Rich and Delicious Bolognese Meat Sauce, a perfect meal for the whole family and syn free on Slimming World
Slimming World Instant Pot Bolognese Meat Sauce
Have I said how much I love my Instant Pot? of course I have. I rave about it all over my blog since I bought one because seriously without a doubt, it is the best kitchen item I have ever bought.
If there are any of you that have bought one and have not yet taken it out of the box (yes Steph, my good friend, I am talking to you), please please take it out of its box right now and make this Bolognese Meat Sauce. Once you use it for the first time, you will soon realize just how awesome it is.
No idea what an Instant Pot is? (check it out on amazon). It's a 7in1 cooker, and it slow cooks, pressure cooks, saute's, has settings for soup, chilli, rice, porridge and even makes yoghurt (I haven't tried that yet). Things that would normally take hours can be cooked in minutes and this Bolognese Meat Sauce is a prime example of how quickly you can batch cook up a decent meal and have some for dinner and plenty leftover for freezing.
How to make Bolognese Meat Sauce in the Instant Pot
This recipe makes a decent amount, I'd say about 10 servings in total, what can I say the ground beef was on offer at the local grocery store, so I could resist picking some up.
I already have this delicious Spaghetti Bolognese recipe, but wanted to create a syn free version for you all, as I know just how much you love syn free recipes.
In the Instant Pot, this cooks in just 8 minutes (not including browning and pressure release) which is pretty darn good in my books, especially for the big pot of Bolognese Meat Sauce you have at the end.
To chop all the vegetables I use the chopping bowl of my Nutri Ninja Food Processor with Auto IQ technology - just a couple of pulses of the blade and the vegetables are chopped. I put each veg in one at a time, but it is still super quick when I am rushed for time.
Once everything is prepped it's just a case of browning the mince and vegetables, adding the rest of the ingredients and then setting it to cook - simple
You can also be cooked on a stovetop if you do not own an Instant Pot. See notes of recipe box for how.
Sides for Slimming World Bolognese (Meat Sauce)
This recipe is both gluten, dairy free and suitable for those following paleo or Whole30.
For a Slimming World SP day or if you are following a paleo diet (or Whole30) - then this is perfect over spiralized zucchini (courgette) or cooked spaghetti squash.
It's also suitable for anyone on a gluten free diet by serving it over spiralized veggies as above or with a gluten free pasta or choice. There are many different varieties out there such as brown rice, quinoa, chickpea, lentil etc.
Don't fancy the usual pasta? You can even serve this Bolognese Meat Sauce with a jacket potato, syn free chipsor as a yummy pasta bake topped with cheese like in this Bolognese Pasta Bake
What vegetables can I serve this with to equal a ⅓ of my plate?
If you are serving with the spiralized vegetables above then you pretty much have that covered, especially with the vegetables that go into the bolognese meat sauce.
But I always like to make up a big bowl of salad for the family to dig into. Serving a dish of vegetables for the whole family is always a great way to encourage anyone to eat more vegetables, especially fussy eaters.
In my salad bowl I like to go from crisp lettuce greens, cucumber, and tomatoes. Occasionally I might add red shredded cabbage, carrots, radishes etc. You really can go for anything you have on hand.
More Slimming World Instant Pot Recipes
Love recipes you can cook in the Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)? Check out these:
- FIRECRACKER CHICKEN MEATBALLS
- BOMBAY BEEF CURRY
- BALSAMIC BRAISED BEEF
- LASAGNE PIE
- SPICY GINGER CHICKEN
- LOW SYN BRAISED BEEF
- LOW SYN PINEAPPLE MEXICAN PORK CARNITAS
- SYN FREE SPICY CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE SOUP
- INSTANT POT HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN
- THAI SHRIMP NOODLE SOUP
- HAM AND SPINACH EGG BITES
- COCONUT CHICKEN AND SWEET POTATO CURRY
or head on over to my Full Recipe Index with over 900 delicious Slimming World and Weight Watchers recipes all fully searchable by meal type, ingredients, syn value and smart points etc
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Slimming World Best Ever Bolognese Meat Sauce (Instant Pot)
Gotta love cooking up a big batch of Bolognese Meat Sauce, great for freezing and using in a variety of different dishes.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg/2.64lbs of extra lean ground beef
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 stalk of celery, finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, finely diced
- 1 zucchini, finely diced
- 250g/9oz mushrooms
- 1.5 litres/6 cups of canned plum tomatoes, crushed up
- 1 cup/240 ml of passata
- 1 cup/240 ml of beef stock
- 4 tbs of tomato paste
- 2 tbs of mixed herbs
- handful of fresh chopped Italian parsley
- handful of fresh chopped basil
- 2 tbs of balsamic vinegar
- salt and black pepper to season
Instructions
- Press saute mode on Instant Pot
- Once it displays hot, add ground beef, onion, garlic, celery and carrot and fry till browned (stir every few mins to ensure it is browned all the way through (approx 10 mins)
- Add in all other ingredients, except salt and black pepper).
- Place on lid, close valve (if not self sealing) and set to 8 mins, high pressure.
- Allow a natural release before opening the lid (it can take up to 20 mins for pressure to release naturally)
- Taste and Season as needed with salt and black pepper and sprinkle with fresh chopped Italian parsley
- Serve with your choice of sides.
Notes
This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, paleo, Whole30, Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly
- Slimming World - syn free per serving
- Slimming World SP - syn free per serving (serve with veggie noodles)
- WW Flex/Freestyle Smart Points - 3 per serving
- Gluten Free - use gluten free stock
Stove Top - Brown in a deep pans as per instructions, add other ingredients bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for approx 50 mins.(Stirring occasionally)
*This recipe is suitable for freezing.
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Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1 servingAmount Per Serving Calories 218Total Fat 5.2gSaturated Fat 2.2gCholesterol 74.2mgSodium 450mgCarbohydrates 14.8gFiber 3.5gSugar 7.1gProtein 29.2g

Amy says
Question: How much is a serving size measured out?
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Amy, when I make this I just divide equally by 10 (the recipe serves 10, but is syn free, so you can have more or less), I haven't actually measured the amounts exactly, as I often half first, then divide that by 5 and freeze and then use the other 5 servings for a meal.
Emma says
I’ve tried lots of different slimming bolognaise recipes, but this one is by far the best! I make the recipe as Lee the exact measurements and freeze all portions. My son loves it too!
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Emma, thanks for commenting, so glad to hear you really enjoy this recipe.
Brandi says
What can I use instead of Passata?
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Brandi, crushed tomatoes will work. Slightly thicker than passata, but works well as a replacement.
Susan Mayman says
Absolutely delicious very very tasty
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
thank you Susan, the notification for a comment on this has made me craving spaghetti bolognese. Guess I will be adding it to the menu this week.
Sam says
If I do this in the slow cooker (I don’t have an instant pot) how long should I leave it on low or high?
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
I'd do 8 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high.
Patricia says
Cant wait to make it it my duo pot