This gluten free and grain free dish is a satisfying alternative to pasta. Versatile spaghetti squash is baked, shredded, tossed with meat sauce and baked again in its own shell for a tasty finish! I could not believe how delicious this was, and how good I felt after dinner. Happy tummy for me, and my husband loved it too!
I used a medium sized spaghetti squash (about 8” long) for the two of us. To double or triple the recipe, choose squash that are all about the same size so that they finish cooking at the same time.
2 Servings
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Ingredients:
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- Olive oil
- Gluten free Italian seasoning
- salt to taste
For the Meat Sauce
- 2 tbsp. Olive oil, divided
- ½ lb. Lean ground beef
- Italian seasoning, to taste
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup mushrooms, diced
- ¼ cup carrots, grated
- 1 tsp. Basil
- ½ tsp. Oregano
- 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- Ground pepper, a few grinds
- drizzle of olive oil
- dash of red wine vinegar
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- parsley or chives
Preparation:
Using a sturdy knife, cut the spaghetti squash in half. Believe it or not this is the most difficult part of the whole recipe!
Scrape out the seeds with a large spoon. Brush each half with about 1 tbsp. of olive oil, and sprinkle generously with Italian seasoning.
Place the two halves cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour at 400°.
While the squash is baking make the meat sauce.
Heat a deep skillet with one tbsp. olive oil and add the ground beef. Cook on low heat, turning and breaking up the meat with a meat spatula.
When the beef has browned, stir in the onions, followed by the garlic, carrots and mushrooms. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and fresh ground black pepper. Continue cooking 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently to help the liquid evaporate.
Next add the tomato sauce, basil, and oregano. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. red wine vinegar. Simmer on low for about 30 minutes or until the squash is ready. Stir frequently and watch that it doesn’t burn.
When the squash has baked for 1 hour, remove from the oven. Use tongs to carefully turn the halves over and let them cool for 10-15 minutes until they are safe to handle.
Use 2 forks to shred and separate the “spaghetti” and transfer it to a bowl.
Toss with half of the meat sauce and spoon the mixture back into the squash shells.
Top with more sauce, grated cheese and herbs. Return to the oven for another 20-30 minutes.
You can finish them off under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to crisp up the edges.
Serve in the shell with extra sauce on the side.
Notes: ♪♫ Roasting is my favorite way to prepare vegetables and spaghetti squash is no exception. It does require more time than boiling but so worth it – you will taste the difference!
Add onions to the same skillet and cook until translucent. Add them to the roast then deglaze the skillet with the red wine and pour over everything.
Most of the onions will have melted into the sauce at this point, but if you want an extra smooth sauce (or have picky eaters) you can puree it with a stick blender.
Bring to the table with extra sauce and grated cheese. The only thing missing here is fresh parsley from my herb garden. I guess I’ll have to wait for summer and make this again!