Description
Super easy spaghetti squash in the Instant Pot along with a tasty tomato sauce loaded with flavorful meatballs!
Ingredients
1 – 3 pound spaghetti squash, see notes
Easy Meatballs:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fine almond flour
1 pound Italian sausage, see notes
1/2 Teaspoon sea salt, amount may vary depending on the sausage you use
1 egg yolk
1 Teaspoon Italian seasoning, without sugar, salt, or additives
Olive oil to sauté
Tomato Sauce:
1–2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 – 28 ounce can whole fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 Teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Serve with: chopped basil, grated parmesan (omit for paleo and Whole30)
Instructions
Place the trivet into a 6-quart Instant Pot. Then pour in 1 cup of water and place the spaghetti squash on the trivet in the center of the pot. Set the valve to sealing and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
While the squash is cooking, mix together all the ingredients for the meatballs until combined. Portion them out into small meatballs, about 2 Tablespoons each, for a total of 18-20.
Blend the whole tomatoes with their juice for a few seconds to make a chunky tomato sauce, then set this aside.
Heat a large 9-10″ skillet over medium high heat. Add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and swirl to coat. Then add all the meatballs evenly spaced out across the skillet. Sauté to brown several sides of the meatballs, 5-8 minutes.
After the meatballs are browned add 1 Tablespoon olive oil or more if needed to the pan along with the the garlic and Italian seasoning called for in the tomato sauce section. Sauté the garlic for a few seconds, then add the blended tomatoes and bring the sauce to a boil.
When the sauce is boiling reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook stirring occasionally until the meatballs are done in the middle, about 10-15 minutes.
Use the quick release function to release the pressure when the squash has finished cooking. When the pressure has finished releasing, remove the squash from the Instant Pot, and cut it in half widthwise.
Let it cool slightly, then scrape out the seeds with a spoon. And finally shred the spaghetti squash with a fork into shreds.
Season the sauce to taste with sea salt and pepper when the meatballs are done.
Serve the spaghetti squash with the meatballs and sauce, along with the optional basil and parmesan.
Notes
I’ve fit spaghetti squash into my 6-quart Instant Pot up to 4 pounds. The 3 pound squash called for has been a good amount to go with the sauce. But if you end up with a slightly larger squash, increase the cooking time by 5 minutes or so.
To keep this recipe Whole30 and paleo, make sure the sausage you use is compliant without additives and sugar.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 25
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Italian