Instant Pot Steak Pizzaiola

Instant Pot Steak Pizzaiola–an easy pressure cooker (or crockpot) version of a favorite Italian dish of beef, tomatoes, vegetables and lots of garlic.

Pin this recipe for later!

Note: the SLOW COOKER instructions are listed in the recipe card below

Instant Pot Steak Pizzaiola

Steak Pizzaiola in Italian translates as “meat pizza style.” It consists of cuts of beef served in a rich tomato sauce with lots of garlic. The tomato sauce braises and the meat and breaks down any tough proteins in the meat to make it tender. The ingredients in steak pizzaiola may vary from place to place, even from one Italian family to the next as everyone has their own version. My version has crushed tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, sliced onions, minced garlic cloves and powdered garlic, bell pepper, Italian seasoning and beef stew meat. This is a simple meal that we thoroughly enjoyed at my house! If you have a package of beef stew meat lying around try this recipe out soon! I think you’ll really love it.

Ingredients

• Olive oil–for sautéing the vegetables
• Red bell pepper–or green bell pepper
• Mushrooms–I used white button mushrooms
• Onion–I used yellow onion
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Garlic–for lots of garlic flavor
• Chicken or beef broth–you can also use Better Than Bouillon
• Beef stew meat–this is perfect for the Instant Pot because it gets fork tender
• Italian seasoning–you can also make your own blend
• Garlic powder–for extra garlic flavor
• Balsamic vinegar–for tang (you can also use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
• Crushed tomatoes–you can also use stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes although I love the texture of crushed tomatoes the best!

How to Make It

Instant Pot Instructions:

1. Saute bell pepper: Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in 1 tsp of olive oil and the bell pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes. Move to a plate. Set aside.
2. Saute other vegetables: Add in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, mushrooms, onions, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
3. Add in rest of ingredients: Dump the stew meat into the pot. Sprinkle the meat with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and balsamic vinegar. Dump the tomatoes on top. Don’t stir.
4. Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 25 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for at least 10 minutes before moving the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
5. Thicken: If you’d like to thicken the sauce then make a cornstarch slurry by stirring together 2 Tbsp of cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of cold water until smooth. Turn Instant Pot to saute setting and stir in the slurry until sauce has thickened. 
6. Stir in the bell peppers. 
7. Serve: Serve meat and and sauce with spaghetti, orzo, crusty bread, polenta or plain. 

Slow Cooker Instructions: 

1. Saute veg: Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add in 1 tsp of olive oil and the bell pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes. Move to a plate. Set aside. Add in 2 Tbsp of olive oil, mushrooms, onions, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to the slow cooker.
2. Add ingredients: Add in the broth, stew meat, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and balsamic vinegar, tomatoes. Stir. 
3. Slow cook: Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
4. Thicken: If you’d like to thicken the sauce then make a cornstarch slurry by stirring together 2 Tbsp of cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of cold water until smooth. Stir mixture into slow cooker and cook on high setting without the lid for about 20 minutes.
5. Stir in the bell peppers. 
6. Serve meat and and sauce with spaghetti, orzo, crusty bread, polenta or just plain. 

Steak Pizzaiola Recipe Notes and Tips

• I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. You can also make this in the 8 or 3 quart pot. In the 8 quart pot increase broth to 1 cup.
• You can double or halve this recipe. Just adjust the ingredients and keep the cooking time the same.
• Love meat? Increase the amount of stew meat to 2 pounds. Then season to taste with extra salt and pepper.
• Add more flavor to this dish by giving a quick sear to the the beef stew meat before pressure cooking it.
• Like heat? Sprinkle in some red pepper flakes.
• If you don’t like mushrooms you can simply leave them out. If your kids don’t like mushrooms try chopping them up finely…they won’t even know they are in the dish!
• Make sure to layer the ingredients as stated in the recipe and do not stir. If you stir you’re likely to get the burn error message.
• Add a bit of fresh color and flavor to the finished product by topping with fresh oregano, fresh basil or fresh parsley.
• We topped our steak pizzaiola with a bit of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. This is a yummy but optional choice.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Serving Suggestions

Serve your beef in tomato sauce with spaghetti, orzo, rice, polenta, spaghetti squash or crusty bread. Garlic bread or a big hunk of focaccia would be amazing to mop up all the sauce on your plate.

Pin this recipe for later!

More Instant Pot Beef Recipes…

Instant Pot Boarding House Meatloaf Bites

Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Soup

Instant Pot Meatball Parmesan

Instant Pot Disney Lasagna

Instant Pot Tortellini Meatball Soup

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc. Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.

Pin this recipe for later!

Want More Tried And True Instant Pot Recipes?

• Sign up to receive daily Instant Pot recipes (it’s FREE)
• Join the 365 Days of Instant Pot Recipes Facebook group 
• Subscribe to my YouTube channel 
• Buy the 365 Days of Pressure Cooking Cookbook

Print

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.