Description
This hearty Instant Pot beef ragu is a great recipe for cooler weather or when you want to make a versatile meat dish as part of your weekend meal prep. It’s paleo and Whole30 friendly, gluten-free, high in protein and iron, and full of flavour.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, diced into small cubes
- 1 celery stick, diced into small cubes
- 1/2 long red chili, diced (or 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or cayenne pepper)
- 1 + 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 3 large cloves of garlic, finely diced
- 1.5 lb / 700-750 g diced beef steak (stewing steak, chuck steak, rib eye)
- 1 teaspoon black or white pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder (mild or sweet)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, thyme or basil
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder (optional, but adds warmth and depth)
- 1 star anise (optional)
- 1 x can chopped tinned tomatoes (400 g/ 1 + 1/2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos (or Tamari wheat-free soy sauce)
- 1 cube of beef stock including water
Instructions
- Turn on the Instant Pot and press the Sauté function key. Add the olive oil, onions, carrots, celery, chili and salt and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring a few times, until softened.
- Add the beef and the rest of the ingredients and stir through. Press Keep Warm/Cancel.
- Place the lid and lock. Set to Manual, High pressure, and set for 30 minutes. After three beeps the Instant Pot will begin to build up pressure and start cooking. Once the cooking finishes, release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes before using quick release to let off the rest of the steam.
- Then open the lid and press the Sauté function again. Use a potato masher (that’s the easiest way) to shred or mash the beef into smaller pieces. You will get something like shredded beef consistency. Cook for 10-15 minutes to thicken the sauce, stirring every 2-3 minutes. Serve with pasta, vegetable noodles or rice.
- Stove top method. Repeat the first two steps as above using a saucepan over medium heat. Once the beef and tomatoes are in, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered with a lid for 2 hours. After 2 hours, shred the beef, and cook uncovered for 5-10 minutes to thicken the sauce if needed (you might not have as much liquid when cooking on the stove).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 508
- Sugar: 4.1 g
- Sodium: 1163.1 mg
- Fat: 25.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 9.9 g
- Fiber: 3.1 g
- Protein: 62.3 g
- Cholesterol: 199.8 mg
Keywords: Italian, Pasta Sauce, Beef Stew