If there was a vegetable hall of fame, the Spaghetti Squash would so have a spot there! This amazing veggie is prepared in only a few minutes, tastes great even without seasoning, is loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and has a low calorie content next to a high fiber one. Score! Today I used it to make mealtime easier since we had 3 little mouths to feed and 2 big ones. The little ones love their pasta, but the big ones try to eat low carb 🙂 The sauce is a crowd pleaser so the only thing I cooked extra for low carb eating was the spaghetti squash. I served it with both mozzarella and parmesan cheese and some pesto and voila, dinnertime was taken care of! Make sure to read the “What I’ve learned” section before making this dish!
Ingredients (4 servings)
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes, I used Italian style
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
- 8 cloves of garlic, minced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put a tablespoon of olive or coconut oil in a large stock pot and when hot, put in the onion. Cook the onions for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Put in the ground beef. With the back of a wooden spoon, break the beef up in smaller pieces while it browns.
- Once the meat is browned, poor in the cans of tomatoes (including the liquid), add the minced garlic and the Italian seasoning. Season with salt and pepper. Give it a stir and simmer for about an hour (you can get away with 30 minutes if you are in a hurry 🙂 ) Don’t forget to stir every now and then.
- When you have about 20 minutes still on the clock to simmer the sauce, start preparing your squash. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds in the middle (you can save these and roast later if you want, they make a great snack). Drizzle a little olive oil over the open sides (1 teaspoon) and spread with your fingers to cover the whole inside of the squash.
- Wrap each half of the squash in one layer of paper towel so prevent splashing and put in the microwave for 6.5 minutes. Make sure you put one half in at a time.
- While your squash is cooking, add the basil to the sauce, stir and let simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Time to remove your squash from the microwave. Caution, your squash will be HOT! When you have removed your squash, carefully scrape out the inside and divide over plates. (one half serves 2 people)
- Top the squash with the sauce and if desired add some salt, pepper, cheese and/or pesto before you dig in. Mangiamo!
What I’ve learned…
- In order to keep the meat moist during the cooking process, I did not drain the fat from the ground beef after browning and I also added the tomatoes including the liquids in the can. This also helps in easy evenly distribution of all the flavors in the sauce. When the sauce is done, therefor there will be excess liquid so I suggest serving the sauce with a slotted spoon to drain as many liquids as you want before putting it on your squash.
Stats per serving:
Calories: 450
Fat: 30 g
Net carbs: 8 g
Protein: 45 g
My Keto Test Lab 