This Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs recipe has so many benefits. It’s delicious, for one thing, but it is also a good way to sneak in some vegetables without your family really knowing it! We just had this for supper tonight and 4 adults, a 2 1/2 year-old and a toddler all got their fill and we had plenty left over for another meal for all of us.
Our “Keto Diet” daughter and son-in-law could eat all of it because I left out the carrots, they didn’t mind the crushed pretzels that I used in the meatballs instead of bread crumbs, and they made an Alfredo sauce to go over their “spaghetti” and meatballs. So a win-win in my book. I actually need to make this with their Alfredo sauce next time. Oh my goodness. I’ll see if I can watch my son-in-law next time he makes it and write down what he does. He doesn’t have a recipe. He just feels his way. That reminds me, watch for my Book Bites post in another week or so.
I made a few tweaks with this recipe, because of the Keto and because I forgot to pick up tomato puree–I used Bertolli Marinara sauce and just added some fresh basil from my garden. Also, I cooked my squash according to the directions for this recipe that I shared recently. It was simpler than the method from this dish.
So, I mentioned that we had plenty of food. And what I will probably do with the leftovers is freeze them for a future meal–even the spaghetti squash! Just put in a freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as you can, seal and freeze for up to 7 -8 months.
I am going to be looking for some other ways to use spaghetti squash, so if you have any ideas please share them in the comments! I’d appreciate it.
Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs
- June 11, 2020
- 4+
- 1 hr 10 min
- Print this
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash (approx. 2 lbs.)
- Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped (I used 1 cup freeze dried, chopped)
- 2 large green onions, sliced (use the white and green parts)
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup crushed pretzels
- 1 cup thinly shredded Parmesan cheese (extra if you want to garnish)
- 2 jars of marinara sauce
- about 6 small fresh basil leaves
Directions
- Step 1
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the squash in half, lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Sprinkle the cut sides with 1/2 teaspoon salt, then brush with olive oil. Place the squash, cut side down on parchment paper-lined baking sheet pan. Roast for about 50 minutes, until tender.
- Step 2
- While the squash is baking, prepare the meatballs. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil.
- Step 3
- Place celery, onion, garlic, and parsely in a food processor and pulse into a paste and put into a large bowl. Add the beef, sausaage, eggs, pretzels, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of salt, and mix with your hands until blended. Form into about 24 meatballs, depending on the size you want. Place on your prepared baking sheet. Bake about 20 minutes.
- Step 4
- While the meatballs are baking, pour your marinara sauce into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When it starts to simmer add the basil and cook until the meatballs are done.
- Step 5
- Using a fork, scrape the spaghetti squash insides into strands, and place in a large bowl to serve. I kept the sauce, meatballs and squash separate so that everyone could use whichever components they wanted to.
NOTE: You could put your sauce in a large saucepan and add the meatballs, so that they are more “saucy”. That would also mean you would only bake the meatballs for 10 minutes, and continue the cooking time in the sauce until the meatballs are done.
