This is total comfort food, but with less saturated fat and more veggies than traditional recipes. Using spaghetti squash as the noodles makes this dish lower in carbohydrates and higher in nutrients, and because you cook it all at once along with the sauce, it makes for a convenient weeknight meal.
SERVES 4
Prep: 5 minutes
Pressurize: 10 minutes
Cook: 23 minutes
Natural Release: 10 minutes
Total: 48 minutes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
Fine sea salt
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
One 3-pound spaghetti squash
¼ cup full-fat coconut milk ( optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh basil, for garnish (optional)
1 Press Sauté and add the olive oil, onion, garlic, turkey, and 1 teaspoon salt to the Instant Pot. Sauté until the turkey is browned and cooked through, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you stir, about 8 minutes. While the meat is cooking, pour the diced tomatoes with their juices into a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside until the meat is browned.
2 Press Cancel to stop the cooking cycle. Add the blended tomatoes, the celery, carrots, vinegar, maple syrup,oregano, basil, and ½ teaspoon salt and stir well.
3 Wash the spaghetti squash and carefully pierce the skin once with a sharp knife to vent. Place the whole squash directly into the sauce, pierced side up. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to Sealing . Select Manual/Pressure Cook to cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
4 When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then move the steam release valve to Venting to release any remaining pressure. When the floating valve drops, remove the lid. Use oven mitts to lift the spaghetti squash out of the pot. Transfer it to a cutting board to cool slightly. Stir the coconut milk into the sauce and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5 Cut the cooked squash in half crosswise and use a spoon to remove the seeds from the center. Use a fork to scrape out “noodles” from the squash and place them on plates. Spoon the Bolognese sauce on top of the noodles and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 or 4 days.
MAKE IT VEGAN Replace the turkey with lentils. Omit the salt and vinegar so the lentils cook properly. Add 1 cup green lentils and 1 cup water to the vegetables in step 2, then cook as directed. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes before venting. Remove the lid and the cooked squash, then stir in only 1 teaspoon salt, along with the aged balsamic vinegar and coconut milk. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed, then serve warm.