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Super Easy Instant Pot Beef Ragu

Published Dec 6, 2018 By Julia 14 CommentsThis post may contain affiliate links.

Summary:
A simple dump-and-go Instant Pot recipe for beef ragu with shredded meat and a flavorful tomato sauce. Great for diets like low carb, keto, paleo, whole 30, and gluten free. Browse more Beef Dinner Recipes.

Super Easy Instant Pot Beef Ragu

5 from 7 votes
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Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Natural Release: 10 mins
Yield: 5 servings
Calories: 300
Net Carbs: 6.5g

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 pounds beef chuck chopped into 1-2 inch chunks
  • 1 (28-ounce) can unsalted crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup diced onions
  • 1/2 cup diced carrots
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

For serving:

  • mashed cauliflower
  • chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Add all ingredients to the pressure cooker pot. No need to stir.
  • Secure and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 35 minutes. When finished, let it sit for 10 minutes to naturally release the pressure before using the steam release handle to vent remaining pressure.
  • Uncover. Transfer only the meat to a plate and finely shred using 2 forks. Return the shredded meat to the pot, stirring it in to soak up the sauce.
  • Serve while hot with your choice of side, such as mashed cauliflower, and optionally garnish with chopped parsley.

NUTRITION

Makes 5 Servings
Amount Per Serving (1.5 cups):
Calories 300 (17% from fat)  
Total Fat 6g 9%
   Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 120mg 40%
Sodium 880mg 37%
Net Carb 6.5g  
Total Carb 10g 3%
   Dietary Fiber 3.5g 13%
   Sugars 6g  
Protein 43g  
Vitamin A 29% · Vitamin C 39% · Calcium 10% · Iron 34%

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instant pot beef ragu served with mashed cauliflower

Recipe Overview

This is one of those low-effort recipes that doesn’t require much active cooking on your part. Chop up the meat and veggies, throw everything in the pressure cooker, and wait for it to cook.

It takes about 15 minutes for my 6 quart Instant Pot to pressurize, followed by 35 minutes of cooking at high pressure, and ends with 10 minutes of natural pressure release. No saute mode is needed.

After releasing pressure, shred the meat and stir it into the sauce to soak up the flavors. The result is a flavorful stew filled with tender bites of meat. Very savory and comforting.

step by step collage showing how to make ragu in the pressure cooker

Recipe Development

As one of my favorite Italian dishes, I’ve been making beef ragu with pasta long before I started following a low carb diet or owned an Instant Pot. Sometimes I would add bacon or swap beef for pork, or try different veggies or herbs. I would usually serve it with pappardelle.

When developing this recipe, I experimented with various proportions of ingredients to minimize the number of carbs without sacrificing on flavor. I also adapted it for the pressure cooker and designed the recipe to be as fuss-free as possible.

The various amounts of ingredients yield what I consider to be ideal thickness for beef ragu. If you want a saucier dish, add more crushed tomatoes. Or for a thicker sauce, turn on the saute setting on your pressure cooker to boil off some liquid.

closeup view of shredded beef in ragu sauce in a white bowl

Serving Ideas

I serve beef ragu with mashed cauliflower, as photographed here, and it tastes and looks just like mashed potatoes. You can prepare homemade cauliflower mash, or opt for store-bought versions to save time. Check your supermarket’s frozen vegetables section — I’ve used the brand Bird’s Eye, which has 3g net carbs per 1/2 cup serving.

Other ideas for low carb side dishes include spiralized zucchini, cauliflower rice, or radish noodles, which are often available in the refrigerated produce sections at grocery stores. You can also add toppings like shaved parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

More Instant Pot Beef Recipes


Instant Pot Swiss Steak

Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli
Instant Pot boneless beef short ribs with red wine and balsamic sauce served in a white bowl topped with fresh thyme
Instant Pot Short Ribs

Instant Pot Cabbage Soup

Filed Under: Mains: Beef, Per Serving: 5-10g Net Carbs Tagged With: 31-60min, 6-10ingredients, balsamic vinegar, carrot, chuck roast, fall, garlic, gluten free, instant pot, onion, paleo, thyme, whole30, winter

About Julia

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia is a recipe developer and the founder of Savory Tooth. She shares simple recipes and guides for keto and low carb diets. Learn more.

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newest oldest most voted
Lori

This couldn’t be easier or more tasty! I tried it for the second time and once again it was a 5-star success! I used a large pack of stew meat, doubled the balsamic vinegar, and added some celery and mushrooms that I needed to cook. I also added a dash of red pepper flakes. Really delicious and even better on day 2. I served it with some warm cornbread muffins. Yum!

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21 hours ago
Stephanie

Just made this with a couple adjustments. Didn’t have stewed tomatoes so I used diced and didn’t have just thyme so I used Italian seasoning. This was AMAZING!! We devoured it with roasted fingerling potatoes and a loaf of fresh crusty bread. I don’t usually leave reviews but this is deserving of 10 stars!

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5 months ago
Susan

YUM! I made this for my family, and I also made a vegan version for myself, using mushrooms and root vegetables. I served with oven roasted Brussel sprouts and sour cream!

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1 year ago
david and joie

Loved it!! So easy…Just follow the recipe

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1 year ago
Laurie Kinney

Made this tonight and it was SO good! Had cauliflower on the side to be healthy. 🙂

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1 year ago
Sarahmoon60

I love to serve this on spaghetti squash that I have broken down further than strands so it resembles polenta and add shredded parmesan cheese.

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1 year ago
James

I don’t have a pressure cooker. Can I make it as a casserole in the oven?
Thanks.

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Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
1 year ago
Julia

Yes, that should work. Use a dutch oven or other heavy oven-safe pot, cover with a lid, baking at 350 F for a few hours or until tender enough to shred.

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1 year ago
Kristen

Sounds good and great for fall! How would I adapt it for a slow cooker? Could I just dump it all in and cook on low for 8 hours or add the veggies in late so the onions don’t disintegrate?

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1 year ago
Julia

This recipe adapts well to a slow cooker — your suggested modifications sound reasonable to me. Depending on how crisp or soft you prefer your veggies to be, I would do a coarser chop (instead of diced) and add them at the same time as the beef.

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1 year ago
Kristen

Thank you!

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1 year ago
Anita

Made this last week. Delicious and reheats well for lunches.

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2 years ago
Peter Beckles

Don’t have an Instant Pot. I do have a standard stovetop 15psi pressure cooker. I understand too that the Instant Pot’s high pressure is 12 psi. How long should I cook this recipe?

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Julia

Hi Peter! I haven’t tested this recipe with a stovetop 15psi pressure cooker so I can’t say what the cooking time should be or what changes you would need to make in the recipe.

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago

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