One of the reasons I started this blog was to show people that you can have your cake and eat it too, in other words, you can eat healthy without depriving yourself. I have made it my goal to take everyone’s favorite “naughty” meals and make them healthy and filled with veggies. So this time I attempted to “fix up” spaghetti and meatballs. Corey gave this one a two-thumbs up so I’m pretty pumped about it! It’s the first time I successfully made spaghetti squash that actually turned out like it is supposed to. My previous attempts have ended up mushy but I think I finally found the trick…
Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs (Recipe from The Diva Dish adapted from How Sweet It Is)
Ingredients:
About 1lb. or so of ground turkey (I went with Jennie-O)- 1 beaten egg
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (plus 2-3 TB. more for topping)
- 1 piece of whole wheat bread pureed into bread crumbs (done in a food processor or blender or 1/3 cup breadcrumbs)
- 1/3 cup finely shredded carrot
- 1/3 cup finely shredded zucchini
- 1/3 cup finely chopped basil (I didn’t have fresh so I used about 2 tablespoons of dried; not the best but it works in a pinch)
- 2-3 diced garlic cloves
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 2 cups Marinara Sauce (just used store bought)
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- Optional: Parsley for garnish (I never do this because I don’t think it adds anything to the taste but it’s up to you…)
Directions: (for squash)
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry outside of squash and cut in half lengthwise then scoop out seeds with a spoon. Bake cut-side up straight on the rack for 45-60 minutes. Let cool for about 15-20 minutes then once cool, use a fork to scrape out the inside of the squash so it looks stringy like spaghetti. Place spaghetti strings in a large bowl and toss with a little salt and pepper.
Directions: (for meatballs)
1.Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl combine turkey, egg, cheese, carrot, zucchini, basil, garlic, bread crumbs and spices. Fold ingredients together with hands but be careful not to overmix. Too much mixing can dry out your meatballs. Then set aside.
2. Grease a casserole dish and pour marinara sauce into dish.
3. Roll your meatballs into about one inch thick balls and place evenly throughout casserole dish. Once all balls are in place, sprinkle with left over cheese and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked all the way through.
4. Pour meatballs and sauce over spaghetti squash and top with remaining basil and parsley. If you want, you can feel free to add more sauce or cheese.
If you have any requests for recipes that you would like me to “makeover” let me know, I love suggestions!
