Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

 

This picture is from Precision Nutrition http://www.precisionnutrition.com/, whom I follow closely and I am in the process of  becoming certified in their nutrition program. I have been making my own version of their recipe for my family for a few years. I have even made it for my husband's birthday dinner per his request. For the most part it has become the only "spaghetti" we know. 

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

Ingredients
Spaghetti squash 4 cups
Olive oil 1 tbsp
Salt ¼ tsp
Pepper 1⁄8 tsp

Olive oil cooking spray
Ground turkey
Onion (small diced) 1 cup
Tomato sauce 2 cups *see note*

Serving Size
Serves 2 large or 4 small.

*note* my first suggestion on tomato sauce would be to make your own. When in tomatoes are in season. I will do this and freeze it but we always eat it up so fast that even the frozen batches don’t last very long. J So the next option would be canned tomatoes, my favorite is the San Marzano. If you cannot find these by the regular canned tomatoes they are sometimes found in the Italian section of your grocery store. If you buy another type of canned tomatoes look at the ingredients to make sure there are no unnecessary additives. Here is one version of homemade sauce.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh, organic, ripe tomatoes (or 2 cups canned San Marzano tomatoes with juice)

2/3 cup chopped carrot

2/3 cup chopped celery

2/3 cup chopped onion

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Red pepper flakes to taste

3 tablespoons fresh basil

1-2 cloves of fresh garlic 

 2 tablespoon Oregano

Salt to taste

Saute vegetables in oil add the garlic towards the end of sauteing. Add tomatoes and seasoning. Add the Basil at the very end. Blend for a smooth texture or leave for a thicker sauce

The seasonings are just a rough draft so to speak…play with them to your likings. You can also omit the celery and carrot, however the carrot does help balance out the acidity of the tomato especially the canned ones. So if you do this you may need to add a dab of butter and a little agave.

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut squash in half and clean out the center and seeds. Place cut side up on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Season with salt & pepper and place in the oven. Bake squash for 45 minutes or until tender enough to stick a fork into it with minimal resistance. Remove from oven and allow it to cool a little. While the squash is baking, preheat a non-stick frying pan on medium heat, lightly coat with spray and add the ground turkey. Saute onions the add turkey cook until lightly browned and cooked all the way through. Remove from heat, add in the tomato sauce and set aside. Once squash has cooled a little, scoop the flesh out of the skin with a spoon. Top with the meat sauce.

Garnishing ideas; goat cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil, cashews, Sriracha (of course).