Instant Pot spaghetti squash alfredo with broccoli
Tender spaghetti squash strands from the pressure cooker tossed with bright broccoli in a silky homemade parmesan alfredo.
- 40 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.43 a serving
- 360 calories
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 spaghetti squash, about 3 lb
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1¼ cups milk, cold
- 3 oz cream cheese
- ¾ cup grated parmesan, divided
From your pantry
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 360 calories, 13 g protein, 33 g carbs and 22 g fat, and costs about $2.43 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No broccoli? Frozen broccoli works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Pour the water into the Instant Pot, set the trivet in and stand the halves on it, cut side up.
Lengthwise. Lengthwise means cutting along the long side, from stem to tip, which gives long pieces. Crosswise is the other way, straight across the middle, which gives short, round ones.
How you’ll know: Lengthwise halves of a zucchini look like two little canoes; crosswise pieces look like coins.
Dolly’s tip: Cutting across the middle instead of lengthwise gives you longer strands.Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing and pressure cook on High for 7 minutes. Turn the valve to Venting right when it beeps, keeping your hand away.
Timer: 7 min
Meanwhile, the cornstarch into the cold milk. the butter in a large over medium heat and cook the garlic for 1 minute.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heat
Add the broccoli and 2 tablespoons water, cover and until bright green, 3 minutes.
Steam. Steaming means cooking food over or in a little simmering water with a lid on to trap the steam. It cooks gently and keeps vegetables bright and tender.
How you’ll know: The color turns vivid, and a fork goes in with just a little resistance.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min
Pour in the milk and stir until it and , 2 minutes. Stir in the cream cheese and ½ cup parmesan until smooth, then the salt and pepper.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min
Lift the squash out with tongs and scrape the flesh into strands with a fork. the strands in the sauce and top with the rest of the parmesan.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: Let the strands sit in a colander for a minute first if they look wet, so they don’t thin the sauce.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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