spaghetti squash | baconwrappedbarbells

It. Is. COLD. The weather has taken a turn for the worst with the recent cold front affecting many parts of the United States.

Because of the cold, I’ve started the habit of running from my car to any building that I’m about to enter when I am out and about, so that I can get out of biting Oklahoma wind as quickly as possible. And since it’s a poorly hidden secret that I really don’t enjoy running, you know it has to be pretty cold.

Weather like this begs for food that is warm and comforting. But the start of a new year also means a fresh resolve to make healthy lifestyle choices that typically include a renewed focus on eating healthy, wholesome and nutritious foods.

You guys are in luck, because today’s recipe provides the best of both worlds. This hearty spaghetti sauce is full of satiating protein and vitamin packed vegetables to keep you on track with your healthy eating goals, while providing the warmth and comfort you crave.

The addition of balsamic vinegar adds a touch of subtle sweetness to the sauce without the addition of natural sweeteners, and the inclusion of dried parsley and chopped fennel seeds creates an additional level of complexity to the sauce without overpowering the other ingredients.

This meaty spaghetti sauce is perfect over spaghetti squash as a weeknight meal, after a long day at school or work. I sprinkled a small amount of Manchego cheese on top (you can also use parmesan or mozzarella) to add a creamy texture to the sauce (and because cheese, if you can tolerate dairy, is amazing).

Meaty Spaghetti Sauce with Spaghetti Squash

Servings: serves 5-6

Ingredients:

1 large Spaghetti Squash
1/2 tablespoon butter *
1/2 large onion, diced
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 tablespoon fennel seed, chopped
2 tablespoon dried parsley
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
28 ounce can diced tomato
15 ounce can tomato sauce
6 ounce can tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Chop spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds.*
Place the spaghetti squash cut side down, and bake in the oven for approximately 40-45 minutes.
Once cooked, take the spaghetti squash out of the oven, flip the halves over and let cool.
Once the spaghetti squash has cooled enough to handle, use a fork to scrap the squash noodles into a large bowl.
Heat butter over medium high heat. Add onion, and cook over medium high heat until the onion becomes translucent, approximately 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the ground beef and ground pork, and continue cooking until meat has browned.
Add remaining ingredients and bring them to a boil.
Once the mixture has reached a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer the sauce on the stove for approximately one hour.
Once the spaghetti sauce has finished cooking, remove from heat, and serve with the spaghetti squash.

Notes:

Quick tip, to make the spaghetti squash easier to cut, microwave for 1-2 minutes. This makes the shell a little softer, so that you don’t have to hammer away at the shell.
to make whole30 friendly, use ghee, avacado oil, lard, tallow or some other type of whole30 approved cooking fat.

Sometimes I burn things. Okay, what you read may have sounded somewhat creepy. Let me clarify. To be more specific, sometimes I unintentionally burn the food I’m cooking. I may leave something on the stove and forget to check it, only to come back later and find said food “cooked” to an inedible crisp. Or, I may overestimate how long something is suppose to bake, and cook it until its at a point where even my best guy friends won’t touch it. It’s somewhat frustrating, but comes with the territory, at least in my world. When I cook something, I look forward to sampling the different food combinations that make up a recipe. When that meal happens to burn (sometimes a fiery flame of death), my heart hurts, and my soul gets crushed just a little.

On the other hand, I have somewhat of an unlikely love of “burnt” Brussels Sprouts and broccoli. My favorite part when roasting these vegetables is the little extra crispy bites. I don’t burn them until they are completely unrecognizable, but the vegetables are usually a lot more crispy then most people prefer. Therefore, I usually only crisp them up in the comfort of my own home, in a meal that won’t be shared with others (mainly, because I don’t want to share 😉 ).

Why this long talk about burning food? Well, it gives a little background for last week’s fiasco. I invited my friend Olivia over for grilled steaks, Brussels Sprouts roasted with chopped bacon, and mashed sweet potatoes. Olivia asked that her steak be cooked well-done (horrible, I know), which request I fully intended to comply with. What I failed to realize is that by warming up the grill as the sun was setting, I wouldn’t actually be grilling the steaks until it was night time. This wouldn’t be a problem, except that I have poor lighting in my backyard. I wasn’t able to visually check the steaks because of the bad lighting, and they cooked longer than necessary, well past the point of preference for either one of us.

Olivia asked for a well-done steak, but I ended up cooking her steak so long that she couldn’t eat most of it because it was too tough. It’s a good think she enjoyed the vegetables, because that ended up being the majority of her dinner for the night.

Thankfully, this recipe for Spaghetti Squash with Sun-dried Tomato Basil Walnut Pesto came out great, and no food was harmed in the making of this meal.

I made chicken to go along with the spaghetti squash using my chicken marinade recipe, and these meal was made to rave reviews.

Try it out, and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Spaghetti Squash With Sun-dried Tomato Basil Walnut Pesto

Servings: serves 5-6

Ingredients:

1 large Spaghetti Squash
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded Manchego cheese*
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves of garlic, peeled

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Chop spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Quick tip, to make the spaghetti squash easier to cut, microwave for 1-2 minutes. This makes the shell a little softer, so that you don’t have to hammer away at it like your hacking down a tree.
Place the spaghetti squash cut side down, and bake in the oven for approximately 40-45 minutes.
Once cooked, take the spaghetti squash out of the oven, flip the halves over and let cool.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S blade, place the basil, sun-dried tomato, manchego cheese, walnuts, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper.
Turn the food processor on, and pulse 5 or 6 times, for 2-3 seconds each time. Scrap down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Then turn the food processor on, and while the food processor is running, slowly pour in the extra virgin olive oil and continue running the food processor until the pesto ingredients have fully combined.
Once the spaghetti squash has cooled enough to handle, use a fork to scrap the squash noodles into a large bowl.
Pour the pesto over the spaghetti squash noodles, and stir the pesto with the squash noodles until fully incorporated.
Plate and enjoy!

Notes:

You can sub shredded Parmesan cheese for manchego cheese if this type of cheese is difficult to locate, or omit the cheese entirely to make the recipe dairy free and Whole30 friendly.