Paleo Spaghetti Squash And Amped Up Meatballs Recipes

SPAGHETTI SQUASH AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Sprinkle the cut sides with 1/2 teaspoon salt, then brush both sides with olive oil. Put the squash, cut-side up, in a baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Roast 20 minutes, then uncover and continue roasting until the squash is tender, about 35 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the meatballs: Brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Pulse the celery, carrot, onion, garlic and parsley in a food processor to make a paste. Transfer half of the vegetable paste to a bowl; add the ground beef, ground pork, eggs, breadcrumbs, 1 cup parmesan and 1 teaspoon salt and mix with your hands until just combined. Form into about 24 two-inch meatballs; transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until firm but not cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Make the sauce: Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the remaining vegetable paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until it looks dry, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree; rinse each can with 1 cup water and add to the pot. Stir in the basil, oregano and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer, then add the meatballs and simmer until the sauce thickens and the meatballs are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the basil.
• Use a fork to scrape the spaghetti squash flesh into strands; transfer to a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons grated parmesan. Season with salt. Divide the squash among bowls and top each with some meatballs, sauce and the remaining 1 tablespoon parmesan.
• This recipe makes extra sauce and meatballs. Let cool completely, then freeze in a storage container for up to one month.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH PALEO MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Pour water into a baking dish. Place squash halves with cut sides down in baking dish; roast for until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• While squash is baking, cook and stir ground beef and onions in a skillet over medium-high heat until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Set beef aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir mushrooms, zucchini, green and red bell peppers, both amounts of crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano and thyme. Simmer over medium heat until vegetables are cooked through and tender, about 10 minutes. Add the ground beef and onions; stir to combine. Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, while you finish preparing spaghetti squash.
• Scrape the inside of hot spaghetti squash halves with a fork to shred the squash into strands; divide onto 8 plates. Drizzle each serving of spaghetti squash with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and top each serving with a generous amount of meat sauce.

PALEO SPAGHETTI SQUASH AND AMPED UP MEATBALLS

Steps:

• For the squash and sauce: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and place a rack in the middle of the oven.
• Rub 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil on each cut-side of the squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the squash cut-side up on a baking sheet and roast until fork tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• To test for doneness, insert a knife into the squash; it's ready when the knife goes through with little resistance. Cool the squash for at least 10 minutes. Scrape the tines of a fork lengthwise along the flesh of the squash to pull out the long, thin strands.
• While the squash cooks, make the sauce. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, and cook until the carrots are fork-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, red pepper and bay leaf. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for at least 25 minutes (the longer the better), stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the meatballs: Combine the ground beef, flour, tamari, tomato paste, salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic and egg in a large bowl. Form about 40 bite-size (1-inch in diameter) meatballs. Place the meatballs in the sauce and simmer until firm to the touch and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• Plate the spaghetti squash on serving plates and top with the tomato sauce and meatballs to serve.