This Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese recipe is a one-pot meal that can be made in your pressure cooker in less than 30 minutes!
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.
It’s a highly nutritious and equally delicious meal to add to the rotation of dinner menus.
Table of Contents
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.
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
Gather your ingredients:
Heat Instant pot to Saute. Add 1 tablespoon 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
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.
FAQs
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.
Can I use gluten free pasta?
Sure! For full instructions check out this Instant Pot Gluten Free Pasta recipe.
Can I make it without an Instant Pot?
Yes! For step-by-step and a video guide check out this Spaghetti Bolognese recipe
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
More One Pot Meals
Instant Pot Spaghetti And Meatballs
Looking for more ideas? Check out all the one pot meals on Corrie Cooks
Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cup yellow onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cup beef broth
- 12 ounce spagheti
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 28 oz
Instructions
- 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.
My spaghetti always clumps together into a hard lumps. What’s your secret for getting it to cook properly?
Wow! Amazing recipe thank you Corrie.
Glad you loved it!! Thank you!
Serving up IP deliciousness
I'm glad you think so, thanks!!
can ground turkey be used instead?
Sure, definitely!
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!
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 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!