Day 11: Spaghetti…Squash Deux!

Since the ground beef from last night’s dinner took a back seat to steak, in tonight’s dinner  it had to be the star. The weather being unseasonably cold today said one thing to me, spaghetti. I come from an Italian family and even spent some time living in Italy after college. So abandoning my noodle laden roots is a little like calling the Pope’s hat gaudy, you just don’t do it. (My grandmother will never understand…) Fret not, tasty substitutions can be made with the addition of squash. I generally stick to one squash when making a “pasta” dish, but I found my fridge a couple zucchini shy of a full meal. Luckily there is always a spaghetti squash kicking around my cupboard. Born out of necessity, I give you Spaghetti Squash take Deux.

What’s for Dinner:

Spaghetti Squash Deux

Serves 4, ~40 Minutes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What you need:

The Sauce:

1 lb Ground Beef

1 Onion (chopped)

4 cloves Garlic (minced)

2 cans Diced Tomatoes (no salt added)

2 Tbls Tomato Paste

1 cup Mushrooms (chopped)

1 cup Black Olives

2 Tbls EVOO

1 sprig Rosemary and Oregano (chopped)

1 dash Cinnamon

Salt and Pepper

 

The Squash:

2 small Zucchini

1 Spaghetti Squash

How it’s done:

First, get your spaghetti squash cleaned and in the oven. Follow the directions here for all the details. Next get your sauce started. Heat the EVOO over medium in a sauce pan, add onion and saute until translucent. Add your garlic and reduce heat. Once your garlic starts to brown, add both cans of tomatoes with juice and paste, cover and simmer over med/low for 10 minutes.

While you sauce is simmering, brown your beef in a cast iron skillet. Add mushrooms half way through and finish cooking until meat is brown. Remove your sauce from the stove and blend with immersion blender to add a little body. (Be careful! The sauce is hot and the blender can splatter, use a flexible cutting mat or lid to protect yourself.) Pour your sauce in with your meat, add olives, herbs, and seasoning and turn down to low.

Prep your noodles as explained here. Rinse the pot, fill with water and bring to a boil. Cook zucchini for 2 minutes, drain and rise if you aren’t plating right away. Pull out your spaghetti squash, pull with fork and plate. Add zucchini and sauce, enjoy!