  Embedding $p$-body interacting models onto the $2$-body networks implemented
on commercial quantum annealers is a relevant issue. For highly interacting
models, requiring a number of ancilla qubits, that can be sizable and make
unfeasible (if not impossible) to simulate such systems. In this manuscript, we
propose an alternative to minor embedding, developing a new approximate
procedure based on genetic algorithms, allowing to decouple the $p$-body in
terms of $2$-body interactions. A set of preliminary numerical experiments
demonstrates the feasibility of our approach for the ferromagnetic $p$-spin
model, and pave the way towards the application of evolutionary strategies to
more complex quantum models.
