Enjoy the satisfying and warming flavors of Instant Pot Beef Ragu in under an hour! What better way to warm up on a chilly night than with fork-tender beef, Italian flavors, and a bed of cheesy polenta.
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Make my delicious Instant Pot Beef Ragu to warm you up on a chilly fall day. Its luxurious flavors are comforting, satisfying, and perfect for the whole family. Make sure to serve a batch on top of my Cheesy Polenta to fill you up for hours!
No longer do you have to spend hours on this dish! An Instant Pot is a lifesaver, cutting the traditional cook time in half while still filling your home with the sweet aroma of meaty Italian flavors.
What is beef ragu?
Beef ragu is a slow-cooked, warm dish that blends Italian flavors with fall-off-the-bone beef. It can be made with both boneless beef chuck roast or short ribs. It can be made in less than an hour in an Instant Pot, or over several hours in a slow cooker or on the stovetop (instructions included below).
Prep your beef for this recipe by cutting the boneless beef chuck roast into 2-inch cubes (no need to cut if you’re using short ribs). Pat them dry with a paper towel. Salt with 1.5 tbsp of sea salt on all sides.
Ingredients you need
This delicious dinner option uses simple ingredients only. Head to your local butcher for the best cut of beef, or just use your favorite grocery store option.
This is what you need:
- Boneless beef chuck roast or beef short ribs
- Sweet onion and garlic
- Carrots
- Red wine
- Beef broth
- Marinara sauce
- Fresh herbs like thyme, bay leaf, chives, parsley, or dill
How to make Instant Pot Beef Ragu
It would usually take hours to get this recipe done, but the Instant Pot cuts that time down to less than an hour. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, I’ve included instructions on how to make this recipe on the stove or in a crockpot.
Here’s how to do it:
- Turn your Instant Pot to Sear mode. Split the meat into 2 batches and when the IP is hot, add in the oil and one batch of meat. Sear on all sides until browned (about 3 to 4 minutes per side).
- Remove the first batch of meat and repeat step 1 with the second batch.
- After the meat is seared, remove it and add in the onions and carrots and cook until they’re slightly soft. After 5 minutes, add in the garlic and sauté.
- Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to lift the brown bits. Stir for 1 minute, then add in the beef broth, marinara, meat, and the fresh herbs.
- Close and lock the Instant Pot lid and set the vent to seal. Select Manual Mode and set the cook time to 40 minutes. When it’s done, turn the pressure vent to release until it’s back to normal.
- Remove the meat and shred it with two forks. Remove any bay leaves or sprigs of thyme. Add the meat back into the pot and serve hot!
How to make beef ragu in a slow cooker
- Spray the bowl of a slow cooker with cooking spray. Add in all of your ingredients, including the seasoned beef. Only use ½ cup red wine and ½ cup beef broth for this method.
- Cover with a lid and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 5 to 6 hours. When it’s done, remove any bay leaves or sprigs of thyme, then remove the meat and shred.
- Stir the meat back into the pot, then serve.
How to make beef ragu on the stove
- Using a dutch oven or a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sear the meat as you would if using an Instant Pot.
- Remove the meat and add in the onions and carrots and cook until they’re slightly soft. After 5 minutes, add in the garlic and sauté.
- Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to lift the brown bits. Simmer for 3 minutes, then add in the beef broth, marinara, meat, and the fresh herbs.
- Reduce the heat to low and cover halfway with a lid (to let the steam escape). Simmer for 3 hours or until the meat is shreddable.
- Remove the meat from the pot and shred. Remove any bay leaves or sprigs of thyme, then return the shredded meat back into the pot and stir.
Helpful Tips
- Thicken the liquid by bringing it to a simmer on the Sear option in the Instant Pot while you’re shredding the meat. Add the meat back in and let it sit in the juices while it continues to simmer for another 10 minutes. This should reduce the liquid by half.
- If there’s still too much liquid for your liking, make a slurry with 1 tbsp cornstarch and a little water, stirring until smooth. Stir it into the finished dish while it’s still in the Instant Pot and heat on Sear for a few minutes.
- Add in mushrooms for more meaty flavors. Sauté whole cremini mushrooms in 3 tbsp of unsalted butter with 1 tsp of salt on medium-high heat in a large pan for about 5 to 7 minutes on both sides. Stir them into the finished dish or serve on top.
How to serve
Beef ragu is traditionally served over a bed of fresh pappardelle, which is a large, flat pasta noodle. Feel free to serve it over any kind of pasta you like, or use my recipe for my Creamy Cheese Polenta instead.
You could also serve the beef ragu over mashed potatoes, rice, brown butter and sage gnocchi, cauliflower puree, zucchini noodles, or stuffed in a rolled lasagna. Don’ t forget to top it with fresh herbs, like chives, parsley, or dill!
More Comforting Dinner Recipes
- Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup
- Pork Chops With Tarragon Sauce
- Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes
- Instant Pot Ribs
Did you try this recipe for Instant Pot Beef Ragu? How did you serve it? Let me know what you think in the comments below! Also, don’t forget to take a picture, tag it with #lenaskitchenblog on Instagram. I love seeing what you come up with!
Instant Pot Beef Ragu
INGREDIENTS
- 3 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, or beef short ribs
- 1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 6-8 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup red wine, or any works or add an additional cup of beef broth
- 1 cup beef broth
- 12 oz marinara, or tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
- 3 tbsp sea salt, divided between beef and veggies
- 4-6 tbsp olive oil, for sauteeing
- 1-2 bay leaves or sprigs of thyme
- finely chopped fresh herbs like chives, parsley or dill
INSTRUCTIONS
- Turn the sear option on your Instant Pot and wait a few minutes until it’s hot.
- Cut boneless beef chuck roast into 2 inch cubes, pat dry with paper towel. If using short ribs, pat those dry, no need to cut anything on the ribs. Salt with 1.5 tbsp sea salt on all sides.
- Add a few tbsp olive oil in the Instant Pot once it’s hot. Split the meat into two batches. Sear meat on all sides ensuring it’s browned. Should be about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the first batch and set it aside in a bowl. Add another tbsp or two of olive oil. Repeat with second batch.
- While the meat is searing, peel and chop one large onion into 1/2 inch pieces. Peel the carrots and cut into 1/2 rounds. Peel and roughly chop the garlic.
- Once all the meat is seared, add a tbsp or 2 of oil and cook the onions and carrots until slightly softened. Add in the remaining 1.5 tbsp of salt. Scrape down any browned bits from the meat. After 5 minutes, add in the garlic and sauté for a minute or two.
- Before adding the meat, pour in the 1 cup of red wine (if not using wine, add an additional cup of beef broth) and ensure anything that's stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot is scraped down with a wooden spoon. Cook for 1 minute. Then add in the beef stock and tomato sauce. Add in the meat and the juices that it released. Throw in a few larger sprigs of fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves.
- Close and lock the lid, set the vent to seal. Select MANUAL MODE and add 40 minutes to the time.
- When the timer goes off, turn the pressure vent to release, and wait for the pressure to normalize. Remove the ribs to a plate and shred the meat with two forks. Remove bay leaves and thyme stems.
- Serve over a bed of cheesy polenta, pasta, or mashed potatoes.
NOTES
- Thicken the liquid by bringing it to a simmer on the Sear option in the Instant Pot while you’re shredding the meat. Add the meat back in and let it sit in the juices while it continues to simmer for another 10 minutes. This should reduce the liquid by half.
- If there’s still too much liquid for your liking, make a slurry with 1 tbsp cornstarch and a little water, stirring until smooth. Stir it into the finished dish while it’s still in the Instant Pot and heat on Sear for a few minutes.
- Add in mushrooms for more meaty flavors. Sauté whole cremini mushrooms in 3 tbsp of unsalted butter with 1 tsp of salt on medium-high heat in a large pan for about 5 to 7 minutes on both sides. Stir them into the finished dish or serve on top.
I love this dish! It’s so simple, very flavorful and tender!! I make it often and always pair it with your creamy polenta. I also enjoy this ragu with buckwheat, mashed potatoes, and pasta. Easy to make ahead too. Thank you for this incredible recipe!
Delicious! would love a pulled pork recipe as well 🙂 hope you will consider making one.
Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it.
Instant pot beef looks is delicious . I love that. Thanks for sharing helpful information about Instant pot beef
This recipe looked really good on your blog but the amount of salt you wrote (3TBSP) to add in this recipe is way too MUCH. I followed your instructions step by step and was very excited to try it but it was way too salty nobody could eat it. I was very disappointed with this recipe and am now worried to try any other recipes on your blog. Please write accurate measurements or if you’re not sure write salt to taste.
So simple, quick and DELICIOUS! Love those dinners. Served it over creamy polenta. It was definitely a hit! Making it again for sure.
Thank you Linda, happy to hear that you are going to try it out. It’s so yummy.
Looks delicious! . Can’t wait to try these!
https://coolkitchenutensils.com
Right? I love the lasagna idea too. I thought it would pair so well with the flavors and will be the perfect comfort food bite. Can’t wait to see you make it. Happy cooking.
I am so happy to see you enjoyed it and added your own touch with the pepper. Good call. Happy cooking.
Absolutely yummy, a few pinches of red crush pepper for just a touch of spice and perfection.
Ragu is on our menu quite often during colder days; I love your version since it is definitely brought to a higher level. Most of all I love the idea to use this beauty for lasagna ! Thank you so much !
this looks BEAUTIFUL Lena! I made a beef ragu the other night in my slow cooker, it’s the best dish for fall/winter!! love love love!