I grew up with pasta; angel hair, lasagna, fettuccini, (homemade) mac n’ cheese, tuna noodle casserole was a favorite of mine (I was an odd child). Well when you find out you have a gluten intolerance, and that every time you eat pasta or gluten you’re actually making your situation worse, you begin to go through withdrawals. If you cannot find a nice replacement, all you want to do is binge on bagels and cookies and cake.
Thankfully, Martha Stewart is a frequent stop for my internet surfing, and I learned about Spaghetti Squash. Then I told my boyfriend about my discovery, and it turns out his mother grows it on their farm – thanks for the tip, bro! But good news is: I now know about it, and have made plenty of mistakes so I’ve pretty much perfected it. Spaghetti squash is quite possibly the easiest way to replace pasta. No mandolin required (even though I love my mandolin board from Target ©!), just an oven, large knife, and fork. Ta-dahh, you have “pasta”.
Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs (or just a fabulous homemade meat sauce) are one of my favorite ways to make it, but you can pretty much do anything with this delectable squash. So, here goes!
Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti Squash (look for sales, they usually are purchased per pound, and that can get pricey. Also, they range quite a bit in size. 1 small-medium squash will easily be 5-7 servings)
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1T Coconut Oil (or another T of olive oil)
1 lb of lean ground turkey (Jennie-O 97% Fat free) or grass fed ground beef (90% lean or more)
¾ large Yellow Onion
1 large (32 oz) can of diced tomatoes
1 small (8 oz) can of tomato paste
¼ C Egg whites of 1 whole egg
¼ C gluten free flour
1 bag of baby spinach
1 T diced garlic
1 C red cooking wine (Trader goes Charles Shaw merlot is my favorite to cook with)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Using a fork, puncture the outside of the spaghetti squash (whole) and microwave for 2 minutes on high. This is just to soften the squash so it is easier to cut. When done (be careful, it’s hot!), remove from microwave, cut off the tip (stem) and horizontally slice the squash in half. Soup out the bit of seeds and membrane in the center. Drizzle your olive oil over the squash, then sprinkle your salt, pepper, basil, oregano lightly over the open faced squash. In a deep baking dish (I prefer glass, but any will do) place the squash face down on the pan and bake for 35 minutes.
In a large skillet, cook the onions, raw garlic, and coconut oil on medium until soft. Pour 2/3 of this pan into a large pot, and pour the other 1/3 into a large mixing bowl. In the large pot, pour the cans of tomatoes in, and season with about 1.5 T basil, .5 T oregano and .5 T thyme, season with salt and pepper to taste. If you like a little heat like I do, add about .5 T of red pepper flakes (add more towards the end if you need more of a kick). Pour in your cup of wine (water will also suffice, but know the alcohol in the wine will burn off by the time you eat!). Cover and let this cook on medium until starting to bubble, then reduce the heat to low for the remainder of the cook time.
In the mixing bowl with the cooked onions, add your ground turkey or beef, egg whites (or egg), flour, salt, pepper, garlic, and basil. Mix this all together well – I usually just use my hands! It will feel sticky, which is good, that means the bonding agents (eggs and flour) are doing their job. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, scoop out a rounded tablespoon of your mixture and roll into a ball in your hands. Place on cookie sheet. Repeat this until you run out of the mixture. This will go in your oven for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, check the meatballs with a fork to make sure they are thoroughly cooked through the center.
How to know your spaghetti squash is done:
Using a fork, poke the skin of the squash. If it puncture easily, it’s done. If it’s resistant, keep it cooking until the fork can go through the skin without much resistant (but not TOO easily because you don’t want a bowl of mush). Remove from the oven. Here is the last and final test: Using your same fork, begin scraping out the squash from the skin. If it comes out with a pasta texture and shape, if it done. At this point, you can make it as cooked or al dente as you would like!
Scrap out of the skin, and place a cup of squash in your bowl. Sprinkle with salt and add a handful of baby spinach to the squash mixing in well (it will soften the spinach). Place four done meatballs over the squash, then top with 2/3 cup of your sauce. If cheese is a part of your diet, parmesan is one of the best cheeses for you, so mix that on in. Feel like you’re in Italy yet? Maybe not… but it will at least kick your pasta craving for the day!
Nutrition Facts:
Servings prepared: 7
Calories per serving: 289
Carbs: 28g
Fat: 9g
Protein: 19g
Sugar: 11g
Fiber: 7g
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