Spaghetti Squash with Meat & Veggies

Spaghetti squash is one of my favorite foods for forming a fun, yummy, and nutritious base for a meal.

I originally started eating spaghetti squash regularly back in my low-carb days because, true to its name, once it is cooked it magically forms a spaghetti-like texture.

Even though I eat many more carbohydrates these days (which includes plenty of real pasta) I still love this dish for its flavor and nutritional value.

As always, I add a variety of veggies to add extra nutrition and flavor.

My favorite source of protein with this meal is ground beef, but of course, that’s not required.

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What you’ll need

1 Spaghetti Squash, cut in half with seeds removed

Veggies! Here I cook with onion, broccoli, and kale

Protein source – I prefer Ground Beef

Seasonings / Sauces – here I prepare an avocado oil based sauce, but I also occasionally will prepare this with the traditional pasta sauce

Make it your own

• Make it with your favorite veggies. Personally, I love the flavor of cooked onion and garlic, along with cruciferous veggies for flavor, nutrition, and satiety value.
• Meat not your thing? Try adding more vegetables for extra protein
• Go lower fat by decreasing the amount of butter and oil used
• Keep yourself satiated with plenty of protein, cruciferous vegetables, and fat

Note, this meal is traditionally a low-carb meal. For a higher-carb version, just go with traditional pasta!

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Recipe

1. Get the spaghetti squash in the oven. Cut it in half (this is often a bit of a battle; take care not to lose a finger) and remove the insides. Add a touch of avocado oil or butter to the internal surfaces and place face down on a pan. Put in oven for 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees.
   • The appearance of brown marks on the outside of the squash signifies it is probably ready. Use a fork to pull apart the squash – if it comes off in spaghetti-like strands, then you know it is done!
2. Chop the onion and crush the garlic. Add to pan with a bit of avocado oil. Sautee on medium heat for a few minutes – until starting to brown. Turn off heat and set aside
   • Nutrition tip for health promoting (including cancer fighting) properties: Crush the onion and garlic to activate enzyme. Let the reaction unfold for 10-15 minutes before applying to heat.
3. Wash, chop, and cook any other veggies
   • Kale – wash and dry completely before chopping and cooking
     • Cooking tip – make sure your kale is dry before cooking. This makes it crispy instead of soggy
   • Broccoli – wash and chop
   • Cook both by adding to pan with a bit of avocado oil, cooking on medium until beginning to brown
4. Cook up ground beef in a frying pan on medium heat until brown
5. Prepare the “sauce” – mash one avocado in a bowl with a bit of olive oil
   • Cooking tip – I use olive oil whenver I am not applying heat. Heat readily damages olive oil, while avocado is more stable
   • Nutrition tip – I use olive oil for the flavor and for the extra nutrition that makes it stand out from avocado oil

Cooking Steps

Prepare your bowl

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