#1,622: Spaghetti Squash Breakfast Casserole

I honestly wasn't so sure I was going to like this recipe because I really have a love/hate relationship with spaghetti squash, but man was this recipe good.  The squash really resembles the texture of hashbrown potatoes (which I love) so I was a huge fan of this.  The kids tried it and thought it was ok, and hey, I'm ok with that!!

About 3 cups of cooked spaghetti squash
½  lb. breakfast sausage, cooked and drained
4 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (divided)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on the desired amount of spice)
1 bell pepper, finely diced
½ onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup almond flour

Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Butter or grease the inside of a 9X13 inch pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, blend the cooked spaghetti squash, cooked breakfast sausage, 4 beaten eggs, sour cream, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, bell pepper, onion, garlic powder, almond flour, and about 3 oz of cheddar cheese. Mix well and pour mixture into prepared pan and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 40 minutes or until center is set and the edges are a little crisp. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

#1, 435: Crockpot Italian Beef over Spaghetti Squash

I love easy recipes, and I especially love ones that I can throw together quickly and then come home to dinner totally made/done!  We ate this on a night that we weren't getting home until pretty late, so it was the prefect meal to have waiting for us when we got home.  I had pre-made the spaghetti squash so that saved me a ton of time.  The rest of the family ate this in some toasted rolls, but I loved it with the squash (yeah for low carb!).  We will definitely be making this on again. 

2.5 – 3 pounds of beef roast
2 cups chopped carrots
1 small white or yellow onion, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of red chili flakes
1.5 cups organic crushed tomatoes (I omitted)
2 cups beef stock
1 Tbsp tomato paste

Trim your beef of excess fat, and set in the crockpot.

Peel and chop the carrots, slice the onion and chop the garlic. Add these to the pot with the beef along with the seasonings: salt, garlic powder, basil, oregano, thyme, cinnamon and red chili flakes.

Pour in the beef stock and crushed tomatoes. Add the tomato paste and give everything a good stir. Cover the slow cooker, set to low for 5-6 hours.  Shred when done and serve. 

#1,430: Dairy Free Tomato Cream Sauce with Spaghetti Squash

My friend Jaime started a pinterest board with recipe for me to make first/try.  This is one of the recipes she pinned, and I'll be honest, I don't know if I would have made/tried this if she hadn't pinned it for me/us.  :)  BUT, this actually wasn't too bad!  I personally enjoy my spaghetti squash with some sort of protein (i.e. ground turkey) with it and like the spaghetti squash to be a secondary ingredient to the protein.  This recipe really makes the spaghetti squash the main ingredient.  If you are looking for a gluten-free, healthy alternative to pasta and you love cream sauces, you might really enjoy this one!  Although I didn't totally fall in love with this, I certainly ate my entire bowl full, so I must have at least enjoyed it a little.  LOL!!

I decided NOT to use the coconut milk, and had half-and-half on hand, so I used about half of the recommended amount it called for.  Obviously my personal serving was not dairy free, but if you used coconut milk it would be.  

1 Cup Heavy Coconut Cream from a Can

1 Cup Pizza Sauce or Marinara Sauce.

2 TBSP Butter 

4 1/2 Tsp Starch (Tapioca, Arrowroot or Potato Starch) (I used corn starch since that's what I had on hand)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 tsp Garlic Powder or more to taste

1 tsp Onion Powder or more to taste

5 Yellow Squash (Spiralized) (I used cooked spaghetti squash noodles)

In a saucepan combine the cream, pizza sauce, butter, starch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder; heat until thickened, whisking the whole time; set aside. Don't worry, this sauce will be thick at first but when the squash noodles are added it will thin out.

Using a spiralizer make the Squash into noodles. Add in the Squash noodles into the sauce.

Lightly boil noodles in sauce until cooked through. (1-3 minutes).  After noodles have been added, make sure to taste and re-adjust seasonings.

#1,390: Spaghetti Squash with Kale and Sausage

Since I started my weightloss journey on FoodFuels, I've stopped eating any form of sausage.  It was a very hard transition at first because it was one of my go-to, easy proteins.  Now that I've hit my weightloss goal (and only until Jan 1 when I start right back on my plan to continue to lose more weight hopefully) I've added back a little bit of turkey sausage.  So I was super excited to try this recipe that has been sitting on my pinterest board for a few months now.  

1 med-large Spaghetti Squash

12 oz. sweet Italian sausage (I used cooked turkey sausage, diced)

1 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large bunch kale

big pinch crushed red chiles

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Cut the tip and the tail off of the squash and then cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Set both halves, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes - 1 hour, or until tender (the tip of a small, thin-bladed knife should slide in easily). Set aside for a few minutes, until cool enough to handle.

When the squash is getting near the end of its cooking time, set a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add the sausage. Cook, stirring as needed to break up, until cooked through and a bit brown.  Add shallots and garlic and saute for another minute or two, until soft.

Pull the large, woody stems from the kale, and slice the leaves into thin ribbons. Add to the skillet along with the crushed red chile flakes and cook, stirring until tender and just cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Use a fork to scrape the still warm squash into strands. Arrange on a serving platter.

Scoop the sausage and kale mixture over the top. Grate some Parmesan over the top of everything and serve.

#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.

#1,376: Twice-Baked Cheeseburger Spaghetti Squash (Paleo)

Obviously from the photo above, I did not "twice" bake my spaghetti squash since the cheese is not melted.  Let's be honest, I was hungry and didn't want to wait for it to melt/twice bake.  :)  It was SO good even without going back in the oven!  Although I did feel like this recipe was a little wet and watery, so maybe a second round in the oven would have been good for it.  LOL

I loved this for lunch and dinner for a couple of days and will definitely be making this again.  The original recipe suggests adding diced tomatoes or shredded lettuce on top to make it more "cheeseburger" like, but the lettuce was not appealing to me.  I did add some diced tomatoes into my mixture though so they were sort of in there.  And since this is a "cheeseburger"-ish recipe, I added a little bit of pickle relish.  It gave it a sweeter taste but it was good!  Next time instead of adding the lettuce on top, I'll probably add some shredded kale right into the mixture as well.  Yum, yum, yum!

1 spaghetti squash
1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)
6-8 oz bacon, cooked and diced
1 cup onion, diced
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
I also added 1 tbsp or so of pickle relish and ½ can of diced tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice a 3-4 pound spaghetti squash lengthwise, remove the seeds and guts and lay cut-side down in a roasting pan with just shy of a quarter cup of water. Roast for 30-40 minutes, until the squash is tender and pulls away into strands easily but not so long that it gets mushy.

In a pan, cook the ground beef and onion over medium-high heat, breaking into small pieces as it cooks.  Add the bacon, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper.  I also added the pickle relish and diced tomatoes at this time.  Stir to combine and let simmer on low for about 5 minutes so the flavors start to blend. 

When you’re ready, harvest the squash strands and add to the ground beef mixture.  Gently but thoroughly toss the ground beef and squash strands together. Use a set of cooking tongs to heap the mixture back into the shells of the spaghetti squash.

If you are a dairy eater, add a little organic, grass-fed cheese at this step. If not, you can sprinkle on some nutritional yeast.  Return the squash boats back to the 375 degree oven, bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with shredded iceberg lettuce and thick slices of fresh organic tomatoes!

#1,354: Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Yum, yum, yum!  I loved this spaghetti squash recipe.  The only thing I would do differently next time would be to add some cooked ground turkey to it too.  What a healthy, filling, delicious meal!

1 medium spaghetti squash, cooked and flesh removed (save the shell)
1 Tablespoon olive oil (I omitted)
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (leave seeds in for more heat)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 Tablespoon ground cumin (I used ½ packet of Mrs. Dash Salt-free Chili Seasoning)
1/2 Tablespoon oregano (I omitted)
1/2 Tablespoon chili powder (I omitted)
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed (I used about ½ cup)
1/2 cup freshly torn cilantro, plus more for garnish
Juice of 1 lime
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I omitted)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno and red bell pepper. Sauté 2 minutes. Stir in cumin, oregano, chili powder, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté 1 more minute. Stir in beans, corn, half of cilantro and lime juice until well combined. Add the “spaghetti” strands from the squash to the vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Taste and season as desired.

Set oven to broil. Stuff each squash half with the squash-vegetable mixture and top with grated cheddar. Broil until cheese melts and gets brown and bubbly, 1-2 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining cilantro and serve warm.

I took the lazy route and made the recipe this way:
In a large bowl combine the cooked spaghetti squash strands, onion (raw), garlic, diced green chilies, bell pepper (raw), Mrs. Dash seasoning, pepper, salt, black beans, corn (frozen), and cilantro.  Place in a lightly greased 8x8 pan, cover and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue cooking for about 20 more minutes or until the peppers are cooked to your desired texture/consistency.  Remove from oven and serve in the spaghetti squash shell if desired.  

#1,329: Spaghetti Squash Pizza Pie

I really liked this recipe, but I think I slightly ruined it by putting in some fresh garden tomatoes.  This recipe was SO watery/mushy, and I found myself desperately seeking the slight firmness of the zucchini noodles.  Next time I'm going to omit the tomatoes or get all of the seeds out of it.  I also don't think this recipe needs the egg(s), so I will omit those as well.  Otherwise, it was a really good dinner.  I would definitely make this again! 

1 spaghetti squash, cut in half and remove the cooked strands

1 ½ lbs. chicken breast (I omitted but next time will add some chopped cooked turkey meatballs)

3 tbsp. ghee (I omitted)

¾ yellow onion, diced (I omitted)

2 zucchini, turned into noodles with spiralizer (or use a box grater)

1 ½ cup pizza sauce 

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning 

5 eggs, whisked (I used 1 egg)

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake spaghetti squash face down on baking sheet for 30 minutes and remove the threads once cooled. Lower heat to 350 degrees. Place threads in a large baking dish. 

I skipped this step to avoid the meat/chicken filling:
Heat large pan over medium heat with the ghee and cook the chicken until no longer pink (about 5 minutes on each side). Pull apart the chicken and add the onions. Cook until onions are slightly browned. 

In a small bowl, combine your pizza sauce, seasonings, and salt and pepper, mixing well. Add this mixture and the zucchini noodles and to the spaghetti squash threads.  Add the whisked eggs and mix well.  Place in a lightly greased baking dish.  Bake in oven for about 50 minutes or until the top forms a slightly browned crust that is no longer runny. Let cool and enjoy.

#1,326: Baked Lasagna Style Spagetti Squash

Doesn't that look absolutely delicious?  It was!  And it was healthy and filling, and I cannot wait to eat it again.  I omitted the cheese since I'm not eating dairy right now, but I didn't miss it at all.  I also used fresh ingredients right from my garden.  This recipe could be so versitile, you can pretty much throw in whatever you want.  I added some chopped, cooked turkey meatballs to give it some protein and make it a complete one dish meal.  LOVED it!

1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes (I used tomatoes fresh from my garden)
1 tablespoon dried basil (I used fresh basil)
1 cube vegetable bouillon (I omitted)
black pepper to taste
1 (15 ounce) can black olives, chopped (I omitted)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I omitted)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (I omitted)
I also added about 4 cooked turkey meatballs cut into pieces (for 1/2 of a squash)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with a thin layer of cooking spray. Place squash halves cut side down on the baking sheet.

Bake squash 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife can be easily inserted. Remove from oven, and cool. Remove squash strands with a fork, reserving the shells. 

Meanwhile, spray a non-stick saucepan with cooking spray. Over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic until golden brown. Stir in tomatoes, basil, bouillon cube, and black pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until you have a medium thick sauce. (I cooked my fresh tomatoes for about 5 minutes). 

(At this point I just mixed the cooked spaghetti squash with my tomato/basil/onion/garlic/black pepper mixture.  Then I thew in some chopped, cooked turkey meatballs and mixed it together). 

I pretty much skipped all of this and just thew it into the shell: Layer each half with a spoonful of the sauce, a layer of spaghetti squash strands, olives, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers until shells are full, or until all of the ingredients are used. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until Parmesan cheese melts.

#1,208: Crockpot Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs

I am not a huge lover of spaghetti squash.  I try to be, but it just doesn't cut it for me.  A few weeks ago my friend Sarah persuaded me to make it again and keep trying it.  Then I came across this recipe, and knew it was the perfect recipe for me to make because it used the crockpot and it included one of my favorite ingredients....sausage.  But I don't love sausage meatballs so I used breakfast sausage instead!!! 

This recipe was so easy to put together before I walked out the door this morning.  I wasn't sure I was going to love it cooking just in tomato sauce so I added about half a jar of left over spaghetti sauce I had from last night.  I think that was a good call (although that makes it non-paleo then). 

This was DELICIOUS!  How do I know I loved this recipe?  Because I kept looking forward to the leftovers and I normally don't do that with spaghetti squash.  And I enjoyed it so much in the crockpot, I ran out and got another one to make a different crockpot spaghetti squash recipe!  Thanks for pushing me to try it again Sarah...YUM!

One medium spaghetti squash
One pound of ground Italian sausage (I used organic pork breakfast sausage)
One can of tomato sauce, I used a 14 ounce can
2 tbsp of hot pepper relish (optional) (I did not use this)
4 to 6 cloves of garlic, whole
2 tbsp of olive oil
Italian seasoning (Oregano, Basil, Thyme) to taste, about 2 tsp

Make sure you use a large 6 quart slow cooker for this recipe. Dump your tomato sauce, olive oil, garlic, hot pepper relish and Italian seasoning into your slow cooker and stir well.

Cut your squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Place your 2 squash halves face down into your slow cooker. Roll your ground sausage into meatballs, then fit as many as you can in the sauce around the squash. I was able to work in about a half pound worth. Cook on High for 3 hours or cook on low for 5 hours. Use a large fork to pull the “spaghetti” out of your squash, then top with your meatballs and sauce.

#384: Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

One day at school last week one, I got a spaghetti squash from one of the other teachers.  It's been sitting on my counter because I haven't had time to make anything with it yet.  Right after I got the squash though, I found this recipe and knew it would be the perfect recipe to use it in.  I wasn't sure I was going to love this but I really did enjoy this and will be sharing it with my sister-in-law at dinner tonight!

2 cups marinara sauce
3 cups cooked roasted spaghetti squash
1 cup part skim ricotta
8 tsp Parmesan cheese
6 oz part skim shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375°.  In four individual 5 x 7-inch oven safe baking dishes (or an 8x8 pan), ladle 1/4 cup quick marinara sauce on the bottom of each dish.  Top each with 3/4 cup of cooked spaghetti squash and spread evenly.  Top each with 1/4 cup ricotta.  Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of grated Parmesan cheese and .75 oz mozzarella on each.   Add the remaining sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the edges begin to bubble; uncover and cook an additional 5 minutes.