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.
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.
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.
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.
Super Easy Instant Pot Beef Ragu
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.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck chopped into 1-2 inch chunks
- 28 ounces canned 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
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Add all ingredients to the pressure cooker pot. No need to stir.
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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.
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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.
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Serve while hot with your choice of side, such as mashed cauliflower, and optionally garnish with chopped parsley.
Nutrition Notes
This recipe yields 6.5 g net carbs per serving (1.5 cups of stew or 1/5th of the recipe).
| Nutrition Facts Per Serving |
| Calories 300 | |
| Total Fat 6g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat 2g | 10% |
| Trans Fat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 120mg | 40% |
| Sodium 880mg | 37% |
| Total Carb 10g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 3.5g | 13% |
| Sugars 6g | |
| Protein 43g |
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?
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.