Confessions of an Organic Mama: Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meatballs

Tonight I tried a new recipe. I have been hearing a lot about Spaghetti Squash and how healthy it is and how good it tastes. Since I am trying to minimize my intake of refined carbs I decided that Spaghetti Squash would be a good way to have a nice "pasta" dinner without the guilt.

Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meatballs

- One 3 pound Spaghetti Squash

-1 pound of ground turkey

-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

-1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley

-1/2 cup of finely shredded parmesan cheese

-1 1/4 teaspoons of Italian seasoning

-1/2 teaspoon of onion powder

-1/2 teaspoon of salt

-1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper

-4 large cloves of garlic, minced

-One 28oz can of crushed tomatoes

-1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut spaghetti squash in half, length wise and remove seeds.

Place face down in a pyrex dish and put in oven for about 45 minutes.

While waiting for spaghetti squash to soften, combine half of the parmesan cheese, half of the parsley, half of the italian seasoning, all of the onion powder, and all of the pepper into a bowl.

Here I chopped 1/2 cup of fresh parsley

Seasonings and cheese, ready to mix with ground turkey

Mix in the ground turkey just until combined. Do not over mix. Roll out the meat mixture into 12 meatballs and set aside.

Once the spaghetti squash has softened, removed from the oven and turn it over. Put a tablespoon of olive oil into a skillet over medium heat and scrape the flesh of the spaghetti squash into the skillet. Stir occasionally until the moisture evaporates and the squash begins to brown. This will take about 5-10 minutes. Add in the other half of the parsley. Stir, then remove from heat and set aside.

Scrape the flesh out with a fork

In another skillet, add the other tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, and cook meatballs, turning until brown on all sides, about 4-6 minutes.

Move the meatballs to the side, add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, remaining italian seasonings, crushed red pepper and salt. Stir to cover meatballs, cover with lid and reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally until meatballs are fully cooked. About 10-12 minutes.