Instant Pot Meaty Mushroom Ragu
Try this Instant Pot Meaty Mushroom Ragu recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Instant Pot Meaty Mushroom Ragu recipe, or contribute your own.
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms chopped
- 1 stalk of celery finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium eggplant peeled and finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 2 (15 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
- Carbohydrate 3.37038902555977 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.39041298576051 g
- Fiber 0.696942731944456 g
- Protein 0.698380738 g
- Saturated Fat 0.195107340686356 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (153g)
- Sodium 18.4614358107541 mg
- Sugar 2.67344629361531 g
- Trans Fat 0.0759826874293012 g
- Calories 29 calories
Step-by-step
- In a small bowl, place the dried porcini mushrooms and cover with 1 1/2 Cups boiling water.
- Let sit 20 minutes until softened.
- Drain mushrooms and reserve the soaking liquid.
- Finely chop the rehydrated mushrooms and set aside.
- Add 4 tablespoons of the oil to the Instant Pot and turn on the sauté function.
- Add the mushrooms, celery, and carrots, and cook, stirring often until the vegetables are soft and the mushrooms are beginning to brown, about 8 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the mushroom mixture to a bowl.
- Add the remaining oil to the pot along with the onions and eggplant, and cook stirring often until soft and lightly browned, about 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the pot, and continue to cook another minute or two.
- Return the mushroom mixture to the pot along with the wine.
- Continue to cook until the wine has reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, reserved mushroom liquid, tomato paste, salt, pepper, parsley, basil, oregano, and chili flakes to the pot.
- Set the function to Manual, and cooking time to 30 minutes.
- Allow the pot to release slowly.
- Open the pot and taste the sauce.
- Adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- If the sauce is too loose, you can return to the sauce function to thicken it to your preference.
- Serve the sauce on pasta of choice.
Batch Sautéing for Maximum Flavor
Divide the six tablespoons of olive oil across two distinct cooking phases. Sauté the fresh mushrooms, celery, and carrots first for eight minutes until the mushrooms brown and shrink. Remove them with a slotted spoon before adding the onions and eggplant to the remaining oil. Peeling the medium eggplant prevents tough skins from disrupting the smooth texture of the finished ragu. Deglazing the pot with dry white wine requires boiling until the volume reduces by half, which usually takes five minutes and eliminates raw alcohol bitterness. Rehydrating the dried porcini mushrooms in one and a half cups of boiling water for twenty minutes yields both intensely earthy bits and a valuable soaking liquid that replaces plain water in the pressure phase.
Pressure Cooking and Consistency
Lock the lid and set the manual function for thirty minutes, allowing a slow natural release to keep the vegetable fibers tender without scorching the bottom of the insert. Dried porcini mushrooms supply concentrated umami compounds that mimic slow-simmered meat sauces without any animal products. If the final sauce appears too loose upon opening the valve, switch the unit back to the sauté function to evaporate excess moisture until it clings to a spoon. When adjusting quantities for smaller or larger batches, maintain the ratio of dried porcini to soaking liquid to preserve the deep savory depth.
