SPAGHETTI SQUASH PASTA WITH A FULL OF FLAVOR SAUCE

 

Some nights you just need a quick sauce full of flavor to serve over your favorite pasta. When this is how I’m feeling, I choose spaghetti squash and then make a quick, yummy sauce to go with it.

We love spaghetti squash, because it is full of nutrients like potassium, beta carotene, and vitamin A, yet only has about 60 calories in a cup and a half, which is a great serving for dinner. We like to serve it with broccoli tossed in lemon juice to play off the capers.

Spaghetti Squash Pasta With a Full of Flavor Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground meat – You can use pork, turkey, beef, or even tempeh
• 1 leek, washed well and chopped
• 6-8 mushrooms, chopped
• 1 pepper, chopped – I like to use yellow or orange due to the sweet flavor
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 3.5 ounce jar of capers with juice
• 1 steamed spaghetti squash
• 1 16 oz can or 16 oz ball jar diced tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Crumbled feta for the top – I use goat feta

DIRECTIONS

First, you’ll need to steam the spaghetti squash using your preferred method. I cut mine in half and steam it in the oven at 400, using a Pyrex pan and water covered with foil. It generally takes 30-45 minutes. Then, I use a fork to pull the squash out of the shell.

While the squash is steaming, you can prepare the sauce:

• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil; add the leek and onion and sauté until just turning translucent.
• Add the pepper and mushroom and mix together.
• Push the vegetable mixture to the sides of the pan and add a little more olive oil.
• Add the protein and season with salt and pepper.
• Using a wooden spoon, work the protein to break it apart and brown while slowly mixing in the vegetables. This method will create a wonderful texture.
• When the meat is fully browned, add the garlic, capers, including the juice, and the tomatoes and stir.
• Once bubbling, simmer for 10-15 minutes. You may choose to add some pepper, but most likely the salt should be fine given the caper juice.
• Serve over the spaghetti squash.
• Crumble feta on top.

Easy, yummy, nutritious, and full of flavor. What more could you want in a dinner? Remember, you can always add any additional veggies or fresh herbs you have in the house, if you like. And, if you like a thinner sauce, just add some tomato paste.

Enjoy!

How do you fix spaghetti squash?