Spaghetti Squash with Meat Ragu

I tend to go through phases of pins, and at one time, I searched and re-pinned a ton of spaghetti squash recipes. As a healthier alternative to pasta, it can be used in so many dishes and provides great flavor and texture.

The recipe I tried tonight was skinnytaste’s Spaghetti Squash with Meat Ragu. This particular dish also suggests another low-fat alternative, using ground turkey instead of ground beef. It can be found on many boards across Pinterest, most titled with some kind of “healthy” subject.

A quick note that I decided to halve the recipe, as I was only cooking for myself.

The recipe starts with cutting the spaghetti squash in half to cook. I have issues cutting through a huge raw squash, so I just poke a bunch of holes in it and throw it in the oven at 375 for a little over an hour, rotating about every 20 minutes.

I cut my onion, carrots (I used about 5 baby carrots instead of one big carrot), and celery for my (combined) mis en place. I then melted butter, added oil, and sautéed the veggies. After reading the comments, I threw in some minced garlic as well.  The recipe calls for a 3-4 minute sauté, but I always find that a few more minutes gets that little bit of extra softness that I like for veggies as part of a sauce.

Veggie Mis En Place

Sautéing the veggies with oil, butter, garlic

Next, in went the raw turkey with a sprinkling of kosher salt. I used about a half pound, in order to make two servings (lunch tomorrow!). I stirred this pretty often, so I could break the chunks up into the smallest pieces possible, until it was all browned.

Adding the turkey meat

Make sure the turkey meat is browned

For the next step, I used a 14 oz can (half of what the recipe called for) of crushed tomatoes. As I continued to stir, I noticed it definitely wasn’t “saucy” enough; it was mostly just meat and vegetables with some tomatoes stirred in. Thank goodness I had a small can of tomato sauce on hand. As I added almost the full can, it reached a better, sauce-like consistency.

With just canned tomatoes added

With the extra tomato sauce added

Per the recipe, I added salt and pepper and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. I added a bay leaf (plus an extra, because I love the flavor it brings) and covered to cook, checking on it about every 15 minutes to stir.

While that was cooking, the spaghetti squash finished up in the oven. I cut it in half and scooped out the seeds. Taking a fork, I scraped all the meat out of the shells into a plastic container.  It really almost looks like pasta!

The spaghetti squash cooked all the way through. 

Cutting it open to scoop out seeds

"Pasta"!

After about an hour, I uncovered the pan. It had nicely reduced into a thick, chunky sauce. I reheated the squash in the microwave, transferred some to a bowl, and topped it with the ragu. I suppose I could have made it a little prettier with some grated cheese and fresh herbs on top, but I was ready to eat.

Reduced ragu

 The dish was delish! Meat-y, tomato-y, and vegetable-y all at the same time, it was definitely both a full flavored and healthy meal! This will stay on the list to make again for sure.

Spaghetti Squash with Meat Ragu 

Try it out for yourself. But make your changes as you see fit!

My pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/266486502924268688/

Original link: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/01/spaghetti-squash-with-meat-sauce-46-pts.html