I have been a hold out on spaghetti squash, and wouldn't even consider it as an alternative to pasta. What was I thinking? 2020 was an odd year and I threw caution to the wind and gave it a whirl. When I found that this massive squash can go into my pressure cooker whole, I was intrigued. Then when I tasted it I became a believer.
Pierce the squash with a paring knife about a dozen times to allow the steam to escape as the squash cooks. Add a cup of water to your pressure cooker along with the wire rack that sits on the bottom, keeping food from scorching.
Throw the entire spaghetti squash in and set the pressure to high for 15 minutes. This worked for my 2.8-pound squash.
Using a dishcloth to remove the squash, you can slice it length-wise or width-wise. By cutting the squash in half across its waist, you can get longer strands of the squash. Discard the seeds in the middle by scooping them out with a spoon.
Use a fork to scrape out the strings of squash "meat." Discard the outer shell of the squash and keep any leftover strings in the fridge for up to a week.
How I made the soup, pictured above
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon Rao's marinara
1/2 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup spaghetti squash
6 leftover meatballs (or frozen), or no meat, or leftover shredded chicken
Heat the chicken broth and stir in the Rao's. In a bowl, add the spinach and spaghetti squash. Pour over the hot broth and add whatever protein you have on hand.