Spaghetti Squash with Marinara and a Kale Lettuce Salad

Sorry, no photos this time.  I'll add them as soon as I can.

I used to refer to marinara sauce that had ground beef in it as a Bolognese sauce, but I don't think that's correct.  If I'm not mistaken, a Bolognese sauce takes hours to create and has other ingredients in it like celery, carrots, etc.  Therefore I'm going to refer to my sauce as merely marinara with meat.

We were looking for bison (or buffalo) but they didn't have any grass fed so we got beef instead.

We decided on this easy dinner after finding a jar of marinara sauce at the Sacramento Natural Food Co-op that had no sugar in it.  Many tomato-based products contain added sugar so be aware of that.

I also had to choose wisely because a lot of tomato products include citric acid which is derived from corn.

I actually made the sauce earlier in the day because I was going to be working straight up until dinner time.  So I made the sauce in the morning, then kept it in the fridge all day and merely reheated it while the squash was cooking.

Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash with Marinara

• 1 pound organic ground grass fed beef or bison
• 1 jar (~25 oz) organic no-sugar tomato-basil sauce
• 1 large organic onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbls organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large spaghetti squash
• (optional) cheese, shredded or grated

To make the sauce, I added the olive oil to my 3-quart Reverware sauce pan and turned the heat to high.  While the oil heated, I peeled and chopped the onion then tossed it into the oil.  After a couple of minutes I added the garlic then threw in the pound of beef (this was not frozen... had it been frozen, I would add the onions and garlic after).

I turned the heat to medium-high and just keep mixing and breaking up the block of meat until it's all apart and cooked. I don't drain my cooked beef as I think the fat adds to the flavor of the dish.

Then I just throw in the jarred sauce, and either continue to heat on low or low-medium heat... or in my case stick the whole sauce pan in the fridge to reheat later.

About half an hour or so before dinner time, I put the marinara back on the stove to reheat and I wash the outside of the squash, cut it in half, and scoop out the seeds.  If you want long strands, lay your squash down and cut in the middle.  I couldn't do that with this squash because the two round halves wouldn't fit in my Instant Pot so I cut my squash length-wise (two taller skinnier halves).

I didn't use a steamer basket or metal riser, although you could.  Just put the two halves into the IP, added a cup of water, and cooked.

Do 7 minutes on manual then quick release.  Remove the squash from the IP.

Our squash was also really watery, so next time we may try leaving it on a rack in hopes some of the water drains out.

Scoop out the innards and place in serving bowl.  Top with warmed tomato-meat sauce.  My guests added grated cheese to the top of their meal.

I serve this with a quick salad.

Kale and Lettuce Salad

• 1/3 Kale bunch, washed and chopped
• 1/3 red leaf lettuce bunch, washed and chopped
• Laura's Vinaigrette to taste

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Have a recipe you’d like me to try out?  Let me know in comments.  So long as it’s gluten free, sugar free, yeast free, and corn free… I’ll have a look.  When leaving a comment, you may need to use the pull-down to change the selection from "Google Account" to "Name/URL" or "Anonymous"  Thanks!