Spaghetti Squash with Ground Beef

Spaghetti squash noodles topped with ground beef, green peppers, and mushrooms with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Spaghetti Squash with Ground Beef

Easy Spaghetti Squash with Ground Beef and veggies recipe with only 9 simple ingredients. Low maintenance and weeknight friendly. Instant Pot instructions included in the notes section.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword spaghetti squash pasta, spaghetti squash with ground beef, easy ground beef recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 355kcal

Author Jamie

Ingredients

1 medium spaghetti squash , cut in half lengthwise* with seeds removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium green bell pepper , sliced thinly and halved
½ large yellow onion , diced
16-18 medium mushrooms , cremini or white, quartered
1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup fresh basil leaves

For Serving:

⅛ teaspoon salt , plus more salt and black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar drizzled over each serving

Instructions

Bake the spaghetti squash: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the spaghetti squash halves flat (cut side down) on a baking sheet or pan. Bake for 30 minutes.
Saute the onion and pepper: Meanwhile in a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the onion and bell pepper in oil for five minutes or until they begin to soften.
Mushrooms and ground beef: Add the chopped mushrooms to the pan. Once mushrooms release liquid after a few minutes, turn to high heat to boil off the liquid. Once most liquid is boiled off, reduce to medium heat and add the ground beef. Cook for about five minutes or until the beef is cooked through, crumbling the pieces as they cook. Then turn off heat and add fresh basil leaves. Stir into the mixture to wilt.
Assemble: Use a fork to separate the spaghetti squash strands by gently scraping inwards from the sides, along the grain of the squash. Serve the beef and vegetable mixture on a pile of spaghetti noodles. Add salt and pepper to taste and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar to each dish.

Notes

*Cutting a spaghetti squash: For the longest spaghetti squash noodles, cut the spaghetti squash in half widthwise. For stuffed spaghetti squash boats, cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise.

Storage: To store leftover spaghetti squash with ground beef, keep the spaghetti squash noodles and ground beef mixture in separate airtight containers for up to 3 days. For leftovers, I assemble the plate as pictured and add the drizzle of balsamic vinegar and parsley garnish after heating.

Instant Pot Instructions:

1. Prepare the spaghetti squash: Halve and remove the seeds from the spaghetti squash.
2. Cook the spaghetti squash: Add 1 cup of water to the instant pot. Then add the steamer rack trivet and place the spaghetti squash halves on top. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes, allowing steam to release naturally for 10 minutes after cooking. Then manually release the steam with the steam release button. Carefully remove the spaghetti squash.
3. Saute the veggies and ground beef: Using the sauté setting on the Instant Pot, follow the skillet instructions to cook the beef and veggies. All other instructions are the same.

Add the balsamic drizzle at the end, after plated. If you add balsamic vinegar to the skillet, you'll end up with too much remaining at the bottom. For even distribution, add the drizzle at the end, after plated.

Nutrition