*This post for Instant Pot Mediterranean Beef is part of my role as a compensated member of the Beef Expert Bureau. However, all opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
The Instant Pot has become my new favorite kitchen gadget. Have you joined the Instant Pot craze yet?! I put off buying one of these trendy multi-cookers for a really long time, but I kept hearing how life-changing it was from busy friends that hate to cook. I actually love to cook, but I don’t usually have time to make elaborate meals these days.
The Instant Pot can make gourmet meals seem effortless and taste like you’ve slaved over the stove for hours. It’s also a lot less intimidating than a traditional pressure cooker like your grandmother used. This is starting to read like a sponsored post for Instant Pot, but I actually purchased mine after experimenting with one at the NCBA test kitchen in Denver, CO. I had to order one as soon as I got home from that trip! I love that you can sear, steam, pressure cook and slow cook in one kitchen appliance. I tend to be a bit of a kitchen gadget hoarder anyway. What’s one more appliance in my kitchen?!
This recipe was the first dish that I made in my Instant Pot and it turned out to be a big success. It inspired by a Mediterranean Braised Beef recipe on the Beef It’s What’s For Dinner website. I added a few ingredients and adapted it for the Instant Pot and it turned out fabulous!
This recipe makes plenty of rich sauce to pour over rice, mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower. I served it with mashed cauliflower, so it turned out to be a nice low-carb and nutrient-packed healthy dinner.
You could easily adapt this recipe to a traditional pressure cooker. What I love about pressure cooking is that you get really tender and juicy meat in a very short amount of time. The muscle fibers aren’t broken down as much in pressure cooking as they are when slow cooking meat for hours.
You want the connective tissue to break down just enough to concentrate the gelatin within the meat, this thickens the juice inside creating a more pleasurable eating experience. Also, too much cooking time can actually pull moisture from inside the meat. Pressure cooking yields the best texture in a lot less time. Pressure cooked lean beef cuts is right up there with braising for my favorite preparation methods, it seems to intensify the flavors in your dish.
I added fresh oregano to this dish for a flavorful garnish, fresh parsley works nicely here, too. If you have a favorite Instant Pot recipe, please share in the comments below or on my social media. I love hearing from you!
I hope that you enjoy this Instant Pot Mediterranean Beef as much as we did!
- 2 lb boneless beef chuck shoulder roast trimmed of any fat
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour can use gluten-free
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 4 shallots sliced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1/4 cup red wine Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Pinot Noir works well here *if you don’t have wine, just use more beef broth
- 1/4 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup chopped pitted Medjool dates
- *optional: parsley or fresh oregano for garnish
- Whisk together flour, salt, pepper and dried oregano
- Chop roast (slicing against the grain) into 2" size cubes
- Place roast cubes inside a plastic bag and add flour mixture
- Seal bag and shake to coat the meat
- Turn Instant Pot on to "Sauté" mode and add olive oil
- When the pot is hot, add beef mixture, onions, shallots and garlic
- Sauté for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned, stirring occasionally to prevent burning
- Add broth, wine, balsamic vinegar and dates and gently stir to mix
- Put the lid on top and lock to seal
- Press "Cancel" to stop sauté, then press "Manual" and set the timer for 40 minutes on high pressure setting
- When cooking time has finished, use the "Natural Release" and allow the pressure to release on it's own (takes about 15 minutes)
- Serve over cauliflower rice, mashed potatoes, couscous or brown rice
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Made this the other day and have to say it was THE BOMB!!! I forgot to add the dates, so I opened the cooker (I used a Fagor multi cooker which I LOVE) added the chopped dates and turned the pressure back on for an additional; 10 min. The flavor is out of this world. I served it with Bob’s Red Mill brown and wild rice.
If you were asking, I’d give it 10 stars.
Thanks for sharing!
Love this!!! Thank you so much for the awesome feedback Lani! I’m so glad that you loved the recipe! I love the Bob’s Red Mill rice, too!
This was my first atempt at an instant pot meal, and this dish is AMAZING! I don’t usually eat meat but the flavor in this dish was out of this world! Thank you! I will definitely make this again!
So glad that you enjoyed the recipe Dawn! I love my Instant Pot!! I made a roast in mine tonight, too. 🙂
I just got an Instant Pot last night and I am searching recipes to try out. This one looks delish! I do not think I am a date fan…do the dates cook out or are they pronounced in the dish.
Thanks!
Hi Lisa! The dates aren’t strong in the dish, just adds a nice hint of sweetness.
I’ve got this in the instant pot right now and it smells wonderful. I used a bit more than 2 lbs of beef so I did about 1-1/2X the sauce ingredients and a few more dates. Can’t wait to see how it turns out. 🙂
Thanks for the feedback Stephanie! I hope that you enjoy it!!
Hi Amee!
I’m making this today, and wanted to make a suggestion: It would be super helpful if you would include measured amounts for things such as onions and shallots. The shallots I have right now are about 2 1/2 times the size of the ones I had last time, for example. By offering equivalencies, you help make the recipe tighter and more reproducible.
1 Large Shallot = 1/2 cup minced or sliced
1 Medium Shallots = 1/4 cup minced or sliced
1 Small Shallots = 2 tablespoons minced or sliced
The recipe looks delicious and we can’t wait to taste it!
Thank you for the suggestions Debbie and I hope that you enjoyed the recipe!!