PESTO SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH BLISTERED CHERRY TOMATOES AND BURRATA
INGREDIENTS
3 lb spaghetti squash
2 cups of basil
1 cup of parmesan cheese (Vegan option use vegan parmesan cheese )
1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
1 cup olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
2 cups of cherry tomatoes
Burrata 8 oz. package (omit for vegan option)
coarse kosher salt ( for seasoning )
freshly ground pepper ( for seasoning )
TOOLS
Pressure cooker: I used my Yedi total package pressure cooker
Trivet insert for the pressure cooker or steam basket
Sheet tray
Sil pat or parchment paper
DIRECTIONS
Start off by plugging in your pressure cooker and placing your trivet inside, at the same time preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Next prep your vegetables by rinsing and drying off your squash and cherry tomatoes. Now, cut the squash in half with a sharp knife and scoop out the inside flesh and seeds.
Next, place one half of the squash in your pressure cooker on top of the trivet cut side up. Then add in two cups of water and close the top of the pressure cooker. Make sure that the knob on top is set to sealing not venting during the cooking process.
To cook the squash select “pressure cook” button and manually set the time to 8 minutes.
Once the cook time ends, let the pressure cooker release steam naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remainder of the steam manually after the 10 minutes lapse period and remove the squash from the pot. (PRO TIP: use tongs to prevent burning your hands).
Now, repeat steps 3-5 for the other half of the squash.
While the squash is cooking in your pressure cooker, roast your tomatoes in the oven for 20 minutes until they start to blister.
When the tomatoes are ready, turn off the oven but let them sit inside to keep warm.
Moving back to the squash, once both halves are cooked and cooled down you can start to pull off the “spaghetti” out from the sides of the squash. Take a fork and pull off from the sides into the center of the squash until you have gone around the whole squash. This will create long spaghetti like strands.
To make your pesto sauce, place all the ingredients ( Basil, parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil, and salt) into a food processor or a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
Toss the spaghetti squash with 3 tbsps of pesto to start, continue adding in one Tbsp of sauce at a time until you reach your desired coverage.
To assemble the dish place the tossed pesto spaghetti squash onto a large serving dish, next add the blistered cheery tomatoes, the torn burrata pieces, extra grated parmesan cheese, micro greens and violas. You can also top it off with one Tbsp of your favorite extra virgin olive oil.
Serve and enjoy!
