Spaghetti squash . . . I never knew I loved thee

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I hate to be "jump on the bandwagon" girl, but I'll admit here and now that I've gone paleo. It's been nine weeks now (minus the week of Christmas when I drank a slurpee and ate cheesecake -- so NOT paleo). I won't bore you with the details, but I will tell you that, for me, not eating sugar is really key to my overall health and well-being. Also, not eating anything my body might possibly perceive as sugar. Sometimes I even have to hold my breath when I'm on the cereal aisle.

The good news is that I'm slowly building up a repertoire of good, tried-and-true recipes that my whole family loves. Guys, my kids will totally go to the mat after school for these leftovers. And I'm all, "Now kids, let's not fight over the squash." Yep, my life is totally like that. 

My point is that regardless of your eating philosophy -- this is good, healthy, satisfying food. Make it soon.

[Note: This recipe is adapted from Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo.  I've changed the quantities slightly. For the original version, see Sanfilippo's website.]

Balanced Bites by Diane Sanfilippo

Balanced Bites by Diane Sanfilippo

Spaghetti Squash Bolognese

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash (get one big one or two small)
2 TBSP bacon fat or butter
1 onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 lb ground veal or beef
1 lb ground pork
4 slices bacon, crumbled
3/4 c full-fat coconut milk
small can tomato paste
1/2 c white wine or beef broth (add more if you need more liquid)
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375. Slice the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise (this may take some muscle. Consider it your workout for the day.) Scrape out the seeds and membrane, liberally apply sea salt and black pepper, put the halves face down on a cook sheet, and bake for approximately 45 minutes.
  2. Let the squash cool for 5-10 minutes and then scrape the insides of the squash with a fork. This is the magic part. It turns into spaghetti. Except it's sugar free. Put all of your hard-won spaghetti squash into a lovely serving bowl.
  3. While the squash is in the oven, get the sauce going. Melt the bacon fat or butter and then sautee the onions, carrots, and celery until soft. Add the garlic. Then add the beef (or veal), pork, and bacon and cook through. Add the remaining ingredients and let simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bon Appetite!