Saturday, November 24, 2012

Paleo Spaghetti with Grass Fed Meat Sauce

Before going Paleo, I would have pasta at least once a week. Spaghetti was a cheap and easy dinner to throw together in a hurry. After going Paleo, I tried spaghetti squash as a pasta substitute for Italian dishes and found it to be delicious! There is debate on how to cook spaghetti squash. Some say to cut it in half first, scoop out the seeds, and then roast it in the oven. I find it difficult to cut it when raw and roast it whole instead. With the variety of pasta sauces and recipes out there today, you have endless options to make a meat sauce. Just remember to use grass fed beef, gluten free and preservative free past sauce to make this Paleo classic.

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash (3-4 pounds)
1 pound ground grass fed beef
1 jar natural pasta sauce (I used Mezzetta Napa Valley Bistro Pasta Sauce)
3 large cloves fresh garlic minced
1 medium sweet onion diced
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Method:
1.) Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Wash spaghetti squash and poke wholes all over squash. Place squash in large baking pan and pour water up to 1 inch into pan. Roast squash in oven for 1 hour. Turn squash and roast for 30-45 more minutes or until outside skin in golden brown and squash is soft. (You can cook it for a longer or shorter amount of time depending on how "chewy" you want your squash). Let cool for 30 minutes before cutting open.
2.) In a large skillet, add 1 teaspoon EVOO, garlic and onions. Sauté for 5 minutes over medium high heat. Add in ground beef and cook until browned.
3.) In a medium sized pot, add 1 jar of pasta sauce (or make your own). Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add in ground beef and continue simmering for 15 minutes.
4.) Cut spaghetti squash in half. Using a large spoon, scoop out seeds and throw away. Take a fork and "rake" down the sides of the squash forming "noodle" like strands. Place squash in bowl, add sea salt and 2 tablespoons of grass fed butter or EVOO. Toss to coat. Serve sauce over spaghetti squash.
*Make it Primal by serving fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top and grass fed cottage cheese on the side.