I recently shared a blog post on how to use zucchini noodles to replace pasta for a low carb dish. Spaghetti squash is another great low carb option that you can use to replace pasta in some of your favorite dishes. Spaghetti squash is easy to fix and a lot healthier option than pasta.
To begin you will need to cut the spaghetti squash in half. I tend to find a lot of the bigger squash difficult to cut because of their size and thicker skin. To make the spaghetti squash a little easier to cut, I will usually put it into the microwave for 3 minutes just to soften the squash enough to cut. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Once your spaghetti squash has been cut in half, scoop out all the seeds and place both halves onto a baking sheet. Next lightly drizzle some olive oil over both halves of the squash. I also like to grind some fresh pepper over the squash as well. Next place the baking sheet into the oven and cook for 40 minutes (time may vary depending on size of your squash). To check to see if the squash is fully cooked, I typically use a fork to try to scrape the squash to see if it easily shreds into noodle like strands. If the squash does not easily shred, leave in the oven longer.
While the spaghetti squash is cooking, we will prepare the rest of the components of our meal. Thoroughly wash the asparagus and chop the asparagus into pieces.
Place chopped asparagus into pan with small amount of water to steam. Cover pan and steam asparagus until bright green and is the texture that you prefer. I prefer my asparagus more al dente so I am careful not to cook them too long.
While your asparagus is steaming, you can begin to cook the turkey. Turkey is one of those meats that can be deceiving. Be mindful of the fat content when shopping for ground turkey. I typically buy the 98% fat free ground turkey and find that as long as it is seasoned well and not overcooked that it does not become overly dry. Completely cook the ground turkey meat and season with Italian seasoning. Dice an onion and add to cooked turkey. Continue cooking onions until tender.
Once spaghetti squash has finished cooking remove from oven. Use a fork to scrape the spaghetti squash away from the skin and add to pan with the cooked turkey. Add asparagus to pan along with the spaghetti squash and turkey.
The last ingredient we need to fix is the roasted pine nuts. Place a handful of pine nuts on a baking sheet and place in oven at 400 degrees F. The pine nuts roast very quickly so check on them every couple of minutes and remove when they are golden brown.
Sprinkle the roasted pine nuts over the spaghetti squash and you are ready to enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 Spaghetti Squash
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1 bundle of asparagus
- 1 onion
- 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- black pepper
- 1/4 cup of pine nuts
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Cut spaghetti squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place on baking sheet and lightly drizzle olive oil over each half. Season both halves with black pepper,
- Place baking sheet into preheated oven.
- Cook squash for 40 mins (Time may vary based on oven and size of squash)
- While squash is cooking, prepare the asparagus. Wash and chop asparagus.
- Place chopped asparagus into pan with small amount of water to steam and cover pan.
- Steam asparagus until desired texture is achieved.
- Place the ground turkey in a pan with a small amount of olive oil. Cook turkey thoroughly.
- Dice an onion and add to cooked turkey along with 1/2 tbsp. of Italian seasoning.
- Cook onions and turkey until onions become tender.
- Once turkey and onions are completely cooked add in the asparagus.
- After spaghetti squash is finished cooking, use a fork to scrape the meat of the squash away from the skin. It should come apart in noodle-like strands.
- Add spaghetti squash into pan with turkey and asparagus. Cook for another couple of minutes.
- Place 1/4 cup of pine nuts onto baking sheet and into oven at 400 degrees F for a couple of minutes until pine nuts are golden brown. The pine nuts cook quickly so make sure to check on them frequently.
- Sprinkle pine nuts over spaghetti squash mixture and enjoy!
