For anyone on a Paleo, low-carb, or gluten-free diet, spaghetti squash with paleo meat sauce is a tasty and nutritious substitute for conventional pasta dishes. A light and nourishing foundation for the rich, delicious meat sauce is created by roasting the spaghetti squash until it is soft and then scraping it into spaghetti-like strands.
Ground beef (or turkey/chicken) is used to make the Paleo meat sauce. It is then sautéed with onions and garlic and cooked with tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and flavorful herbs like thyme, basil, and oregano. If you want some spiciness, you can add a little red pepper flakes. The end product is a robust, delicious sauce that complements the squash to perfection.
Ingredients:
- One-half cup of water
- 2 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
- 3 pounds of ground beef
- 2 diced white onions
- Two cups of the sliced mushrooms
- 2 diced zucchini
- Extra virgin olive oil (1.125 cups), split
- 2 chopped green bell peppers
- 2 chopped red bell peppers
- Two cans (14.5 oz) of crushed tomatoes
- Two cans of crushed tomatoes (8 ounces)
- Half a cup of freshly chopped basil
- To taste, or half a cup of freshly chopped oregano
- A quarter cup of freshly chopped thyme, or to taste
- Two tablespoons, or to taste, of red pepper flakes
Directions
- Turn the oven on to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
- Stuff a baking dish with water. Cut-sides down, put the squash halves in the baking dish.
- Roast for 30 to 40 minutes in a preheated oven, or until the squash is soft.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté and mix the ground beef and onion until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink while the squash roasts.
- Transfer the meat mixture to a plate using a slotted spoon. Empty the skillet’s grease and dispose of it.
- In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, basil, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Cook and toss the veggies for about 10 minutes, or until they are soft.
- Then, add the meat mixture and simmer, stirring regularly, over low heat.
- As the beef simmers, use a fork to scrape the insides of the hot spaghetti squash halves into strands, then divide them among eight plates.
- Top each serving with a large dollop of beef sauce and drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.
Tips:
- Keep leftovers for up to three days in the refrigerator.
- For added taste, you can add additional vegetables to the sauce, such as bell peppers or mushrooms.
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