If you're looking for a somewhat quick recipe, packed with nutrition, try this spaghetti squash dinner! A new take on the classic spaghetti bolognese dish.
Fun fact: Spaghetti Bolognese (a meat based sauce) does not originate in Italy like most people might think. Bolognese does come from a traditional Bologna recipe made with Tagliatelle and ragu (type of meat sauce cooked for hours), but the origins of Spaghetti Bolognese are still unknown. Interestingly, it is a highly popular dish in German and Brittish families.
Total time: 45-50 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1 lb lean ground beef (or turkey, chicken, tempeh, etc.)
1 24 oz. container pasta sauce (I used this one)
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. packaged mushrooms
1 medium yellow onion
Large handful spinach leaves (optional)
1 Tbs olive oil
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds.
Spray a baking sheet with oil and place squash halves flesh side down on the sheet.
When oven is preheated, roast the squash for about 40 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork (optional: turn sheet half way through the roasting process).
30 minutes later, while the squash is still roasting, finely dice the onions and mushrooms.
Heat a large sauce pan to medium temperature (I used a cast iron dutch oven because that's what I had).
Add olive oil, then onions and mushrooms.
Saute onions and mushrooms until onions become translucent and most of the water is cooked out of the mushrooms.
Add in beef and saute until you don't see anymore pink.
Drain diced tomatoes, add to pan and saute for 1 minute.
Add in the jar of pasta sauce and stir until everything is combined.
Heat the sauce until it begins to bubble.
Chop spinach leaves and add to the pan, stirring until the begin to wilt.
Continue heating sauce until desired consistency/temperature.
When spaghetti squash is fully cooked, remove from oven.
Optional: let squash cool until it's not too hot to handle.
Pull out the flesh by stroking it with a fork to make noodles - careful the squash will be hot!
Turn off the oven-you won't need it anymore for this dish.
Serve sauce over spaghetti squash noodles.
Comments