I’ve generally refrained from posting recipes that deal solely with a specific tool or gadget because in my opinion cooking should be inclusive for everyone, not just folks with all the toys. That being said, my husband got me an instant pot last christmas and I love it so much that I had to make this instant pot beef ragu. I’ve never been a huge fan of slow cookers but the instant pot is basically a pressure cooker, slow cookies, steamer, etc. in one! This isn’t a sponsored post, I just really love my instant pot and I feel like so many people have one now that why not throw out a couple recipes? If you don’t have an instant pot, you can still make this recipe! Just follow the notes below the recipe to adapt for good old fashioned oven braising.
Instant pot beef ragu is hands down one of my favorite things to put on pasta. It’s rich and hearty and chock full of flavor. Plus, it’s budget friendly because the cuts of meat used in ragu are usually cheap and benefit from a long cooking time (chuck and brisket to name a couple). The reason these cuts are so inexpensive is because they do take some time to tenderize. You can’t simply throw a hunk of brisket on the grill and expect a tender steak. They come from parts of the cow that do a lot of work and thus need more care to get them tender. Braising a ragu in the oven would take at least 3-3.5 hours, whereas with the instant pot the recipe is finished in a fraction of the time. I love that I’m able to throw together a rich and elegant meal on a weeknight.
Oh, and what’s that dollop of white on the pasta? FREAKING MASCARPONE. I had it once at a little italian restaurant in San Diego on my bolognese and now I always put it on my pasta. If you haven’t done this, be prepared to change your life. Mascarpone is rich and creamy and just adds a little coolness and balance to an acidic and fatty sauce. And of course it’s topped with copious amounts of freshly grated parmesan, like all pasta should be. Buon appetito!
I wanted to like this but it was beef soup not ragu. The flavours are nice but it is so watery I am currently simmering it in a separate pot and it will probably take another hour to reduce down to a ragu. I had to serve leftovers for dinner as it wasn’t ready in time.
If anyone else tries this I would suggest not adding a cup of liquid AND 1/2 cup of milk and the juices of the whole tomatoes. Unless you want beef soup.
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Shannon,
I appreciate the feedback. Was your beef by-chance previously frozen? That may account for the extra liquid. I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you this time.
I’ve made this recipe twice previously (in some cases changing the noodles) but the ragu has always turned out very well. It really is delicious with the mascarpone and parm no matter what noodles you use. Thank you for posting and keep the instant pot recipes coming!
★★★★★
This is one of the most delicious and easy recipes I’ve ever made! I’m not very experienced at cooking, a fairly new user of the Instapot, and not overly skilled at cooking in general, but this came out absolutely delicious and perfect! The sauce was very good, and made so much that I was able to have multiple servings with part, and froze the other part for later meals! It thawed perfectly and was great even then!
The mascarpone and parmigiana were perfect on it.
Please keep creating more things like this! 🙂
★★★★★