Description
This Easy Instant Pot Beef Ragu is a hearty, flavorful Italian-style stew made with tender chuck roast, slow-cooked in a rich tomato and red wine sauce. Utilizing the Instant Pot allows for a quick and hands-off method to develop deep, complex flavors with perfectly shredded beef perfect for serving over pasta, polenta, or vegetable noodles.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef & Seasoning
- 3 pounds chuck roast, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Vegetables & Aromatics
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, cut into rounds
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped
Sauce Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup red wine (or additional beef broth)
- 1 cup beef stock
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Finishing
- 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped for serving
- 1 tablespoon corn starch (optional for thickening)
Instructions
- Heat the Instant Pot: Using the sauté function on your 6-8 quart Instant Pot, heat it up to prepare for browning the meat.
- Prepare the beef: Cut chuck roast into 2-inch cubes. Pat dry with paper towels to ensure good browning. Season all sides with 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt.
- Sear the beef: Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the hot Instant Pot. Brown the beef cubes on all sides, about 2 minutes per side, working in batches to avoid overcrowding. Remove browned beef and set aside.
- Sauté vegetables: Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot. Add diced onion, carrot rounds, chopped celery, and the remaining kosher salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until softened. Then add garlic, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce; sauté for 1 more minute.
- Deglaze and combine: Pour in the red wine, scraping the brown fond off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to incorporate those flavors. Simmer for 2 minutes to reduce alcohol. Add beef stock and stir to combine. Return seared beef along with accumulated juices back to the pot. Add thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
- Pressure cook the ragu: Close the Instant Pot lid and set the valve to seal. Select manual or pressure cook mode and set for 35 minutes. When done, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully quick release any remaining pressure.
- Finish the ragu: Open the lid, remove bay leaves and thyme stems. The beef should be tender enough to shred easily but may be left whole if preferred.
- Thicken the sauce (optional): For a thicker sauce, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with ¼ cup of the cooking liquid in a small bowl until smooth. Stir this mixture back into the pot and heat through briefly to thicken.
- Serve: Garnish with finely chopped parsley and serve the beef ragu over polenta, cooked pasta, zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash for a comforting meal.
Notes
- Patting the beef dry before searing is important to get a good browning which adds flavor.
- If you prefer, substitute red wine with additional beef broth for a non-alcoholic version.
- Thickening the sauce with cornstarch is optional depending on your preferred consistency.
- This ragu can be made ahead and tastes even better the next day when flavors meld.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Instant Pot beef ragu, beef stew, Italian beef ragu, easy ragu recipe, pressure cooker beef, beef pasta sauce
