BBQ Beef Short Ribs in Instant Pot over Spaghetti Squash

A few years ago, on Amazon Prime Day, in a moment of weakness, I purchased the mysterious Instant Pot that everyone has been raving about. I unboxed it about a month later and did the boiling water test. And that it just set there for a while. And all I make in there is boring things like oatmeal and eggs and chickpeas. And while I do like it, it, for me, it has been a slow sloooooow learning curve. Saw a version of this recipe and decided to try it. It was a fast weeknight dinner and a huge hit so I figured I would share. The original recipe had both the spaghetti squash and the meat cooking in the IP but I roasted the squash in my Breville while the meat cooked.

Ingredients
2 shallots chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 pounds of boneless beef short ribs
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 spaghetti squash
Cooking Oil (I use grape seed oil)


Spaghetti Squash
Wash/Dry Piece a few small holes
Microwave for 2 minutes to soften
Cut in half and scoop out seeds
Roast face down for about 1/2 hour at 420, flip over face up and roast another 10-20 minutes till soft.
        *I used my Breville for this but it would be just fine in a regular oven
Scoop out the spaghetti like flash, add seasoning and keep warm.

Beef Short Ribs

Brown cut up short ribs about 2 minutes per side. I used a regular pan not IP for this.
But you can also use the IP saute feature. When cooked, add to IP. You may want to do this in batches to not crowd the meat.

Sauté 2 chopped shallots and 2 garlic cloves in a little oil. Added to IP.

Added 1 cup BBQ sauce, 1/4 cup soy sauce, quarter cup of water to IP. Used Meat/Stew setting for 30 mins. I think next time I would go 5 minutes longer. Use Natural Release (aka wait till you can open the pot). This came out quite saucy. If you would like, you can simmer it a bit to thicken the sauce. I did this in another pot on the stovetop (bc IP newbie). Taste the sauce, you may want to add a bit of sugar to it at this point if you like the sauce a bit sweeter.

Serve over the cooked warm spaghetti squash. As you may be able to see in my photo, I also added a bit of already cooked chickpeas and quinoa. Because you know, us working moms want to spread that delicious meal into 2 days.

Voila. Drop me a note and let me know how you like it.

A Healthy Alternative to Pasta Dinner: Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Grass-fed Lean Beef

Who does not love a hearty pasta dish? But if you are watching your diet like I am, you ought to try this delicious recipe. You won't miss the pasta a bit! 

*Disclaimer: I have now made numerous version of this, substituting tomatoes with mushrooms  or using tomato paste instead fresh or diced tomatoes. 

Ingredients:
1 medium sized spaghetti squash
1 can on diced tomatoes, drained 
(or 1 box of grape or cherry tomatoes for roasting)
2-3 shallots, diced
2 cups of washed and spun dried baby spinach (optional)
1 pound of lean ground beef (any ground meat would work well with this)
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon of everything rub (combination of garlic powder, chili powder, cumin). 
    *feel free to use any other seasoning here (oregano, parsley, etc)
1-2 tablespoon of oil for frying (I used grape)
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 425. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. 

If you don't have enough strength to do this, poke the squash with a knife and microwave it on a paper towel for about 5 minutes, flipping over half way through.

Now cut in half, careful as it will be hot. Spray both sides of the squash with cooking spray. Place on a baking sheet cut part down. I placed foil under the squash to minimize clean up.

Roast for about 20 minutes, flip over and roast another 15 or so till you can peel off "spaghetti" with a fork.

If you are roasting tomatoes, toss them  with oil of choice and roast at 425 for about 15-20 minutes. You can roast the tomatoes same time as the squash (in a separate baking dish)

To prepare, the beef mixture, preheat skilled with oil.

Saute shallots till they soften. 

Add ground beef, cook breaking it up into chunks. Add salt and seasoning. 

When beef is cooked through, remove it with a slotted spoon. 

Spill out most of the oil. Add beef back to the skillet. 

Add spinach (if using), allow to wilt. Add tomatoes (either canned or roasted) . Mix well. 

Keep warm.

Once squash is almost cooked, carefully remove the 'spaghetti'. Combine with beef mixture. Top with grated parmesan.

Insides of a cut in half roasted spaghetti squash

This version is with roasted tomatoes

This version is with canned tomatoes and spinach

Thiis time I omitted roasted tomatoes. Added button mushrooms that were cleaned and finely chopped.
Added a little leftover pizza sauce to the cooked beef/mushroom/shallot mixture. Topped w shaved parmesan