On Monday, She Ate...

Spaghetti Squash Marinara and Turkey Meatballs 


Happy Monday, everyone! I realized it's been awhile since I posted a recipe and I'm particularly happy to share this one because I made it up myself! 

Well. Not really. Sorta. I've had spaghetti squash before and found it delicious so I adapted a Weight Watchers recipe and decided I wanted some meatballs, too. THOSE I basically made up. I tweaked my own mother's meatball recipe. Everyone knows Mom Recipes are the best ever, but unfortunately ground beef is too many points! Ground turkey meat is a lot better! 

Once I decided I wanted turkey meatballs, it was clear the "marinara" sauce was not going to be enough to cover meatballs and whatnot. So I added some tomato sauce and paste, which added 1 point to the original recipe. Not too bad, if I say so myself. So here is the WHOLE recipe, courtesy of moi! :) 

Spaghetti Squash Marinara with Turkey Meatballs 

Points Plus Value: 6 Points 
Adapted from: ME! 
Serves: 4 people


Whatcha Need:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash (about 2.5 lbs)
• 1 tsp olive oil 
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 14.5 oz diced tomatoes 
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste 
• 1.5 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp italian seasoning 
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 
• 3/4 pound turkey meat, ground
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 3 Tbsp plain bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp italian seasoning 
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley
• 4 tsp olive oil, divided (in addition to the one) 

Whatcha Gotta Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Halve the spaghetti squash and scoop out the seeds and mush. Pierce the outside of the squash and put it in the oven for 30-40 min (You should be able to "rake" some of the squash fairly easily by the end). 

2. Meanwhile, make ze meatballs! Combine the turkey meat, egg white, breadcrumbs, italian seasoning, and parsley. Combine it. Get in there! I used my hands (washed them first, of course). 

3. Make them into 15 balls. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a skillet and add about 7 or 8 of the meatballs. Cook on each side until they're browned. Add the other 2 tsp and cook the rest of the meatballs. 

4. Place on a greased cookie pan and put in the oven with the spaghetti squash to cook a bit more. 

5. Heat the one tsp of olive oil in a skilled and add the onion and garlic. Saute about 5 minutes. 

6. Add the canned tomatoes, the sauce, and the tomato paste. Bring to a boil then let simmer about 15 minutes. 

7. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer until you're ready to serve! 

8. When the spaghetti squash is done, "rake" it with a fork to create noodles! 

One serving is 1.5 cups of spaghetti squash with 1/4 cup of sauce, 1 Tbsp of cheese and 3 meatballs! 

I actually really enjoy spaghetti squash! It's got a little bit of crunch to it and doesn't really taste like anything. Now you all know I love a good carb, but as long as it walks, talks and looks like pasta, it'll do for me :) 

P to the S, You can also cook spaghetti squash in the microwave. You pierce it a few times with a knife, place it on some paper towel and cook on high 10-12 minutes. Then slice it down the middle, scoop the middle and "rake" again. This is obviously much faster. However, I've done it this way before and mine turned out soggy. And nobody likes soggy spaghetti squash! 

Be sure to tune in tomorrow for our Week 5 weigh in...from Patrick's point of view! That's right, tomorrow is the first blog post from the Hungry Hungry Pal!