No Pasta Spaghetti Casserole

Hey there! My newest family favorite! Now this is perfect for just about anything! This would make a great potluck! It’s gluten free because obviously there is NO pasta! The hardest part of this recipe is getting into the spaghetti squash! (those suckers are hard to break open)

Let’s begin. Brown your meat in a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil. And you could use ground turkey too for this (I do about half the time).

While your meat is browning cut up your vegetables. I used onion, garlic, & zucchini. The choices are unlimited! You could really stretch this with lots of vegetables!

Once meat is browned, add vegetables to it.

Next add your tomato paste & spices. I added garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil, a little chili flakes, and salt & pepper to taste. Then add your water to thin the sauce down. I also add about 2 tsp of sweetener (Truvia) to take the bitterness away.

Let simmer for an hour till everything is blended and cooked well.

While that is cooking open up a spaghetti squash (this takes time). Be sure not to cut yourself trying to open it. I know this from experience… believe me. Use an ice cream scoop to scrape out the insides. Place open face down on a cookie sheet with 1/2 a cup of water. Bake till tender.

Once done, scrape the cooked squash out with a fork and add it to the sauce. Layer half of the sauce/squash mixture in a big 9 X 13 baking dish.

Add a cup of mozzarella cheese.

Layer the rest of your spaghetti sauce mixture on top.

Cover with another cup of mozzarella and then sprinkle on parmesans cheese. Cover with foil, bake!

Now get you a BIG bowl! Delicious!!

If you follow the Trim Healthy Mama book, this is an S meal. Lots of cheese in this one!

NO PASTA SPAGHETTI CASSEROLE

serves: 6 to 8 bake: 350 degrees for 25 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 large spaghetti squash (most grocery stores sell them. I buy mine at Trader Joe’s. It is the least expensive around, I’ve found!)
2 lbs ground beef or turkey
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 large zucchini chopped
3 small cans tomato paste
3 cups of water
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 to 3 tsp sweetener of choice (I used Truvia, but you could use brown sugar)
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup parm cheese (in the green container)

Directions:

Brown meat in a little olive oil. Chop onion, garlic, & zucchini. Once meat is browned add vegetables to the meat. Cook till tender. Add your tomato paste, spices, sweetener, & water. Stir well. Let simmer for an hour. While that simmers, cut open your spaghetti squash. Clean out the insides and place open face down on a cookie sheet. Add about 1/2 cup water to the baking sheet. Cook on 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Once the squash is tender, take out of oven, use a fork and scrape the insides into the meat sauce. Stir the meat sauce & squash together well. Get a 9 X 13 baking dish read. Turn oven down to 350 degrees. Layer half of the squash meat sauce in the baking dish. Cover with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Add the rest of the meat sauce. Cover with the other cup of mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with parm. Cover with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is completely melted. So good! ENJOY!