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Two spaghetti squash halves turned over in an air fryer basket.
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Super Simple Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash

A quick and easy air fryer spaghetti squash with a basic, tasty meat sauce. A healthy, low calorie "pasta" without any guilt. Plus, more variations and tips to cooking the perfectly al dente spaghetti squash. See my tips in the post!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword air fryer recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 2 servings
Calories 350kcal
Author Alex Evink, MS, RD

Ingredients

  • 1 small spaghetti squash
  • 1/2 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage
  • 1/2 jar of Rao's vodka sauce, or sauce of your choice
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 habanero pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the air fryer. Using a sharp cutting knife, cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise. If unable to cut, poke a few holes in the squash and microwave for 3-5 minutes.
  • Scoop out all the seeds and pulp using a spoon. Spray the inside with olive oil or cooking spray and season with salt and pepper.
  • Place each squash half cut side down in the air fryer. Set the air fryer to 380 degrees F for 25 minutes.
  • While the squash is cooking, start the super simple meat sauce. Add ground beef to a hot pan on medium heat and cook until no longer pink.
    Add diced habanero peppers if you like. You can drain the fat, or not. Whatever you prefer (I did get some of it out, but left a little).
  • Once the beef is cooked (or almost cooked), add 1/2 the jar of pasta sauce and combine. Cook on low for 5-10 minutes.
  • Once the spaghetti squash is done, let it rest on its side for 10 minutes.
  • Use a fork to pull the squash strands away from the outer edges towards the middle.
  • Add spaghetti squash to the pan. Combine with the sauce. Top with parmesan cheese, and enjoy!

Notes

Nutritional Information: 350 calories and 25 grams of protein per serving. 
For larger squashes or batch cooking in the air fryer, use an entire jar of Rao's pasta sauce and a pound of ground beef! Yes, you can cut and cook one half at a time for a larger squash.
It's very important to understand that size definitely matters when cooking spaghetti squash in an air fryer. If the squash is too big, both halves won't fit at the same time!
Ensure that your squash is about 2 pounds or less - this may mean you have to weigh it at the store, and not rely on a grocery delivery service (like I did at first).
You may want to measure your air fryer basket to figure out the correct length of the squash, but most air fryer baskets will fit both halves of a smaller squash.
If you're cooking for at least 4 people, opt for a larger spaghetti squash and cook each half separately.
Look for a squash that is yellow in color, as this typically means it's more ripe - and easier to cut. If you have difficulty cutting it, poke a few holes in the squash and microwave for 3 minutes to soften.
When I typically cook spaghetti squash, I cut it crosswise (it's usually much more al dente and produces longer noodles). I quickly found out that both halves of my squash would not fit into the air fryer this way, so I ended up buying another squash and cutting it lengthwise.
I was shocked at how al dente the "noodles" were with this air frying technique! If you like your squash with a little less bite to it, I recommend cooking at 25-30 minutes - but check on it a 20 minutes. 

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcal