Lighter Weeknight Instant Pot Bolognese
yields: 10 servings
This hearty bolognese sauce takes like you cooked it all day but it's ready in just 40 minutes using the instant pot! A combination of ground turkey and ground beef makes it a little lighter, but boasts deep, rich flavor thanks to san marzano tomatoes, a bit of cream, and parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and minced
- 2 celery stalks, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef, 85/15
- 1 lb ground turkey, or sub ground pork
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 5 tablespoons (3 oz) tomato paste*
- ½ cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio
- 28 oz can San Marzano crushed tomatoes*
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup whole milk or cream
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
For Serving
- 1.5 lbs cooked pasta, either a wide noodle like tagliatelle, or a tube pasta like rigatoni (gluten-free, if needed)
- freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil, julienned
INSTRUCTIONS
- Turn your pressure cooker or Instant Pot to "sauté" setting and adjust the temperature to "more." Once hot, melt butter then add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, occasionally stirring, until the veggies soften and sweat, about 7-8 minutes. Add the ground meat, salt, and pepper. Cook, using a wooden spoon while it cooks to break up and combine the meats, until no longer pink, about 7-8 minutes. Take care to stir regularly so the meat or veggies do not burn and stick to the bottom of the pot. For the stove-top version, follow the steps above, in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add the tomato paste, stirring to combine. Then add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits from the bottom. Add the crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, and milk.
- Give it a good stir, then place the lid on the pressure cooker and set the pressure release valve to the steaming position. Set the pressure to "high" pressure for 25 minutes. (For the stove-top version, place the lid on your pan, slightly open for venting, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, occasionally stirring, for 1.5-2 hours. If your sauce thickens too much, add ¼ cup of vegetable or chicken broth at a time.)
- With a kitchen towel to avoid splatter, carefully move the pressure release valve to the venting position for a manual pressure release. Once the float valve has gone down, open the lid. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired.
- Spoon over cooked pasta and serve with parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Notes
Tomato paste and crushed tomatoes: For an even quicker weeknight pasta, sub out the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes for 28-ounce jar of high-quality marinara (I often use a jar of Rao's Marinara because it's what I always have on hand)
Dairy-free: For a dairy-free version, replace the butter with extra virgin olive oil, and skip the milk and parmesan. It will still be very delicious!
