Recently, I’ve been eating a lot of carbs. I don’t know what it is, but my body has been just craving foods like pasta & pizza. We have less than a month until Summer Solstice 2021. So I have been looking for alternatives to my carbohydrate overload. I don’t need the added pounds right before summer. I discovered spaghetti squash about 3 years ago at LongHorn Steakhouse. It was a seasonal veggie on their menu & I thought what the heck let me see what this tastes like. I’m adventurous when it comes to food. I’ll try anything once. I figured I needed to go back & revisit this carb alternative to try to cut back on all the calories I’ve been ingesting lately.
I wanted to make this like a real Italian meal, but healthy. I purchased some ground turkey to make a meatball sauce. Now let me tell you… trying to crack open this squash is not easy. You need a super sharp knife and unfortunately, mine are dull. It took me a minute and a couple of screams (lol) to get this thing open. I’ve read somewhere that you can put it in the microwave for a few minutes to soften it a bit, but I didn’t want to do that. I’m a trooper & I knew with some effort I would succeed.
Once you get it open scoop out the seeds. I’ve also read somewhere that you can use the seeds to roast & eat them, but I’ve never done that.
After all the seeds are out saturated the spaghetti squash with Extra Virgin Olive Oil & any seasonings you would like. I used sea salt & organic black pepper. Flip them over on a baking sheet with parchment paper & bake for 25-30 minutes.
While those are in the oven you can begin making the meat sauce. I started by sautéing some onions and green bell pepper for a couple of minutes. Then I added the ground turkey, garlic, & seasonings. Once that was done I put in the tomato sauce & tomato paste.
When you take the squash out of the oven PLEASE be careful turning them over. I almost burned myself a couple of times. 😒 Take a fork & start shredding the inside of the squash to form the noodles.
After you’ve done that you can start assembling your squash boats. I added some shredded cheese and fresh basil. And that’s it! All you have to do next is pour yourself a glass of vino, pop on a Netflix movie and enjoy! If you’ve tried this before let me know how you make it in the comments. Until next time…. happy eating!
- 1 Spaghetti Squash
- 1 lb of Ground Turkey
- 1 Green Bell Pepper
- 1/2 Onion
- 1 Can of Tomato Sauce
- 1/2 Can of Tomato Paste
- Fresh Basil
- Shredded Cheese
- Sea Salt
- Organic Black Pepper
- Italian Style Soffritto Seasoning Blend
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Oregano
I love carbs too and I’m trying to eat less! Thanks for this healthy alternative. I’ve never really gotten into spaghetti squash, but like most foods, it’s all in how you prepare it!
looks delicious. will definitely try for dinner.
Omg! I didn’t think I like spaghetti squash but I’d like it this way! Thanks! I’m pinning to try later!
What an extraordinarily wonderful idea! These boats look so adorable! Thanks for the great recipe!
This post is making me hungry
Always looking for a great recipe and this looks absolutely delicious. Pinning to try later!