Hello there! I hope you enjoy this recipe for Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti Squash!

It’s comes together quickly and easily, uses healthy spaghetti squash (you’ll see a bunch in store as they are coming into season soon – around early fall to winter), and features common pantry staples as well as a few choice ingredients that are big on flavour!

How to make this Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash Recipe?

Place a halved and seeded spaghetti squash cut side up on a metal trivet in the Instant Pot. Fill the bottom of the pot with a cup of water. Ingredient amounts and full instructions in the recipe card below.

Seal and cook the squash for 7 minutes at high pressure before applying a quick release.

As the spaghetti squash cooks, prepare the remaining ingredients.

After the spaghetti squash is ready, use a fork to remove the flesh from the squash. If it’s too hot, let it cool a little before doing this step.

Melt the butter in olive oil and sauté the garlic and spices before adding back in the spaghetti squash.

Mix in the parmesan cheese and parsley until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

What’s in this Instant Pot recipe?

The star ingredient in this recipe is spaghetti squash, which is a winter squash with a hard, pale yellow skin and yellow flesh with a mild, slightly sweet, nutty taste.

Cooking spaghetti squash in the Instant Pot is so easy and quick – way faster than an oven.

Simply place halved and seeded spaghetti squash on the trivet with some water on the bottom of pot and pressure cook for only 7 minutes (depending how soft you like your spaghetti squash) before a quick release.

Yep, there is a little time for pressurizing, but not as long as it takes to heat up the oven and cook it in there.

Then you use a fork to easily pull at the yellow flesh to get the thin spaghetti-like strands. No spiralizer required.

It’s a delicious alternative to spaghetti; although it doesn’t have the same texture or flavour, the shape (long strands) is close enough.

It’s also healthier. Spaghetti squash is low in calories and a good source of fiber, vitamins A and C, and potassium.

Olive oil, butter, fresh minced garlic, freshly cracked black pepper, sea salt, and red pepper flakes (this ingredient is optional) are combined together to form a delicious, simple sauce that’s rich, pungent (from the garlic), salty, and a little spicy from the black pepper, but even more so from the red pepper flakes if you chose to add them.

Sharp, nutty, salty, and slightly fruity in flavour, Parmesan cheese (I highly recommend using Parmigiano Reggiano; it’s the best!) along with fresh chopped parsley is tossed into the cooked spaghetti squash and garlicky butter sauce, until melted and distributed throughout.

Important TIP: Use parmesan from a block to ensure that it melts properly. Often, pre-grated/shredded cheeses have an anti-caking ingredient (or stabilizer) added, which can affect how it melts. In particular, cheese clumps tend to form when added to hot foods.

Place it back into the hollowed spaghetti squash skins or in a bowl or plate and you’ve got a scrumptious meal in less than 30 minutes!

Looking for more easy Instant Pot Meal Ideas? Take a look at these ones:

• Mushroom Pasta with Creamy Cheese Sauce
• Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy
• Lemon Pepper Orzo and Chicken Thighs

This tasty spaghetti squash recipe is:

• Delicious: full of garlicky and cheesy flavour!
• A great meal for two.
• A great pasta substitute: making this meal a little bit healthier too (i.e. way less carbs!).
• Simple and easy to make: Everything is made in the Instant Pot.
• Made with minimal ingredients that are pantry staples (e.g. salt, pepper, and oil) or easily found in most supermarkets.
• Perfect to have as an easy weeknight meal.

I hope you try this recipe! If you do, please leave me a rating and comment down below or tag me on any of my social media. I’m @yay_for_food on Instagram. I’ll love a picture!

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