Make this for dinner and thank me later. In order to eat a nutrient dense diet, you need to think "veggie forward." How can I incorporate as many vegetables as possible into my meals? Your average bolognese sauce might just have tomatoes, onions, and ground beef, but this one also has zucchini and carrots to help you up your veggie content at every meal. If the chunky texture of veggies bothers you, or you're trying to sneak the veggies in for picky eaters, just use an immersion blender before adding the meat. This dish is packed with veggies and flavor and will leave your stomach and heart feeling happy and satisfied. Plus using the spaghetti squash as a bowl is a beautiful way to avoid doing extra dishes.
Ingredients:
For the Spaghetti Squash:
1 medium spaghetti squash
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
For the Veggie-Loaded Bolognese Sauce:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 lb or .5 kilo ground beef
2 cans of crushed tomatoes (not tomato sauce! tomatoes should be the only ingredient here)
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp chili powder (optional, but highly recommended)
1 handful fresh basil, rolled up and cut into thin slices
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 200°C or 400°F.
Cut squash in half, lengthwise. Drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper over squash and bake skin side up for 35-45 minutes. Remove from oven. Once cool, use a fork to shred into “spaghetti” noodles.
While your squash is baking, sauté olive oil and onions in a large pan over a low flame until soft, about 15 minutes.
Add the garlic, zucchini, carrots, and tomatoes and cook for 10 more minutes.
Blend with an immersion blender until smooth (optional)
Add ground beef and stir until cooked through.
Add crushed tomatoes and spices and cook until some of the liquid evaporates (5-10 minutes).
By now your squash should be ready. Top spaghetti with a generous serving of bolognese sauce.
Enjoy!