**Spaghetti squash can be a pain, so to make this a stress-free meal, skip the spaghetti squash prep and just go for zucchini or sweet potato noodles. Both are awesome with this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 mushrooms, diced (or a can of sliced mushrooms)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp plus 1/2 tsp. sea salt, divided
- 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper, divided
- 4 cups sugar-free pasta sauce (we use Rao’s)
- 2 small round spaghetti squash
- grated parmesan, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Carefully slice the spaghetti squash in half through the stem. Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds and discard.
- Lightly drizzle olive oil over the cut-side of the spaghetti squash. Then, lightly sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. sea salt and 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper until evenly coated.
- Place the squash, cut side up, on the baking sheet and place into the oven.
- Roast until a fork can easily scrape the spaghetti squash flesh away, approximately 40-45 min.
- Now, remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Once cool, carefully scrape out the spaghetti squash “noodles” from the skin, taking care to keep the outer skin in tact, since this will serve as the bowls.
- Heat remaining tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef to the oil and break into crumbles.
- Add the onion, shallot, garlic, and mushrooms, and cook until the meat is well-browned and the onion is tender.
- Add the seasonings (oregano, basil, thyme, remaining salt, and remaining pepper) and the tomato sauce and stir to combine.
- Once the mixture begins to simmer, reduce heat to medium and cover for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the meat sauce with the spaghetti squash noodles until everything is evenly coated.
- Carefully fill each of the squash cups with the mixture.
- Garnish with parmesan if desired.