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Simple Instant Pot Beef Ragù

Tender, melt in your mouth beef ragù with minimal effort but big results.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chuck roast, cut into large chunks
  • 2 tsps olive oil
  • 3 tbsps butter
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled & halved
  • 1 lg carrot, finely chopped (*or 2 medium)
  • 2 lbs tomatoes, peeled & chopped with their juices (*or 2 cups canned chopped tomatoes with the juice)
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 1 tsp sugar *optional

To Garnish:

  • fresh grated parmigiano
  • fresh chopped parsley
  • fresh chopped basil

Instructions

  1. Set the instant pot to the Saute mode on high and once hot, add the oil.

  2. Pat the meat dry, season it with salt and pepper and brown it on all sides. Then remove and place on a paper towel lined plate.

  3. Add the butter to the pan and once it starts to sizzle, add the garlic and carrots for just a second and press cancel.

  4. Then add the onion halves, cut side down and the tomatoes with their juices. (Add the sugar depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes.) Add the seared meat back in and give everything a slight stir. Close the lid and set the steam valve to the locked position.

  5. Pressure cook for 40 minutes, then do a 10 minute natural release, letting the steam out and opening the lid once complete.

  6. Carefully remove the meat to a plate as well as the softened onion. Take a handheld immersion blender and and puree the sauce slightly. It’s ok if it isnt’t completely smooth. (This step is completely optional and not so traditional, but my kids prefer it when there’s no large tomato bits in the sauce.) Season the sauce with salt & pepper and simmer using the Sauté function if a little thickening is necessary.

  7. Shred the meat then add back to the sauce along with the onions. Serve over your favorite pasta as we like to do with some parmigiano, parsley & basil on top.

  8. **If serving with pasta, add a little of the pasta cooking liquid to the sauce along with the pasta and stir over a low flame for a few minutes until it coats the pasta.

  9. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for about 4 days or frozen for about 2 months.

Stovetop Instructions:

  1. Follow the instructions for the first 4 steps in a large heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven. Sear the meat over a high flame, then turn it down to low once you remove the meat.

  2. Once everything is back in the pot, turn the heat up, bring to a simmer then turn the heat back down to low so it is just barely bubbling. Cover the pot and cook on low for about 2 hours until the meat is soft enough to shred.

  3. Then follow the same instructions starting from step 6 with removing the meat from the pot and proceeding with the rest of the recipe.

Recipe Notes

*This is also really good on top of mashed potatoes or polenta.

* You can serve the soft onion with each portion or opt to puree it with the sauce.  We prefer the former.