Spaghetti Bolognese is my mom’s favorite meal, so you bet we ate a lot of it growing up. The only thing I had to do to Chirpy-fy it was to switch up the pasta – and what better vegetable to use than Spaghetti Squash? I mean, it already has the right name. Spaghetti Squash Bolognese – how perfect is that?!
You might not believe me if I said this, but I saw spaghetti squash for the first time about a year ago. It blew my mind. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It looks like a regular squash, but turns into these yummy “spaghetti” strands when cooked. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen at the time (a few months later I saw Chinese Long Beans for the first time and thought those were even cooler than spaghetti squash).
This isn’t one of our most time-saving meals, so save it for a special night, or a night when you have a little more time on your hands. Although, thinking about it now, the prep takes just a few minutes. Then there’s about 10 minutes of hands-on cooking and the rest is just waiting.
Yep, I take it back. This is still a quick and easy Chirpy meal. The squash does it’s thing in the oven for 40 minutes, and as it cooks, you toss the rest of the goodies in a pot stir it occasionally. Once you’ve scraped the squash from the peel, you’re ready to top it off with the rich Bolognese sauce.
The little bit of extra time and love put into this meal is really worth it. It’s homely and hearty and always hits the spot! The squash has a very mild flavor, unlike other types of squash and won’t overpower the meal – a perfect choice to de-carb this childhood staple of mine.
Ingredients
- 1 • spaghetti squash
- 1 tbsp • lard
- 1/2 tsp • thyme
- 1 lb • ground beef
- 1 • onion
- 1 cup • diced carrots
- 1/2 cup • diced celery
- 2 • diced tomatoes
- 1 cup • red wine
- 1 cup • vegetable broth or water
- 6 oz • tomato paste
- 1 tsp • thyme
- 1 tsp • oregano
- 1 • minced garlic clove
- to taste • salt and pepper
- optional • shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF
- Carefully cut the spaghetti squash is half and brush with the lard.
- Sprinkle the 1/2 tsp thyme over top and season with salt and pepper.
- Pop into the oven for 40 minutes.
- While the squash cooks, sauté the onion, celery and carrot over medium high heat until soft. About 10 minutes.
- Add all the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 30 - 35 minutes, until the bolgnese has reached a thick consistency.
- Once the squash is ready, scrape the flesh for the peel with a fork.
- Serve the spaghetti squash with a generous scoop of bolognese sauce and top with cheddar if you's like.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
Spaghetti Squash Bolognese – Pin it!
