Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese–if you’re looking for a lower calorie and lower carb way to enjoy mac and cheese this recipe is for you. Spaghetti squash is cooked quickly in your electric pressure cooker and then a cheesy sauce is stirred in with the squash strands to make a comforting meal.
Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese (video)
I absolutely love making spaghetti squash in my Instant Pot. It is the fastest way to cook spaghetti squash! Spaghetti squash is a funny little vegetable. It’s not like butternut squash or other types of squash. When cooked you can use a fork to shred its flesh into spaghetti-like strands.
We love serving spaghetti squash with a marinara sauce or a meat sauce. But today I decided to try something different…I decided to go the mac and cheese route. It was super easy and super tasty. This is a good option if you’re eating low carb or keto.
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What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
To make Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
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Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
If you’re looking for a lower calorie and lower carb way to enjoy mac and cheese this recipe is for you. Spaghetti squash is cooked quickly in your electric pressure cooker and then a cheesy sauce is stirred in with the squash strands to make a comforting meal.
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash (small enough to fit in your Instant Pot when cut in half)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 cups grated cheddar (I like sharp)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Use a paring knife to cut your spaghetti squash in half crosswise (not lengthwise).
- Use a spoon to scoop out all the seeds and gunk.
- Pour a cup of water into the bottom of your Instant Pot. Place the trivet in the bottom of the pot.
- Place the squash halves on top of the trivet. They can face up or down. You may have to maneuver them around to fit.
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the valve is set to “sealing.” Set the manual (high pressure) timer to 7 minutes. Once the timer beeps remove the pressure quickly by moving the valve to “venting.”
- Remove the lid and use a towel or hot pad to remove the squash. Use a fork to shred the flesh of the squash into long spaghetti-like strands.
- Dump the water out of your Instant Pot and remove the trivet. Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. Melt the butter and add in the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Once butter is melted add in the flesh of the spaghetti squash. Coat the squash with the butter and seasonings. Then turn off the Instant Pot.
- Stir in the cheeses until melted and creamy. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.
- Category: Meatless
- Method: Instant Pot
Keywords: keto, low carb
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I was wondering if I could use Green Giant frozen Spaghetti Squash in place of fresh spaghetti squash? They have different spiral made vegetables including zuchini noodles. They are low sodium for us people that are on a low sodium diet.
You could do that but you won’t need to pressure cook because they’ll get too mushy.
I use 4 Tablespoons of butter and 8 oz of sharp cheddar along with salt and garlic powder. I get 3 – 3 1/2 lb spaghetti squash and cut about an inch off the stem end to make sure it fits in my 6 qt Instant Pot. I forgot the parmesan once and now just leave it out. I get the cheddar mostly melted but still having a little chunkiness to it. I divide it into 4 bowls then add 1 1/2 cups of cooked chopped broccoli on top. I store it in the fridge then when I am ready to eat it I put it in microwave to heat about 1 min 45 sec. I cook 1 or 2 chicken legs then add that on top. Perfect meals and totally yummy!! Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I never ate spaghetti squash before but now I eat it 6 or 7 days per week! 🙂
★★★★★
That sounds so good! I love spaghetti squash too! I need to incorporate it into my diet more.
I love sketti squash but never tried it with cheese. Thank you for this recipe.
It’s so tasty!
We love spaghetti squash and the added bonus of being able to make this delicious recipe in an instant pot is just a plus. I use the Daiya shredded cheese in added chunks of ham. Quick and delicious. I love your recipes
★★★★★
Yum, I like the idea of ham in this!
This recipe was the first time I’d ever even used a spaghetti squash. I had been debating between a chicken parm and using the squash as the noodle and the mac and cheese. Needless to say, the mac and cheese won out and I was super pleased with the turn out. The directions were clear, easy and accurate.
I grated my parmesan cheese using a standard grater so probably ended up with more than what the recipe called for. This just made for a creamer dish. Served alongside herb baked chicken breast and some broccoli, this was a delicious dinner and my 17 year old son devoured it.
★★★★★
So glad you and he liked it!
Have you ever tried the spaghetti squash with meat balls & marinara? It is beyond good too!
I make my own meatballs not store bought. I use about 1/2 a jar of marinara & still add onion powder & garlic powder & a 1/4 cup of butter. Fix the spaghetti squash as you did here. Mix it all together & whala you have a delicious meal!!! I usually have garlic bread & a salad with this!!
I think that this recipe is amazing & I will be fixing it soon!!
Thank you Karen!!!
★★★★★
Um that sounds amazing.
This was excellent. I like the idea of cutting the squash through the center. It does make longer strands. Since I made chicken cacciatore, I wanted it to compliment the Italian cuisine, so I used mozzarella cheese in place of the cheddar. It was delicious. Also used only 2 T. butter as indicated in your youtube to save on a few calories.
★★★★★
Sounds great with the mozzarella!
Karen, thanks so much for all of your amazing recipes and ideas! I make beautiful wraps/skins for Instant Pots and am looking for ways to promote them. Would you let me send you one for your IP? You can check them out in my etsy shop at http://www.InstantWrapsUSA.com and let me know which design you’d like to have. Thanks in advance for looking and helping me to grow and spread the word!
Becky
Hi Becky, they are cute! I will link to your shop in my 365 days of instant pot recipe facebook group.
To good to miss. You rock.
★★★★★
I agree