Weekday Bolognese

olive oil

1 1/2 cup diced yellow onion

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1 lb ground chuck

1 lb ground pork

4 ounces diced pancetta

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup of red wine

28 ounces crushed San Marzano tomatoes

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup Italian parsley, divided

1/4 cup heavy cream

salt/pepper

Turn Instant Pot to the Saute function and pour in the olive oil. When heated, add onions, carrots and celery and cook until soft. Add the beef, pork and pancetta along with a tea of salt and 1/2 tea pepper. Saute until meats have browned. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant. Deglaze the pot by adding the red wine and scraping all the bits off the bottom of the pot. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, water and 1/4 cup parsley. Place the lid on the pot, close the valve and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Perform a quick release. Turn the pot back onto Saute and simmer until desired consistency. Stir in cream and remaining parsley. Enjoy with a heavy pasta.

I already know what you are thinking so please don't just scroll past this recipe- "Bolognese is a labor of love that you have to tend to all day long, not something to be done in the Instant Pot." And you're right. It is. And I almost scrolled past. But we needed a heavy, fall comfort meal to help us survive the cold and I didn't have time to watch the Dutch oven all day. This recipe did not disappoint. Full disclosure- this was not like the usual bolognese sauce I make. However, it is a rich, meaty and delicious substitute that I would definitely make again and again. I had time to make this on a Wednesday, hence the name "Weekday Bolognese". Bolognese is such a heavy sauce so please don't use a wimpy pasta. We used gnocchi because it sounded good that day. I usually use the pappardelle pasta and that is enough to stand up to the sauce. I did have some trouble finding a can of crushed tomatoes, so I just bought the can of whole tomatoes and crushed them myself with a potato masher and added everything, including the juices. It's pretty simple. In all, it did take about an hour and a half to make this recipe with all the sauteing before hand. And the volume in the pot made the "come to pressure" time a little longer than most. But so worth it. And on a weekday!  

Here is the link to the original blog post where I found the recipe:

https://stripedspatula.com/bolognese-sauce-recipe-instant-pot/#wprm-recipe-container-9955