Healthy Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

Skip the pasta and try this healthy spaghetti squash and meatballs. This dish is a family favorite with all the flavor and no guilt.

Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

Spaghetti squash and meatballs is one of my family’s favorite dinners! The kids love it and I love that it’s delicious and healthy! I know it looks like there are a lot of ingredients, but it really is easy to throw together.

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Spaghetti squash is one amazing vegetable. It is perfect as a side dish with a little butter and salt, but it is also a great substitute for pasta, potatoes or rice in any recipe. I love substituting roasted spaghetti squash for regular spaghetti pasta to make my meal a low-carb and gluten free.

It took my kids a few times to get used to the texture of the spaghetti squash, but now they are huge fans as well. I actually prefer the spaghetti squash texture to pasta and that’s a pretty bold statement since I love me a good plate of linguine or fettuccine.

Ingredients for Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

This recipe is an easy one if you are curious about substituting spaghetti squash for pasta and want to give it a try. I added the meatballs because my kids love them, but you could easily leave them out, or you could just brown the ground beef and add it to the sauce that way. This is a quick and healthy meal that is easy to adjust to your own tastes.

For the squash:

• 1 (3 lb) spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
• Olive oil

For the meatballs:

• 1 lb. 93 % lean ground beef
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

For the sauce:

• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Parmesan cheese (optional)
• fresh basil (optional)

Directions to Make Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly drizzle spaghetti squash with olive oil and rub in to cover the entire squash. Place squash halves, cut sides down, on a baking dish. Bake for 50-60 minutes until tender.* Let cool slightly. Use a fork to separate the strands of squash.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the egg, water, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper.  Add ground beef, broken into chunks, and mush with your hands to combine. Shape into 1-inch meatballs.

3. Lightly coat a very large skillet with cooking spray; heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs to hot skillet; cook until browned, turning occasionally to brown evenly. Add tomatoes, sugar, crushed red pepper, salt, and 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.

4. Serve meatballs and sauce over squash. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil (if desired).

Spaghetti Squash in the Microwave

• If you prefer you can make the spaghetti squash in the microwave to save some time.

• Drizzle with olive oil and rub in to cover the entire squash.

• Place squash halves, cut sides down, in a microwave-safe baking dish; add 1/4 cup water.

• Microwave, covered, on high for about 15 minutes. Or until tender.

• Cool slightly and separate strands of squash with a fork.

Here is the Recipe:

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