COURSE:
Dinner, Italian, Lunch, Side Dish
Instant Pot Lamb Ragu
Deeply savoury, rich and slow-cooked in flavour – but fast on time, this Instant Pot Lamb Ragu is a hearty and comforting dish that brings restaurant-quality results to your kitchen with ease. Using your pressure cooker, you’ll create a robust ragu with tender, melt-in-the-mouth lamb, a rich tomato base, and plenty of aromatic herbs – all in under an hour.
Comfort Food with a Twist
While beef ragu gets a lot of attention, lamb offers a bold, slightly sweet depth that makes this version stand out. The sauce begins with a classic soffritto of onion, carrot and celery, then builds layers with garlic, red wine, tinned tomatoes and fresh rosemary or thyme. The result is a thick, luxurious sauce that clings beautifully to pasta.
The Instant Pot Advantage
Traditionally, lamb ragu would need to simmer for hours to develop its flavour – but the Instant Pot achieves the same depth in a fraction of the time. Pressure cooking breaks down the lamb shoulder or leg until tender and flavourful, while infusing the sauce with rich, savoury complexity.
How to Serve
This ragu is perfect with wide pasta like pappardelle or tagliatelle, which hold the sauce beautifully. A generous grating of Parmesan or Pecorino on top adds a salty, cheesy finish, while a sprinkle of fresh parsley or basil lifts the dish with a touch of freshness. It’s also delicious spooned over creamy polenta or layered into a lasagne for a rustic twist.
Batch Cook and Freeze
This is a great recipe for batch cooking – make a large portion and freeze individual servings for future meals. The flavours deepen over time, so leftovers taste even better the next day.
Hearty, Rustic and Impressive
Whether you’re cooking for a cosy night in or entertaining friends, this Instant Pot Lamb Ragu delivers rich, warming flavour without the need to stand over the stove for hours. Comforting, satisfying and full of character – it’s a modern classic you’ll return to again and again.
Instant Pot Lamb Ragu
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
1 hour
Servings:
4
Total Time:
1 hour 15 minutes
Product:
Instant Pot Multi-Cooker
Ingredients
- 1.2kg lamb shoulder cut into large chunks
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 celery sticks diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 150ml red wine
- 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 150ml beef or lamb stock
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 30 g butter
- 10g parsley chopped
- 400g pappardelle
To serve:
- Grated parmesan
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan over a high heat. Brown the lamb in batches until properly golden.
- Drop the heat slightly, add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook it out for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the wine, scrape up the sticky bits, let it reduce for a couple of minutes.
- Tip everything into the pressure cooker (or slow cooker). Add the chopped tomatoes, stock, rosemary, and add the lamb.
- Pressure cooker: cook on high for 45 minutes, then let it release naturally for 15 minutes OR Slow cooker: low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours until the lamb is collapsing.
- Lift out the lamb, shred it with two forks, remove the rosemary.
- Return the lamb to the sauce and simmer until thick, glossy, and spoon-coating. Stir in the butter and adjust the seasoning.
- Cook the pappardelle in salted boiling water until just al dente. Reserve a mug of pasta water.
- Add the pasta straight into the ragu with a splash of pasta water, add the chopped parsley, and then toss until the sauce is glossy. Dish it up and finish with grated parmesan.
Notes
Melt in your mouth lamb in a rich tomato based ragu, tossed with pappardelle pasta.
This recipe is perfect for Multi Cooker like the Instant Pot Multi-Cooker.
Instant Pot Lamb Ragu
COURSE:
Dinner, Italian, Lunch, Side Dish
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
1 hour
Servings:
4
Total Time:
1 hour 15 minutes
Product:
Instant Pot Multi-Cooker
Ingredients
- 1.2kg lamb shoulder cut into large chunks
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 celery sticks diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 150ml red wine
- 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 150ml beef or lamb stock
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 30 g butter
- 10g parsley chopped
- 400g pappardelle
To serve:
- Grated parmesan
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan over a high heat. Brown the lamb in batches until properly golden.
- Drop the heat slightly, add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook it out for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the wine, scrape up the sticky bits, let it reduce for a couple of minutes.
- Tip everything into the pressure cooker (or slow cooker). Add the chopped tomatoes, stock, rosemary, and add the lamb.
- Pressure cooker: cook on high for 45 minutes, then let it release naturally for 15 minutes OR Slow cooker: low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours until the lamb is collapsing.
- Lift out the lamb, shred it with two forks, remove the rosemary.
- Return the lamb to the sauce and simmer until thick, glossy, and spoon-coating. Stir in the butter and adjust the seasoning.
- Cook the pappardelle in salted boiling water until just al dente. Reserve a mug of pasta water.
- Add the pasta straight into the ragu with a splash of pasta water, add the chopped parsley, and then toss until the sauce is glossy. Dish it up and finish with grated parmesan.
Notes
Melt in your mouth lamb in a rich tomato based ragu, tossed with pappardelle pasta.
This recipe is perfect for Multi Cooker like the Instant Pot Multi-Cooker.
Instant Pot Lamb Ragu
Deeply savoury, rich and slow-cooked in flavour – but fast on time, this Instant Pot Lamb Ragu is a hearty and comforting dish that brings restaurant-quality results to your kitchen with ease. Using your pressure cooker, you’ll create a robust ragu with tender, melt-in-the-mouth lamb, a rich tomato base, and plenty of aromatic herbs – all in under an hour.
Comfort Food with a Twist
While beef ragu gets a lot of attention, lamb offers a bold, slightly sweet depth that makes this version stand out. The sauce begins with a classic soffritto of onion, carrot and celery, then builds layers with garlic, red wine, tinned tomatoes and fresh rosemary or thyme. The result is a thick, luxurious sauce that clings beautifully to pasta.
The Instant Pot Advantage
Traditionally, lamb ragu would need to simmer for hours to develop its flavour – but the Instant Pot achieves the same depth in a fraction of the time. Pressure cooking breaks down the lamb shoulder or leg until tender and flavourful, while infusing the sauce with rich, savoury complexity.
How to Serve
This ragu is perfect with wide pasta like pappardelle or tagliatelle, which hold the sauce beautifully. A generous grating of Parmesan or Pecorino on top adds a salty, cheesy finish, while a sprinkle of fresh parsley or basil lifts the dish with a touch of freshness. It’s also delicious spooned over creamy polenta or layered into a lasagne for a rustic twist.
Batch Cook and Freeze
This is a great recipe for batch cooking – make a large portion and freeze individual servings for future meals. The flavours deepen over time, so leftovers taste even better the next day.
Hearty, Rustic and Impressive
Whether you’re cooking for a cosy night in or entertaining friends, this Instant Pot Lamb Ragu delivers rich, warming flavour without the need to stand over the stove for hours. Comforting, satisfying and full of character – it’s a modern classic you’ll return to again and again.
