Looking for hearty Instant Pot recipes to add to your dinner line-up? This Instant Pot Beef Roast with Rigatoni is sure to be a keeper! Easy to make and impressive, it’s a crowd pleaser for all ages. And an active prep time of only 20 minutes gets you in and out of the kitchen in a jiffy!

Instant Pot Beef Roast with Rigatoni – Hearty & Delicious
I just jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon and I’m hooked! I have to admit, this is the first meal I made in my Instant Pot and I was a little worried. But let me tell you, if you can make Beef with Rigatoni and it turns out like this, anything’s possible in the Instant Pot. I am so excited to keep playing with this machine!
Winter is on the way! In my rural area, the corn has fired and the beans are changing colors. The weather is getting a little cooler, and the gardening is slowing down. I’m looking forward to hearty, filling, and warm dishes: meals that look like they took forever to prepare, but didn’t really.
This recipe is one such meal. And even better, when you make it in an Instant Pot, you can do everything in this one machine. From sautéing, to searing, to pressure cooking the whole shebang! Since you dirty fewer pots and pans, that means quick clean up for you!
The inspiration for this recipe came from Ragu’s recipe collection. They have a very similar version made in the slow cooker. Since I just got my Instant Pot, I wanted to see if I could use that! Turns out, I did! And you will love it.
Let’s get started on this Instant Pot Beef Roast with Rigatoni !
To make this recipe, first prep all the veggies and slice your pot roast into four chucks. Saute the onions and garlic right in the Instant Pot – using the Saute feature. You may want to punch up the heat a little to get the temperature up to a high enough heat. Saute the onions and garlic in avocado oil just until their juices release and they are nice and flavorful, then remove to a bowl.

Now, add a little more avocado oil (it has a high smoke point and is perfect for searing and sauting – DON’T use olive oil which has a low smoke point) to the Instant Pot. Season the meat with salt, pepper, and dried oregano, and then sear quickly on all sides. You may need to do this in batches as you don’t want to crowd the meat. Remove the meat to a bowl and turn off the Instant Pot.

Now you’re ready to put everything back in the Instant Pot and turn on the pressure cooker! Add the carrots and celery, onions and garlic, and top with meat. Pour on the wine, water, and Ragu. Add a 1/2 – 1 tsp salt, depending on your tastes.

Put the lid on the Instant Pot, make sure the steam release handle on the top of the lid points to SEALING and the lid is locked in place. You could probably use the MEAT/STEW function to cook this recipe, but I chose to use MANUAL and cook for 40 minutes. It was the perfect time! The meat shredded very easily and everything was beautifully cooked.
Useful tools to make this Instant Pot Beef Roast with Rigatoni
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If you’ve never used an Instant Pot before, you should know that the machine does take some time to come to pressure. During that time you’ll hear little pops and an occasional whistle. Also, the machine will say ON. When it reaches the appropriate pressure, which can take at least TEN MINUTES, the countdown will start and you will know how much time the dish has left to cook.
When the time is up, the Instant Pot will switch to warm mode. I let mine site for a few minutes and then released the pressure by turning the steam release handle to VENTING. Once all of the steam is released, you can unlock the lid and behold your beautiful meal!

The last thing you need to do is remove the meat from the pot and shred it with two forks. Then return the meat to the sauce, give it a good stir, and serve it on rigatoni that you cooked separately.

Don’t have an Instant Pot? You can still make this Beef with Rigatoni!
You can find a very similar recipe adapted for the slow cooker on the Ragu website! Head over here and grab it. By the way, Ragu’s website is really nice and full of simple yet delicious recipes that will be on your table in a jiffy! I really recommend heading over there to check out all of the deliciousness and quick meal ideas!

One thing I really love about this recipe, besides the fact that it’s delicious and quick to prep, is that my kids love it! It’s always nice to find recipes that the whole family likes. I get really tired of hearing my kids moan and groan about my cooking so I’m glad they like this recipe!
Instant Pot Beef Roast with Rigatoni
Beef with Rigatoni - Hearty & Delicious Instant Pot Meal

Hearty and filling meal with a quick prep time.
Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-2 tbs avocado oil (or other oil with a high smoke point)
- 2 pound boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and silverskin, cut into 4 large pieces
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 28 ounce jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup dry red wine (or beef broth if desired)
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta, cooked
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- Using your Instant Pot, or other electronic pressure cooker, heat 1 tbs avocado oil and saute the onions and garlic for 1-2 minutes (using the saute function on the Instant Pot), until they release juices and turn fragrant.
- Remove onions and garlic from Instant Pot, and add 1 more tbs avocado oil.
- Season beef chunks with salt, pepper, and oregano and sear it in batches. Remove beef from Instant Pot.
- Now put all veggies in the Instant Pot and top with beef. Pour the water, wine (or beef broth if you prefer), and the Ragu Sauce over the meat. Add more salt to taste (1/2 -1 tsp).
- Seal the Instant Pot. Make sure the steam release handle is pointed to sealing, select the Manual function key, and punch in 40 minutes.
- Note: it can take 10 or more minutes for the Instant Pot to come up to correct pressure, so be patient. When it's at the right pressure, the display will start counting down and you can track how long the food has to cook.
- When the pressure cooking time is finished, let the machine sit for a few minutes, then release the pressure by turning the steam release handle on the lid to venting and wait for all steam to release.
- Once the steam is finished, open the lid, and remove the meat.
- Shred meat with two forks and return to pot. Give the sauce a good stir.
- Serve over cooked noodles and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 462Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 142mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 33g
Nutritional information is not always correct.
Looking for more healthy, kid friendly meals on the double? Try these posts:
Kid Approved Italian Stuffed Peppers

What’s your favorite thing to make in your Instant Pot? I’d love to hear!
Ali
Sunday 28th of October 2018
When is the flour used?
Shannon
Saturday 24th of June 2017
I didn't see in the recipe directions what you do with the parsley? Did I miss it? Do we just use it as garnish?
Michelle Marine
Sunday 25th of June 2017
It's a garnish! Sorry, Shannon. :-)
hannah
Thursday 29th of September 2016
I like the idea of flavorful sauce mixed with beef, and the added garlic.
Sarah L
Thursday 29th of September 2016
I'm a fan of quick & easy.
Dana Rodriguez
Thursday 29th of September 2016
I love easy recipes for the weeknights and this looks delicious!