Spaghetti Squash topped with Meatballs
How I modified this recipe was to serve it with onions (1-2 diced white or yellow onions) fried in fat (butter or coconut oil or animal fat or ghee) on the side and of course to top the dish made out of 1 squash with extra shredded cheese or feta cheese and the meatballs! num num alhamdulillah :) (hallelujah) !
For the meatball recipe:
Ingredients for the meatballs:
To mix and roll the meatballs:
Dump the ground meat in a mixing bowl and cover generously with almond flour. Add about 2 tbsps of oil or more and the rest of ingredients. You don't need to fret about exact amounts. I do it by eye-balling and it works every time.
Get your hands messy (kids might love this) by really digging in and mixing all the ingredients very well. You can adjust the amount of almond flour to make it less soggy and have a more binding consistency.
Separate the entire ball of meat mix into walnut-sized (walnut shell-on) pieces and round them between your palms. You will typically have about 13-15 meatballs.
Set the oven to broil, arrange meatballs in rows on a grill and set grill on oven rack (2nd rack from top) and let grill for about 6-7 minutes, then turn meatballs upside down (I use chopsticks to do this gracefully without ruining the balls) and let grill for another 6-7 minutes, should be done, check by slicing one of them in half.
The meatball part is similar to the meatball part of this recipe, check out pics
http://steamykitchen.com/11285-baked-spaghetti-squash-with-garlic-and-butter.html
This recipe is so good I don't want to lose it so I'll copy paste the recipe from the link above in case the link breaks.
For the recipe of the dish made out of 1 squash-copy from link on top:
BAKED SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH GARLIC AND BUTTER RECIPE Servings: 6 Prep Time: 5 Cook Time: 60
I tend to under-bake the spaghetti squash just a bit, so it still retains just a slight crunch. Baking time really depends on how big your squash is - try to get the smallest one, especially if you’re only feeding 4 people. It’s ready if you can pierce the squash with a paring knife with little resistance. If you’re a garlic love, don’t be shy - use more!
Alternatively, microwave the whole squash for 2-4 minutes (to soften enough to cut lengthwise). Place squash cut-side down on baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes until tender.
INGREDIENTS: 1 small spaghetti squash (about 3-4 pounds)2 tablespoons butter (or coconut oil)2 cloves garlic, finely minced1/4 cup finely minced parsley (or basil)1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste) (fresh ground crystals)1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Pierce squash a few times with sharp paring knife (to let steam escape). Bake spaghetti squash for 60 minutes, or until a paring knife pierces easily through skin with little resistance. Let squash cool for 10 minutes.
2. Cut squash in half, lengthwise. Use a fork to remove and discard the seeds. Continue using fork to scrape the squash to get long, lovely strands. If the squash seem difficult to scrape, return the squash to bake for an additional 10 minutes.
3. Heat a large saute pan with the butter and the garlic over medium-low heat. When garlic becomes fragrant, add parsley, salt and spaghetti squash strands. Toss well, sprinkle in the parmesan cheese and taste to see if you need additional salt. The spaghetti squash should have a slight crunch (i.e. not mushy) - but if you like it softer, cover the pan and cook 2 more minutes.
****Extra directions:
In reality, as intimidating as a squash looks, it’s strangely simple to cook. Just plop it on a baking sheet and pierce a few times all around with a sharp paring knife or bamboo skewer. No cutting, no peeling, no marinating, no massaging. Just plop. And carry it to your oven. WITHOUT tilting the pan and dropping it on your foot. According to commenters below…you could also microwave the sucker for a few minutes, slice in half and roast cut-side-down for 30 minutes.
OR — you could just microwave the ENTIRE thing.
But I like baking the best.
Bake 375F for about an hour. Just until you can pierce it easily without resistance with a knife.
Let it cool, then slice open and rake out the seeds.
Then use your fork and scrape away….oooh lookie lookie at those pretty strands. If it seems really hard to scrape out the squash, return to the oven for another 10 minutes. The squash shouldn’t be mushy — taste it — it should still have a nice, slight crunch.
One squash will feed lots of people.
Loads of butter, loads of garlic.
Loads of parsley or basil.
Toss in the squash, season with salt.
And loads of grated parmesan cheese.
Perfecto! Baked Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Butter.
For the meatball recipe:
Ingredients for the meatballs:
- 1 lb ground yak (or elk, beef, bison, etc) organic grass-fed/pasture-raised or wild caught
- almond flour
- olive oil or melted virgin coconut oil
- Fresh ground salt crystals (rock, sea, mineral source)
- Fresh ground black peppercorns
- Ground cumin
- 1 egg
- additional optional spices: ground sage, sumac, chili pepper powder or paprika&cayenne pepper, garlic powder/fresh ground garlic flakes
To mix and roll the meatballs:
Dump the ground meat in a mixing bowl and cover generously with almond flour. Add about 2 tbsps of oil or more and the rest of ingredients. You don't need to fret about exact amounts. I do it by eye-balling and it works every time.
Get your hands messy (kids might love this) by really digging in and mixing all the ingredients very well. You can adjust the amount of almond flour to make it less soggy and have a more binding consistency.
Separate the entire ball of meat mix into walnut-sized (walnut shell-on) pieces and round them between your palms. You will typically have about 13-15 meatballs.
Set the oven to broil, arrange meatballs in rows on a grill and set grill on oven rack (2nd rack from top) and let grill for about 6-7 minutes, then turn meatballs upside down (I use chopsticks to do this gracefully without ruining the balls) and let grill for another 6-7 minutes, should be done, check by slicing one of them in half.
The meatball part is similar to the meatball part of this recipe, check out pics
http://steamykitchen.com/11285-baked-spaghetti-squash-with-garlic-and-butter.html
This recipe is so good I don't want to lose it so I'll copy paste the recipe from the link above in case the link breaks.
For the recipe of the dish made out of 1 squash-copy from link on top:
BAKED SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH GARLIC AND BUTTER RECIPE Servings: 6 Prep Time: 5 Cook Time: 60
I tend to under-bake the spaghetti squash just a bit, so it still retains just a slight crunch. Baking time really depends on how big your squash is - try to get the smallest one, especially if you’re only feeding 4 people. It’s ready if you can pierce the squash with a paring knife with little resistance. If you’re a garlic love, don’t be shy - use more!
Alternatively, microwave the whole squash for 2-4 minutes (to soften enough to cut lengthwise). Place squash cut-side down on baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes until tender.
INGREDIENTS: 1 small spaghetti squash (about 3-4 pounds)2 tablespoons butter (or coconut oil)2 cloves garlic, finely minced1/4 cup finely minced parsley (or basil)1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste) (fresh ground crystals)1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Pierce squash a few times with sharp paring knife (to let steam escape). Bake spaghetti squash for 60 minutes, or until a paring knife pierces easily through skin with little resistance. Let squash cool for 10 minutes.
2. Cut squash in half, lengthwise. Use a fork to remove and discard the seeds. Continue using fork to scrape the squash to get long, lovely strands. If the squash seem difficult to scrape, return the squash to bake for an additional 10 minutes.
3. Heat a large saute pan with the butter and the garlic over medium-low heat. When garlic becomes fragrant, add parsley, salt and spaghetti squash strands. Toss well, sprinkle in the parmesan cheese and taste to see if you need additional salt. The spaghetti squash should have a slight crunch (i.e. not mushy) - but if you like it softer, cover the pan and cook 2 more minutes.
****Extra directions:
In reality, as intimidating as a squash looks, it’s strangely simple to cook. Just plop it on a baking sheet and pierce a few times all around with a sharp paring knife or bamboo skewer. No cutting, no peeling, no marinating, no massaging. Just plop. And carry it to your oven. WITHOUT tilting the pan and dropping it on your foot. According to commenters below…you could also microwave the sucker for a few minutes, slice in half and roast cut-side-down for 30 minutes.
OR — you could just microwave the ENTIRE thing.
But I like baking the best.
Bake 375F for about an hour. Just until you can pierce it easily without resistance with a knife.
Let it cool, then slice open and rake out the seeds.
Then use your fork and scrape away….oooh lookie lookie at those pretty strands. If it seems really hard to scrape out the squash, return to the oven for another 10 minutes. The squash shouldn’t be mushy — taste it — it should still have a nice, slight crunch.
One squash will feed lots of people.
Loads of butter, loads of garlic.
Loads of parsley or basil.
Toss in the squash, season with salt.
And loads of grated parmesan cheese.
Perfecto! Baked Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Butter.
