spaghetti Archives - Ari's Menu

“Spaghetti” & Meatballs {gluten-free}

April 29, 2013 · by Ari · 19 Comments

So, we all know by now that I have a slight obsession with spaghetti squash. The truth is, I probably won’t give it up until I have created every noodle-y dish known to man using this fabulous vegetable. And even then, I will probably go back to the beginning and make them all again, because it just never.gets.old.

I was raised on Italian food. My dad doesn’t cook and he loves pasta, so it was normal for us to go out to fancy Italian dinners multiple nights per week. Sure, there are some healthy options when you go to an Italian restaurant, but let’s be honest–we really want pasta. All of the pasta. And then more pasta.

Well, you guys know I AM ALL ABOUT THE SAUCE. Pasta is a vehicle. A mostly tasteless way to get to some alfredo sauce or spicy marinara. Or pesto. Or…MEATBALLS.

Honestly, when you have huge delicious meatballs, do you even need spaghetti??? Well, I like a side of spaghetti with my meatballs. A nice side of spaghetti squash to hold onto some sauce, give me some texture, and fill out the rest of my bowl because, let’s be honest, I am always looking for the maximum amount of food possible, and veggies are the way to get there. Bonus points for them being better than “real” pasta.

OMG and can we talk about these meatballs???? They are ridiculous. I’d actually never made meatballs before, but I went with a combination of spicy turkey sausage and lean ground turkey. I added some chopped garlic, some onions to keep them juicy, and some oats to help keep them together. Fun fact–did you know you can sub oats for breadcrumbs in recipes like meatballs and meatloaf? I always do, and it always comes out great!

Sometimes using lean turkey can cause dishes to come out dry, but between the turkey sausage and the onions (my friend Kristi gave me the onion tip!), these meatballs were perfectly juicy and tender.

“Spaghetti” & Meatballs

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: 6-8 servings

The classic comfort of spaghetti and meatballs with a lightened up, gluten-free and grain-free twist. Served with spicy Italian meatballs and spicy marinara sauce.

Ingredients

For the spaghetti squash:

1 large spaghetti squash, halved
2 tsp olive oil
pinch each salt and pepper

For the meatballs:

1 lb lean ground turkey (93% or higher)
1 lb spicy turkey sausage
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg. lightly beaten
1/2 cup oats (use gluten-free if that's important to you)
1 tsp Italian seasonings (preferably homemade)
small pinch cayenne pepper

For the sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp Italian seasonings
2 tsp crushed red pepper (more or less depending on desired spiciness)
pinch each salt and pepper
freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

Instructions

To make the spaghetti squash, preheat oven to 400. Scrape the seeds and stringy center from the spaghetti squash. Drizzle each half with 1 tsp olive oil. Use your fingers to rub oil into squash. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay each half face down in a large baking dish and cook until tender, about an hour.
To make the meatballs, place a wire rack inside a large cookie sheet. Spray with nonstick spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, gently combine all your meatball ingredients.. Do not over mix, just combine. Roll into approx 2" balls (or however large or small you like them). Transfer to prepared wire baking sheet. Bake at 400 (you can throw them in at the same time as your squash!) until cooked throughout, about 25 minutes.
To make the sauce sauté onion and garlic in 1 tbs olive oil over medium heat until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add crushed tomato and remaining spices. When sauce starts to bubble, reduce heat to a simmer until thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
To plate, scrape the insides of the spaghetti squash. The squash when fully cooked will come out easily in spaghetti-like noodles. Top with sauce and add meatballs. Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

http://www.arismenu.com/spaghetti-meatballs-gluten-free/

Looking for more spaghetti squash recipes?

“Spaghetti” & Spicy Meat Sauce

Spaghetti Squash Boats

Skinnified “Fettucine” Alfredo

Noodleless Chicken “Pad” Thai

Spaghetti Squash Boats

December 27, 2012 · by Ari · 21 Comments

Warm, comforting and cheesy spaghetti squash boats give you all the flavor of spaghetti and meat sauce, in a healthy spaghetti squash topped with melty mozzarella cheese.

I have a confession. I kind of secretly dislike all of those “Get Back On Track After The Holidays” posts that go up. I know, I know…. And the thing is, I know that the best way to get back to feeling great after a period of eating less than great is to fill up on good healthy food and remind myself that contrary to recent events, I do actually love vegetables.

It just seems so….cliche. However, I know there’s always this big “problem” of WHAT DO WE EAT BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS??? Family is in town, you’re sick of leftovers, and every restaurant in town seems to have a two hour wait.

*Insert mandatory cliche about how this dish will help you stay healthy during the holidays*

Okay, but seriously, how can your family not enjoy these super cute spaghetti squash boats??? Everyone gets their own individual “boat”, and it looks so much fancier than it actually is! In fact, the only real time spent on this recipe is the time it takes to roast the squash. Then you just whip up a quick meat sauce, and you’re good to go! That leaves you with less time in the kitchen, and more time to relax and spend time with the people in your life.

Ever since I discovered spaghetti squash, I almost never go back to real pasta. It’s probably my favorite discovery in healthy cooking. I mean let’s be real here, we eat pasta to get to the sauce. No one orders plain spaghetti with no sauce. The pasta is merely the vehicle, and this squash is, in my opinion, a MORE delicious vehicle. It may not take the place of a gnocchi or ravioli, but when it comes to noodles, I find it more delicious, and as someone who loves to eat, I love the fact that I can load my plate up and still feel great afterwards! It’s the perfect way to sneak in veggies.

I used a spicy meat sauce, although you could use regular if you don’t like spicy, and loaded it up into each squash, then topped each boat with a little mozzarella cheese that I broiled until brown and crispy–just how I like my cheese! I served it up to a group of friends, and there was not a single bite left at the end of the evening. If you’re on the fence about the pasta swap, trust me, this is the way to try it!

Spaghetti Squash Boats

Author: Ari Ziskin

Recipe type: Entree

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 60 mins

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 4

Warm, comforting and cheesy spaghetti squash boats give you all the flavor of spaghetti and meat sauce, in a healthy spaghetti squash topped with melty mozzarella cheese.

Ingredients

2 medium spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
20 oz 99% lean ground turkey breast (you can also use the 93-94% or 96% lean ground beef)
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh or dried basil
2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more or less depending on desired spiciness), optional
1 cup freshly grated part skim mozzarella cheese (you can use pre-grated if necessary)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400. Slice spaghetti squash length wise and scrape out the seeds. Rub ¼ tablespoon olive oil into squash half and season with salt and pepper. Place spaghetti squash face down in a large baking dish and bake for 40-60 min. When squash is done, middle will be tender and pull apart easily.
In a large pan, sautee onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until fragrant. Add ground turkey. Season with salt and pepper and cook until browned. Add crushed tomato and remaining spices. When sauce starts to bubble, reduce heat to a simmer until thickened (about 3-4 minutes).
When spaghetti squash is fully cooked, flip in the baking dish so that it is now skin side down. Evenly divide sauce between each squash half. Top each "boat" with ¼ cup cheese. Turn oven to broil, and cook for an other 2 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbling. This happens very quickly--make sure to watch closely, otherwise it can burn easily.

Spicy “Spaghetti” & Meat Sauce

November 13, 2012 · by Ari · 7 Comments

Have you ever met those people that say they don’t like spicy food? I don’t understand them. Maybe it’s because I live in Arizona, and Mexican restaurants are more prominent than Starbucks.

Or maybe it’s because I’m one of those people who needs food with a LOT of flavor. I have friends that like their food plain as can be. No sauces, no condiments. I just don’t get it! I’m that person in the kitchen grabbing every spice off the rack, and then still adding more once I plate my food. I love bold flavors, and I’m easily bored by foods other people seem to love.

Like mozzarella sticks. I just don’t get it. They just taste like frying oil and cheese, and while I love cheese, I think mozzarella (unless you buy the really good stuff) is pretty boring. Now a fried goat cheese stick would be an other story. Or bleu cheese. mmmmmm. I know most people hate bleu cheese, but it is the most flavorful cheese! Strong, bold and delicious–just the way I like it!

Okay, but back to this “spaghetti”. Let me tell you, I freaking LOVE spaghetti squash. It’s bordering on an obsession. Every time I think “I need to carb load, I’ll make pasta” the next thought that comes to mind is “OOOHH! I’ll use spaghetti squash!” Then I realize that kind of defeats the purpose. The thing is, pasta is really just a vehicle to get to sauce. You don’t really taste the pasta and think “MMMM this spaghetti is delicious and full of flavor! I could eat it by itself!” We just need something to get us to the sauce, like how you eat a carrot to get to the hummus! Spaghetti squash is the perfect vehicle, and cuts down the calories exponentially!

Honestly, if you’re on the fence, I dare you to try it. I promise you will never look back! Here, my favorite pasta vehicle takes you to a perfectly zesty and spicy meat sauce. I would choose this over an Italian restaurant any day of the week. I always leave pasta dinners feeling overly full or just kind of disappointed. This dinner is so filling and satisfying while still leaving you feeling awesome! And, it’s just lean protein and veggies, so it’s a great excuse to eat some garlic bread, or have dessert after 😉

Spicy “Spaghetti” & Meat Sauce

yield 4-6 servings

1 large spaghetti squash
1 1/2 tbs olive oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
20 oz 99% lean ground turkey breast (you can also use the 93-94% or 96% lean ground beef)
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp fresh or dried basil
2 tsp crushed red pepper (more or less depending on desired spiciness)
salt and pepper
freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Slice spaghetti squash length wise and scrape out the seeds. Rub 1/2 tbs olive oil into squash and season with salt and pepper. Place spaghetti squash face down in a large baking dish and bake for approx 1 hour. Check at 40 minutes. When squash is done, middle will be tender and pull apart easily.
In a large pan, sautee onion and garlic in 1 tbs olive oil over medium heat until fragrant. Add ground turkey. Season with salt and pepper and cook until browned. Add crushed tomato and remaining spices. When sauce starts to bubble, reduce heat to a simmer until thickened (about 3-4 minutes).
When spaghetti squash is fully cooked, scrape out insides with a fork and serve topped with spicy meat sauce and parmesan cheese.

“Spaghetti” & Meatballs {gluten-free}

Spaghetti Squash Boats

Spicy “Spaghetti” & Meat Sauce

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