Instant Pot Beef Ragu

This Instant Pot Beef Ragu recipe turns simple roast and grits into something really special. This can be prepped in a pressure cooker and is loaded with rich, cheesy flavor!

beef ragu over cheese grits, topped with shredded parmesan, on a white plate.

You're looking at my absolute favorite freezer meal ever. Quite possibly my favorite recipe in my collection (and you guys know I have quite a few).

Beef Ragu is absolutely exploding with flavor. I look forward to this one each time we have it! The combination of the rich tomato sauce and creamy cheese grits is amazing. The parmesan on top gives it just a little bit of a bite to completely round out the meal. This is one of those meals that feels totally fancy when it totally isn't. It's incredibly easy to make and is a great fake-out meal when you need to entertain or serve guests something they'll remember.

beef ragu over cheese grits, topped with shredded parmesan, on a white plate.

You'll never know that this is a freezer meal - it tastes like you've been cooking all day. And readers agreed - this was high in the running when I asked what should be in this summer's Best of FMBC series.

beef ragu over cheese grits, topped with shredded parmesan, on a white plate.

As a reminder: I’ll be sharing a recipe for each week of the summer (10 weeks total). On the 11th week, I’ll have a full pack of printables, recipes, and prep instructions to make all of these recipes at once for your freezer, just like my other Freezer Meal Boot Camps!

(UPDATE: The full freezer meal boot camp is now available here!) 

You can check out the other recipes in this series below:

In each of these posts, I’ll share how to make the recipe from either fresh or frozen. (And a note: if you’ve done my boot camps before, these recipes might vary slightly from the original version to make overall prep easier.)

(Don’t forget to label your meal – here’s a free printable for that!)

Instant Pot Beef Ragu

This Instant Pot Beef Ragu recipe turns simple roast and grits into something really special. This can be prepped in a pressure cooker and is loaded with rich, cheesy flavor!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8
Calories 597 kcal

Ingredients
  

Ingredient List 1: If freezing, put the following in your freezer container:

  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 3 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 3 lb boneless chuck roast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoon beef better than bouillon
  • 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
  • 6 oz canned tomato paste

Ingredients Needed For Serve Day:

  • ½ cup parmesan cheese
  • 3 slices American cheese
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese
  • 2 cups quick cooking grits

Instructions
 

(If Prepping From Frozen) On Serve Day…

  • Thaw your meal enough to pop out of the freezer container.
  • Add frozen meal & 1 cup water to the Instant Pot.
  • Set Instant Pot for high, 90 minutes. Once cook cycle is up, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10-15 minutes before manually releasing remaining pressure.
  • While the Instant Pot cycle is running, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, add grits and stir vigorously until blended and smooth. Add American and cheddar cheeses; stir.
  • Once the Instant Pot cycle is done and pressure is released, shred beef and stir into sauce.
  • Serve beef ragu over cheese grits. Garnish with parmesan cheese.

(If Prepping From Fresh) On Serve Day…

  • Add ingredients from list 1 & 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot.
  • Set the Instant Pot for high, 90 minutes. Once the cook cycle is up, allow pressure to naturally release for 10-15 minutes before manually releasing remaining pressure.
  • While the Instant Pot cycle is running, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, add grits and stir vigorously until blended and smooth. Add American and cheddar cheeses; stir.
  • Once the Instant Pot cycle is done and pressure is released, shred beef and stir into sauce.
  • Serve beef ragu over cheese grits. Garnish with parmesan cheese.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 597kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 45gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 1070mgPotassium: 1104mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 731IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 341mgIron: 7mg
Tried this recipe?Rate it in the comments below!

You can also download a recipe card for this meal here.

You won't regret making this one - I hope you love it!

(UPDATED: You can now find the full Best of Freezer Meal Boot Camp, including full prep instructions and labels, here!)

xo, Leslie - blog post signature at the end of post.

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