Pressure Cooker Beef Ragu

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

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.

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.

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:

Part 1 – Smokey Penne

Part 2 – Carrot & Butternut Squash Soup

Part 3 – Mississippi Roast

Part 4 – Firefighter Chili

Part 5 – Italian Beef Sandwiches

Part 6 – Beef Ragu (you're here!)

Part 7 – Turkey & Sweet Potato Chili

Part 8 – Zuppa Toscana

Part 9 – Carnitas Over Sweet Potato Mash

Part 10 – Taco Soup

 

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.)

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

1 cup chopped onion
3 tbsp minced garlic
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 lb boneless chuck roast
1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper
2 tsp better than bouillon beef
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste

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

Ingredients Needed For Serve Day:

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

(If Prepping From Frozen) On Serve Day…

1. Thaw your meal enough to pop out of the freezer container.
2. Add frozen meal & 1 cup water to IP.
3. Set IP for high, 90 minutes. Once cook cycle is up, allow pressure to naturally release for 10-15 minutes before manually releasing remaining pressure.
4. While the IP is cooking, 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.
5. Once IP cycle is done and pressure is released, shred beef and stir into sauce.
6. Serve ragu over grits. Garnish with parmesan cheese.

(If Prepping From Fresh) On Serve Day…

1. Add ingredients from list 1 & 1 cup water to IP.
2. Set IP for high, 90 minutes. Once cook cycle is up, allow pressure to naturally release for 10-15 minutes before manually releasing remaining pressure.
3. While the IP is cooking, 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.
4. Once IP cycle is done and pressure is released, shred beef and stir into sauce.
5. Serve ragu over grits. Garnish with parmesan cheese.

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!)