I love cooking the bolognese sauce in my Dutch oven over the stovetop, but it takes hours. So today, I’m sharing a quicker alternative and just as tasty, Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese (圧力鍋スパゲッティボロネーゼ) recipe with you.
Stovetop vs. Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
Just to be clear, I am NOT saying that a pressure cooker makes better Bolognese sauce. There’s just something magical about slow cooking as if you are adding love to the food every time you stir. However, just because you don’t have time, you don’t have to give up on homemade bolognese sauce altogether.
With a pressure cooker, you can save time and effort, but achieve a full depth of flavor equivalent to the slow-cooking sauce that’s been simmering on the stovetop for hours.
And for busy moms who often struggle to put time in the kitchen, that’s a huge win!
3 Key Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
1. Soffritto (in Italian, and Mirepoix in French)
What is soffritto? It’s a mixture of finely chopped onions, carrots, and celery (it really depends, but usually in 2 parts : 1 part : 1 part ratio) that are sautéed with olive oil or butter until tender and golden.
It’s an umami-rich magical flavor. It’s used as the flavor base for a wide variety of dishes including soups, stews, stocks, ragu, sauces, risotto, and more.
2. Beef and Pork
I use two types of meat for my bolognese sauce: beef and pork (both about 20% fat). They are both juicy, flavor-rich meat, but when the beef is used by itself, the texture of the meat sauce tends to be harder. Therefore, blending in the pork makes the sauce more tender.
You can use Italian sausages too, but I like my bolognese sauce with ground beef and pork as I grew up eating it this way.
3. Use Red Wine
Both red and wine will work, but I use red wine because it’s a red meat dish. Plus, we can enjoy the rest of the wine with the meal after cooking.
The alcohol in the wine evaporates while the food is cooking, and the only flavor remains. The wine flavor adds complexity and a variety of tastes (acidity, sweetness, etc) to the dish that’s difficult to substitute.
Why Pressure Cooker Instead of Slow Cooker?
I usually use pressure cooking mode on my favorite Instant Pot (I’m not sponsored; I just love this gadget!) rather than slow cooking mode simply because I typically decide on dinner menus pretty last minute.
If you have an electric slow cooker, or slow cooking fits your lifestyle, you can definitely use this recipe as well.
To quickly explain, this Instant Pot is a 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Cooker. It can be a rice maker/porridge maker, steamer, sauté/browning, yogurt maker, and warmer. My mom used stove top pressure cookers at home growing up but they scare me a bit with the loud whistling noise. You also need to stay in the kitchen to control the heat. With the Instant Pot, you can just set and walk away!
A Little Tip for Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
As the liquid stays in the pot during the cooking process, not much liquid is lost compared to the stovetop. If there is too much liquid for your liking, turn the Instant Pot to “Saute” mode and evaporate some liquid.
Sign up for the free Just One Cookbook newsletter delivered to your inbox! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 carrot (3.2 oz, 90 g)
- 1 rib celery (3.5 oz, 100 g)
- 1 onion (8.5 oz, 240 g)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 6 button mushrooms
- 8 oz ground beef chuck (about 20% fat)
- 4 oz ground pork (about 20% fat)
For the Seasonings/Condiments
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup red wine (4 Tbsp)
- 1 28-oz can whole peeled or crushed tomato and juice (800 ml)
- ¼ cup chicken or vegetable stock (4 Tbsp)
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (and more to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper
To Serve
- 1½ lb spaghetti (4 oz, 113 g of pasta per person)
- 1½ Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for boiling the pasta)
- Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese
- parsley (I actually love using cilantro instead of parsley. Have you tried it? So good!)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Cut 1 carrot, 1 rib celery, and 1 onion into small, roughly equal-sized chunks.
- Put the vegetables in the food processor and pulse a few times until minced. (If you don’t have a food processor, simply mince them by hand.) If a few pieces are too large, mince those remaining pieces by hand; do not continue with the food processor as you will overprocess the rest. Set aside.
- Mince 2 cloves garlic. Brush off any dirt and debris from 6 button mushrooms and slice them. Alternatively, you can lightly rinse the mushrooms with cool water and pat them dry with paper towels, but do not soak them (they absorb water like a sponge).
- Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot (I use 6-QT Instant Pot) and heat 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
- Add the minced garlic and 1 bay leaf and stir until fragrant.
- Add the minced vegetables and sauté until the onion is tender.
- Add 8 oz ground beef chuck and 4 oz ground pork to the pot. Sauté and mix the meat with the rest of the ingredients in the pot.
- Add ¼ cup red wine and stir, scraping the juicy bits stuck to the bottom and sides of the pot and evaporate the alcohol completely, about 5–7 minutes.
- Crush your 1 28-oz can whole peeled or crushed tomato and juice if they are not already crushed. Then, add the tomatoes and ¼ cup chicken or vegetable stock to the pot.
- Add the sliced mushrooms, 2 tsp dried oregano, and 2 tsp dried basil on top.
- Cover and lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Make sure the steam release handle points at Sealing and not Venting. Press the Keep Warm/Cancel button on the Instant Pot to stop the Sauté mode. Press the Manual button to switch to the pressure cooking mode. Press the minus (-) button to change the cooking time to 20 minutes.
- If you’re using a stove-top pressure cooker, you won’t have any buttons to press. Just cook on high heat until High pressure is reached. Then, reduce the heat to low but maintain high pressure for about 20 minutes.
- When it is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the Keep Warm mode. Let the pressure release naturally, about 15–20 minutes. Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water (4–5 QT), add 1½ Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and boil 1½ lb spaghetti or your choice of pasta. Cook according to the package instructions and drain the pasta.
- After de-pressurizing is complete, unlock the lid and add 1 Tbsp unsalted butter and freshly ground black pepper. Taste the spaghetti sauce, and if necessary, season with up to 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If the sauce is too thin or soupy due to moisture released by the ingredients, turn on the Sauté mode and reduce the sauce to the desired consistency (I did not need to do that).
- Finely mince fresh parsley. Serve the spaghetti sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month. I recommend packing the sauce in individual portions so you can easily enjoy it later on. It‘s great emergency food if you‘re really behind on prepping a meal. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in a pot over very low heat on the stovetop.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @justonecookbook on Instagram so we can see your delicious creation!
