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Home » Recipes » Instant Pot

Instant Pot Fettuccine Bolognese

Published: Aug 7, 2021 · Modified: Mar 10, 2023 by Ginny · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Talk about a great dish! This Instant Pot Fettuccine Bolognese is delicious, and it’s done in a fraction of the time it would take to make the meat sauce the old way. Instant Pot Bolognese will quickly become one of your favorite dinners to whip up in under 40 minutes.

large serving of bolognese on a cutting board in front of the instant pot.
Instant Pot Bolognese is a Hearty Meal for the Family
Contents hide
1 🍲 Why Make This Recipe
2 🍴 Ingredients
3 🔥How To Make
4 🍝 Meal Prep Instructions
5 🧄 Freezer Prep Instructions
6 🧅 Using An Instant Pot
7 🍅 Substitutions
8 🥄 Variations
9 Recipe FAQs
10 Instant Pot Fettuccine Bolognese

The Instant Pot not only speeds up the cooking time, but it really infuses the flavors together, and it turns out just wonderful. Serve this up with some crusty bread, and you’ve got a great meal everyone will love. Keep this one in your favorites.

Your family is going to fall in love with the flavors so you may as well start planning to make this one again quick! We like to use the same recipe to make Homemade Lean Cuisines for quick and easy freezer lunches on the go and also using leftovers to make Frozen Pasta Meal Packs to use up the sauce or bigger noodles.

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🍲 Why Make This Recipe

  • Homemade
  • Rich flavor
  • Slow simmered flavor
  • Cooks in a fraction of the time as traditional recipe
  • Easy to make
  • Stores well
  • Reheats nicely

🍴 Ingredients

  • Ground Sirloin
  • Butter
  • Tomato Sauce
  • Stewed Tomatoes

🔥How To Make

several process photos showing how to brown the sirloin, make the tomato sauce, cook the noodles and serve.
Simple Instant Pot Instructions

The incredible flavors in this recipe are out of this world. The best part is you don’t have to spend the day in the kitchen preparing it but it’s going to taste like you did.

Step One: Turn on your Instant Pot to the SAUTE setting and melt the butter. Add the chopped sweet onion and cook until it’s golden brown and caramelized. 

Step Two: Add the ground sirloin to the pressure cooker and brown. Make sure that there is no pink left in the ground sirloin.

It’s very important to make sure the sirloin is cooked well and done to ensure it’s safe to eat. 

Step Three: After the sirloin is browned, turn off the saute. Pour in the tomato sauce, minced garlic, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, seasonings, and brown sugar.

Combine until everything is mixed well. Add the fettuccine noodles. 

Note: It’s essential to make sure that the fettuccini is completely covered, and none of it is sticking out above the sauce. Otherwise, it will not cook. You may need to break it into pieces or add up to ½ cup of water to ensure it’s covered. 

Step Four: Add the lid and make sure the pressure valve is on the SEALED POSITION. Turn it onto manual for eight minutes. After it cooks, do a QUICK RELEASE to remove the pressure.

After the pressure has been released, take the lid off and give it a stir. Taste the sauce and see if it is how you like it. Add more seasonings or salt and pepper to meet your needs. 

Step Five: Add to a bowl or plate and serve with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan or parsley. Serve with your favorite bread or garden salad. 

Parsley is a wonderful addition to this dish but if you happen to run out, there are substitute options! Check the list before heading back to the store.

🍝 Meal Prep Instructions

There are so many ways to meal prep and for this recipe we have two options. Make sure to not skip Meal Prep 101 if haven’t started embracing this time saving and stress free option.

Option One: Cut the veggies and cook the sirloin early. Put them into containers to store in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook later in the week.

Option Two: Prepare the dish as directed. Then place it all in a large container or add it to individual serving sized containers. 

This makes lovely leftovers (think weekday lunches!) and an easy meal prep option. It will last up to four days in the fridge.

When you are ready to serve, simply warm it up in the microwave until it’s hot. It will heat up pretty quickly, so stir it often and keep checking it. It’s important to cover it with a paper towel, so you don’t get food sprayed all over the microwave. 

You can also warm it up in a skillet too. It’s a fast way to do it, but you should add a little bit of water if it seems dried out at all. This will keep it saucy and tasty. Warm it up low and slow. When it’s hot, it’s time to devour. 

top down view of a plate of pasta and meat sauce with fresh grated cheese on top.
Simple and Delicious – My Favorite!

🧄 Freezer Prep Instructions

This is one of my favorite meals to prepare as a freezer meal but don’t forget to label them or keep track of what is in your freezer! We’ve covered it all in our Freezer Tips 101.

Option One: I make up a batch and divide it into containers. Make sure to use a tight-fitting lid to keep it from getting freezer burnt. You can save it in the freezer for 4 – 6 months! How incredible is that? 

When you are ready to serve, place the fettuccine bolognese in the fridge overnight when possible. If not, you can microwave it and frequently stir until it’s hot. After you microwave the dish, you are ready to serve. 

Option Two: Cook the ground sirloin and put into a freezer safe bag. Cut up the veggies and place in a separate bag.

When you are ready to make this dish, defrost the two and proceed with the dish as directed.

🧅 Using An Instant Pot

If you aren’t sure how to use your Instant Pot, be sure to check out the manual. It’s crucial to completely understand how to use a pressure cooker because it can be dangerous if not used properly.

Once you know how it’s supposed to work, make a few recipes. The more you use it, the less scary it becomes. I promise if you use it correctly, it’s a fantastic way to cook many recipes. 

The part that most people get confused by is the quick release and natural release. A natural release means that the pressure is slowly and “naturally” released from the pot.

There isn’t anything you need to do except wait until the pressure has released, and it beeps to let you know you can open the lid safely. 

A quick release means that you are actually manually releasing the pressure quickly. NEVER do this with your bare hands. The steam is extremely hot, and you can get very burned.

Always use a wooden spoon or towel to turn the valve. Keep your hands and face away from the pot at all times to prevent serious burns or damage. 

Occasionally, you will have a recipe that has a combination of natural and quick release. Often you will let it sit and release pressure for a certain amount of time then finish by removing the rest of the pressure quickly. 

🍅 Substitutions

This recipe is pretty forgiving, and you can make several substitutions if you wish. The flavor will still be fabulous, even if you make some changes. Take a look at these ideas to consider. 

  • Meat – Substitute the ground sirloin for any of your other favorite ground meats. Ground turkey, chicken, pork sausage, Italian sausage, or ground beef are all lovely options. Sometimes we will do a variety of meats to add even more flavor. 
  • Noodles – If you are out of fettuccine noodles, don’t worry! You can switch them out with linguini or even spaghetti noodles. Both taste great and will give you a fantastic meal option. 
  • Cheese – While we used parmesan on top of our Instant Pot Fettuccine Bolognese, you can also use mozzarella, provolone, Swiss, or even cheddar. Try them all and see what you prefer. 

🥄 Variations

I love all the different combinations I can make with this Instant Pot Fettuccine Bolognese recipe. You can add in all your favorites to fit your desires and add some pizzazz to your life. Try some of these ingredients:

  • Mushrooms – I feel like adding mushrooms to anything Italian just makes sense! They give a terrific earthy flavor that is divine. 
  • Olives – Toss in a few black olives to the sauce as it cooks. It adds some color and gives you some nutrients like vitamin E, iron, calcium, and copper. 
  • Carrots – Chop up some carrots very finely and add them to the mix. This is a great way to sneak in some veggies, and no one will even realize it. 
  • Celery – I dice it up, so the celery is pretty small and unnoticeable. It adds flavor and makes the meal even more nutritious. 

Do you love pasta recipes as much as we do? Try some of our other favorites:

Recipe FAQs

What Is Bolognese?

Bolognese is a bit different from a classic pasta sauce. Bolognese uses other vegetables and spices to offer that distinct flavor you know and love from this classic dish.

How to keep pasta from sticking together?

Simply place pasta in a fan layer in the pressure cooker. This will help ensure the pasta doesn’t stick together. If you just drop in, it can clump together.

Why didn’t my pasta cook fully in Instant Pot?

You need to ensure all the pasta is fully in the water. If dry pasta is sticking out of the liquid your pasta will not soften the way it needs to in the pressure cooker.

What to serve with Instant Pot Fettuccine Bolognese?

Salad, garlic bread, breadsticks, side of vegetables, etc. Feel free to reach for your favorite side dishes to pair with pasta.

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large serving of bolognese on a cutting board in front of the instant pot.

Instant Pot Fettuccine Bolognese

This Instant Pot Fettuccine Bolognese is delicious, and it's done in a fraction of the time it would take to make the meat sauce the old way.  The Instant Pot not only speeds up the cooking time, but it really infuses the flavors together, and it turns out just wonderful. {WW 6 Purple, 7 Blue, 7 Green}
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Instant Pot, Main, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 582kcal
Author: Ginny

Equipment

  • Instant Pot

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Ground Sirloin
  • 1 tbs Butter
  • 1 Sweet Onion chopped
  • 1 tbsp Garlic minced
  • 32 oz Tomato Sauce
  • 28 oz Stewed Tomatoes
  • 6 oz Tomato Paste
  • 2 cups Water
  • 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1 tbsp Sweet Basil
  • 1 tsp Oregano ground
  • 1 tsp Garlic Salt
  • 1 tsp Seasoned Salt
  • 1 tsp Pepper
  • ¼ cup Brown Sugar
  • ½ lb Fettuccine
  • 4 tsp Parmesan Cheese to top
  • 2 tsp Parsley minced for top

Instructions

  • Turn the Instant Pot on to the SAUTE setting, and melt the butter in the Instant Pot once it has warmed up.
  • Add the chopped onion, and saute until caramelized, or golden brown. 
  • Add the ground Sirloin, and cook until well browned, and no pink is left. Turn off Saute setting.
  • Add the minced garlic, tomato sauce (both cans), stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, Italian seasoning, sweet basil, ground Oregano, garlic salt, seasoned salt, seasoned pepper,and brown sugar.  Stir all together until well mixed. 
  • Add the Fettuccine, and make sure it's completely covered and not sticking out of the sauce. (You can break it in half to make it easier to submerge in the sauce).  (If you need to add a little more water, to make sure the Fettuccine is covered, add another ½ cup).
  • Place the lid on the Instant Pot, and make sure the pressure valve is set to SEALING.  Press the MANUAL button, and set the time for 8 minutes.
  • When the Instant Pot is finished cooking, beeps and goes to OFF, go ahead and quick release the pressure, by turning the pressure valve from sealing to VENTING. 
  • When all the pressure has been released, and the FLOAT VALVE drops down, remove the lid from the Instant Pot, and stir the Fettuccine, and sauce.  (This is where I taste the sauce, to see if it needs any more seasonings, or if it's just right).  If you need to add anything, do it now, and stir well to blend.  
  • Serve on plates, or in pasta bowls, and top with Parmesan cheese, and a little Parsley.  Pair with crusty bread, or even a side salad.  Serve, and Enjoy!

Notes

NOTE:  If you’re not familiar with the Pressure Valve, or Float Valve on your Instant Pot, read your instruction manual to find where the valve’s are located, and how to use them.  When cooking the ground Sirloin, make sure you cook the meat well done.  DO NOT leave any of the meat PINK.  As you’re cooking the Sirloin, crumble it or break it apart with a large fork, until it resembles small crumbs.
TIMING: Remember that Instant Pots can take up to 10 minutes to build pressure BEFORE the time to cook starts. 
Fully Submerge Pasta: Make sure the pasta is fully submerged in the liquid when you cook. 
Make Sure to Quick Release: Quick release or the pasta will break down too much as it cooks. 
Storage: Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. 
Pasta is Overcooked: If you don’t quick release it will come out overcooked. 
Pasta is Partially Hard: If you don’t make sure the pasta is submerged, it will not come out fully cooked and parts of it will be hard. Double check before closing the lid. 
Prevent Pasta from Sticking Together: Simply place pasta in a fan layer in the pressure cooker. This will help ensure the pasta doesn’t stick together. If you just drop in, it can clump together. 
Red Wine: Substitute a little of the red wine for the water. 
Burn Notice: If you experience a burn notice on your machine, there is not enough liquid inside or there are too many tiny bits sticking to the bottom. Release any pressure that has built and add more liquid and start over with pressurizing. Make sure that you fully deglaze and don’t add anything until it warms up a bit. You can also add a little bit of olive oil to the butter to raise the temperature of the butter. Alternatively, you can sauté the sirloin on the pan on the stove (which would be great if you wanted to partially meal prep this.) 
Tomato Choice: San Marzano are the most authentic tomatoes and highest quality. Choose this version, if you can find it or are able to afford it as it is a little bit more expensive. 
Freezer Friendly: Freeze in sealed containers and freeze for up to 2 months. Pull out the night before you plan to eat them and either microwave or heat up on the stove top. 
Draining Fat in Instant Pot: If you have residual fat from the sirloin, use a couple of paper towels and a set of tongs to wipe it all up. 
Meal Prep: Cut all the veggies and pre cook the sirloin to turn this into a quick “toss and go” recipe. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 582kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 732mg | Potassium: 621mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 166IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @savorandsavvy or tag #savorandsavvy!
Instant Pot Fettuccine BologneseInstant Pot Fettuccine Bolognese
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About Ginny

Hi! My name is Ginny and I know how busy life can be! I am a mom working hard to prepare healthy meals for my family that is always on the go!

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Family Photo Hi! I'm Ginny and for over 30 years, I've been creating simple and easy recipes without sacrificing on taste for our family on the go. I can't wait to show you how to do the same for your family. Read More...

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