It’s the festive season, Christmas is less than three weeks away. Which means getting started on all that Christmas cooking and baking. And eating…
Not really the most healthy time of the year. But instead of denying yourselves all that deliciousness, enjoy it! No, I don’t mean to go binge on it all. But don’t feel guilty for it either. Just enjoy a nice buttery, sugary cookie here, a luscious dessert there and counterbalance those with some healthy meals.
I’m so thrilled that we can finally get spaghetti squash over here! My first try was simply using the flesh as spaghetti (as the name so obviously suggests) and serving it with a beefy sauce. Didn’t post a recipe, just a picture on Instagram. People in this area didn’t know what they should think about it. To them, the dish looked kind of weird and they had never heard of spaghetti squash before. Reactions were, well, sort of reserved. Anyway, how foreign and weird it might have been, it was an instant hit with the boys. Enough encouragement for me to buy another spaghetti squash and experiment a bit further.
And as it’s winter time and we have freezing temperatures outside, I’m craving casseroles. Hearty, warming casseroles, that give you that cosy feeling. And casseroles could not get any easier than this one. It does take a bit a preparation time, though. But you can prep this beforehand, so when it’s almost dinner time, it’s done in a flash.
To prep your spaghetti squash, preheat your oven to 200ºC (about 400F). Then cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Be careful not to scrape out too much flesh.
Then brush the cut halves with a bit of olive oil en sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the halves cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Pierce the skin a few times with a fork.
Bake for ca. 45-60 minutes. They are done when you can fairly easily pierce the skin with a fork.
Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Then carefully scrape out the flesh with a fork. Set aside.
Brown 1 kg of minced meat (I used half pork, half beef) and add 2 tablespoons of your preferred spice mix.
Add a can or package of tomato sauce. Stir well. Taste and add more spices if desired.
Grease a baking dish and pour in the sauce. Then top with the spaghetti squash.
Sprinkle about 250 g (8.5-9 oz) of grated cheese on top. Use whatever cheese you like. I used half Cheddar, half Emmenthal.
Bake for ca. 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden en bubbly.
Serve with a fresh salad.
Enjoy!
Notes
* I used half pork/half beef, but all pork, beef, turkey or chicken will work as well.
** I used Italian spice mix, but this would also be great with Taco seasoning.
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt/pepper
- 1 kg (ca. 2.5 lb) minced meat*
- 2 tbsp spice mix**
- 1 can/package tomato sauce (400 g/14 oz)
- 250 g (9 oz) grated cheese (125 g Emmenthal/125 g Cheddar)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200ºC (about 400F).
- Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
- Brush the cut halves with a bit of olive oil en sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Put the halves cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Pierce the skin a few times with a fork, and bake for ca. 45-60 minutes. They are done when you can fairly easily pierce the skin with a fork.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Then carefully scrape out the flesh with a fork. Set aside.
- Brown the minced meat and add the spice mix.
- Add the tomato sauce. Stir well. Taste and add more spices if desired.
- Grease a baking dish and pour in the sauce.
- Top with the spaghetti squash.
- Sprinkle cheese on top.
- Bake for ca. 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden en bubbly.
- Serve with a fresh salad and enjoy!
Janske
October 30, 2017ik krijg gewoon honger van dit recept….hmmmm
Nicole
October 30, 2017Echt superlekker! En gezond!