Anyone who knows Chad and I know we are big FOODIES, and LOVE pasta. However, all those carbs aren't exactly idea for the waist line. So before we decided to denounce cabs (they ARE good for you), and saying good bye to the spaghetti we decided to give Spaghetti Squash a try! And best of all its 21 day fix approved! And it can be substituted into almost any pasta recipe.
Prepping the squash:
Slice the squash in half lengthwise
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush inside each half with Olive Oil, sprinkle with Sea salt and fresh black pepper. Place cut sides down on a baking sheet, and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until you can pierce the squash/ feels soft.
IF YOU ARE DOING Spaghetti Squash boat --> cook until the squash is tender enough to scrape into strands. You want it to be barely tender, it will continue cooking later
Remove from the oven an scrape the squash into strands
Reduce the oven to 350 degrees if making "the boat"
You can stop here, and add salt and pepper to the mix and have it as a side.
If you want to kick it up an extra notch, continue reading!
Ingredients:
- Spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeds scooped out
- 1 Tsp. olive oil
- 1 package of Extra lean Turkey (or Extra lean beef- your choice)
- Fresh garlic (If you don't have fresh garlic, that's okay! Use Garlic powder)
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 pepper, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme (if you don't have fresh, dried is good as well, juts use half that amount)
- 1/2 tsp. fresh sage (if you don't have fresh, dried is good as well, juts use half that amount)
- 1 tsp. fresh basil (if you don't have fresh, dried is good as well, juts use half that amount)
- Dash Sea salt
- Dash Fresh cracked pepper
- 1 (small) can crushed tomatoes
- Shredded cheese of your choice
- Fresh basil (for garnish)
Instructions:
While the squash bakes, make the sauce. In a large skillet, cook 1 tsp. olive oil, onion,peppers, bay leaf, thyme and sage, stirring until the veggies are softened. Push veggies to the side then add Extra lean Turkey and continue to cook until meat is well browned.
Add tomatoes to the mix, and simmer the mixture, stirring occasional. Discard the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in garlic. Mix the sauce/ meat mixture with strands of spaghetti squash in a bowl, Put mixture back into the spaghetti squash shell (or casserole dish if you prefer), layer with cheese.
Place the squash on a baking sheet and bake fr 20-30 minutes at 350, or until the squash is warm throughout and the cheese is browning. Remove from the oven and let for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh sage or basil.
Let me know if you try this out, or if you have a favorite spaghetti squash recipe, please post below in the comments. For more recipes and cooking tips, follow me on Facebook, by clicking here
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