Paleo Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs

If there’s one thing I constantly crave (besides strawberries), it’s spaghetti & meatballs. A slight setback in my Italian food desire is gluten. If I could, I’d eat lasagna and spaghetti on a daily basis but unfortunately gluten/grain is a no-go for me. SO, I am following the spaghetti squash craze and making my own paleo, grain free yumminess!

I have to admit that during my afternoon run today, all I could think about was dinner and it definitely pushed me to get home faster.

As a little side note, I’m currently training for my first marathon. Yikes. Yes, I am already so nervous and it’s still 4 months away! With that being said, I want to create meals that give me enough protein and carbs for my training so violà! Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs!

If you’ve never had spaghetti squash, it’s great with garlic shrimp or alfredo sauce, and you can even make spaghetti squash pizza crust! A quick search brought me to this site with 43 recipes.

Due to food sensitivities, I can’t have oregano or onions and therefore left them out for my meatballs. Also, I ran out of parsley so I didn’t add that in. I’m mentioning this because I want you to see that it’s possible to tweak these recipes to fit your needs.

For tomato sauce, I used Rao’s Homemade Sensitive Formula Marinara Sauce. I would definitely recommend this because it’s delicious with only a few ingredients (but all of their sauces are fantastic).

For a non-paleo version, top the whole thing off with some parmesan cheese and indulge!

Quick (non-sponsored) tangent: I recently signed up for a 30-day paleo restart program that gives you recipe suggestions and helps guide you into a paleo diet. If you are interested in going Paleo but don’t know where to start, try it out! I gained inspiration for this recipe from them but they also have a free two week meal plan that provides some menu ideas.

Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

For a healthy alternative to pasta, enjoy spaghetti squash topped meatballs and marinara sauce. This is a great dish for sharing and even better as leftovers.

Recipe type: Italian

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 Spaghetti Squash, halved lengthwise
• 1½ lbs ground grass-fed beef
• 1½ ground pork*
• ½ medium onions, grated
• 1 egg
• 3 garlic cloves, minced*
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp dried thyme
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 44 oz of quality tomato sauce (I used Rao's Homemade Sensitive Formula Marinara Sauce)
• Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cut open the spaghetti squash, scrape out the seeds, and coat the inside/edges with olive oil.
3. Place the spaghetti squash facedown on a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 mins.
4. While the squash is cooking, combine the meat with everything but the marinara sauce (and olive oil).
5. Form meatballs (between 28 and 32).
6. Heat 2-2.5 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skilled over medium-high heat.
7. Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs and reduce to medium heat after a few minutes. Occasionally turn the meatballs until they are completely browned.
8. Pour in the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Coat the meatballs until cooked through.
9. Serve & enjoy.

Notes

*I used 3 lbs of grass-fed beef instead of pork.
*I added more garlic cloves (about 6-8 cloves) because of allergy modifications→ I didn't use onions, parsley, or oregano. However, I'd definitely recommend them if you don't have allergies because it'll make it even more flavorful.
*Don't be afraid to add more herbs to taste. This recipe is a guideline so you can increase or decrease ingredients to taste.

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