Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs and Homemade Sauce

So my first official post back is about...FOOD! My favorite thing! I found this recipe on Pinterest first, but here is the original link from Martha Stewart. At first I was a little skeptical about the spaghetti squash because I'm not a big squash person and I do love my pasta. But I'm trying to cut back on my carb intake so I figure this was worth a try. What's the worst that could happen?

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• salt and pepper for taste
• extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can tomato paste
• spices

First, preheat your oven to 400*.  Carefully cut your spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the center/seeds.  Drizzle a little EVOO on the cut side and place the cut side down on a baking sheet. Place it in the oven and set the timer for 45 minutes.

Next, start the turkey meatballs. In a large bowl, place the turkey, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic, milk, egg, salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix everything together, but don't overwork the meat. Start working them into small meatballs and place into a preheated frying pan (with a little drizzle of EVOO already in the pan). I like to brown them in the frying pan before baking them. It only takes a few minutes, and turn them once or twice until they get a little crust.

(this picture shows the right half of the meatballs that have been turned, and the other half were just put in the pan)

After turning the meatballs, place them on a baking sheet and put them in the 400* oven with the squash for 15-20 minutes. 

 (meatballs pre-baking)

While everything is in the oven, its time to start the sauce. I use basic tomato sauce, add tomato paste to thicken it up, and add a splash of white wine, a little parmesan cheese, garlic and spices. This time I didn't have enough fresh garlic, so I substituted with garlic pepper and garlic powder. I also had basil leaves, italian seasoning, oregano, cayenne pepper and cumin.  Be careful with the cayenne, it adds KICK! But I do love my spicy foods. ;-)

This needs to simmer for a little while, and make sure the tomato paste has fully integrated into the sauce. When ready, take out the meatballs and the squash. Its easier to shred the squash when its warm, so grab one of the squash halves with a pot holder and grab your fork. All you need to do is scrape your fork inside the squash, the insides will look just like spaghetti!

Scrape it all into a bowl. From one squash, there will be enough for 3-4 people.

Now the best part, assemble everything together, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and ENJOY!!

*I am not a food photographer or a chef! I'm just a girl that looks to cook, and EAT!