Thanks a lot!
Oh poor you! I would never go to that dine place :]
This recipe is absolutely delicious! It is not the usual and normal spaghetti Bolognese taste, it is awesome! Instead of normal salt and pepper, I used sea salt with chili and garlic by Halen Mon. It turned out great. This recipe is now bookmarked!
I don’t mind people making changes in the recipe to their desire. Instead, I also try the recipe with these changes. I would definitely try it with sea salt with chili and garlic!
This recipe is super incredible, flavorful and very convenient to make. I pressure cooked it for 5 minutes instead of 7 as I wanted it more al dente, and then allow it to release naturally. It came out just perfect. The pasta doesn’t get gooey in the fridge. This is on my list to make again and again.
I’m glad that you like the recipe. In my opinion, 7 minutes are perfect for this recipe, but if you like it more al dente, 5 minutes are okay too!
i love love this one but I’m a single guy my kids all grown and out on there own so im wondering can i cut this recipe in half
Yes you can! Same cooking time.
Do you leave the noodles the way it shows in the picture to cook?
Mix it and try that the liquid will cover most of the noodles.
Came out great!!! This is a keeper! 2 Suggestions- You need to use a 28 oz can of the tomatoes (recipe did not specify) and to use Thin Spaghetti. If using regular spaghetti add 3 minutes to cook time.
Glad you like the recipe 🙂 And great suggestions as well!!
Um, if you look at the ACTUAL RECIPE and list of ingredients, it tells you just that
will this receipe fit in the smallest instapot?
This recipe should work in a 5 quart Instant Pot, although it will be a little tight. It was meant for a 6-quart or larger. The 3 quart mini is too small– if this is the model you have, you will have to make a half batch.
Really liked this. What’s the best way to reheat the leftovers?
You could warm it up a number of ways– stovetop, microwave, or using the warm setting of your Instant Pot if you have a lot of leftovers to heat up. These are all good options.
Or by warming it at your desk in a hot logic mini. That is my plan for the leftovers.
That would work great too, great idea!
Yummy. I added spaghetti and more liquid to accommodate it. Cooked it for the extra 3 minutes for regular spaghetti. Turned out awesome just not real saucy.
Just made the spaghetti Bolognese! It was fantastic! Thanks for sharing your expertise to someone like me – a total amateur to this kind of cooking!
I love Spaghetti Bolognese, but I only have a Electric 2 Qt. Pressure Cooker. If I cut the recipe in half will it work in my cooker?
Yes, it will!
How would you prepare sauce with out pasta
You can prepare the recipe as written, just skip the part where you add the pasta.
I just got my instant pot and this is the first time I used it. This recipe is awesome! So easy and so delicious! Looking forward to using your other recipes!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
can ground turkey be used instead?
Sure, definitely!