#1,388: Spaghetti Squash Enchilada Casserole

Holy heck, I LOVED this recipe and will probably make it again next week for my lunches.  It was THAT good!  I made some adjustments to make it more to my liking, and I made this even easier but putting the whole uncooked spaghetti squash into my crockpot with a little bit (about 1 c) of chicken broth and cooked on high for about 4 hours.  I took it out of the crockpot, cut it open, scooped out the seeds, and it was ready to eat.  You do have to pierce the skin of the squash a few times with a sharp knife so it lets the steam escape as it cooks.
Then in a bowl I mixed the squash strands, cooked leftover taco meat (with the onion and taco seasoning in it), garlic, chopped kale (instead of spinach), a can of diced green chilies, salt and a little bit of mexi-blend cheese.  I threw it into a 9x13 pan and baked at 400 degrees for about 30 min.  Delicious!!

Below is the original recipe that I used as my inspiration with the addition of my taco meat in red.  Next time I am totally adding in a can of petite diced tomatoes too!

1 (3 lbs.) spaghetti squash

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups fresh spinach (I used kale)

1 (14.5 oz) can roasted tomatoes with green chiles (I just a small can of diced green chiles)

1 teaspoon ground cumin (I used a packet of taco seasoning)

I added 1 lb of cooked ground turkey mixed with the taco seasoning

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 ounces goat cheddar, shredded (I used mexi-blend cheese...omit for paleo)

Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, scoop out and discard the seeds in the center, and place the squash halves face-down on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the skin can be easily pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

In the meantime, pour the entire can of roasted tomatoes and green chiles (including the liquid) into a blender and add in the ground cumin and salt. Blend until smooth and set aside.

Melt the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat and saute the onion until it's tender, about 8 minutes. Add in the garlic and spinach, and stir until the spinach is wilted. Use a fork to scrape the cooked spaghetti squash flesh into pot and pour the enchilada sauce over the top. Stir well until everything is heated through, season to taste, and then divide the cooked vegetables between the two shells of the spaghetti squash arranged cut-side-up on a baking sheet. (Alternatively, you can just use two oven-safe serving dishes, if you'd prefer.) Top each serving with shredded goat cheddar, and place the baking sheet under your oven's broiler, set to high, for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve warm.