Cut some carbs from a classic comfort food by swapping out pasta in favor of roasted spaghetti squash. You’ll be amazed how satisfying these veggie “noodles” can be — especially when paired with our homemade meatballs. They’re tender, juicy and packed with flavor.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash (about 2 pounds)
- Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 2 28-ounce cans tomato puree
- 2 large sprigs basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Sprinkle the cut sides with 1/2 teaspoon salt, then brush both sides with olive oil. Put the squash, cut-side up, in a baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Roast 20 minutes, then uncover and continue roasting until the squash is tender, about 35 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the meatballs: Brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Pulse the celery, carrot, onion, garlic and parsley in a food processor to make a paste. Transfer half of the vegetable paste to a bowl; add the ground beef, ground pork, eggs, breadcrumbs, 1 cup parmesan and 1 teaspoon salt and mix with your hands until just combined. Form into about 24 two-inch meatballs; transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until firm but not cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Make the sauce: Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the remaining vegetable paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until it looks dry, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree; rinse each can with 1 cup water and add to the pot. Stir in the basil, oregano and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer, then add the meatballs and simmer until the sauce thickens and the meatballs are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the basil.
- Use a fork to scrape the spaghetti squash flesh into strands; transfer to a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons grated parmesan. Season with salt. Divide the squash among bowls and top each with some meatballs, sauce and the remaining 1 tablespoon parmesan.
- This recipe makes extra sauce and meatballs. Let cool completely, then freeze in a storage container for up to one month.
Reviews
Excellent!! I didn’t have celery or a food processor, so I hand chopped what I had. It was spectacular, and the whole family raved about how good it was. Sneaking in veggies felt like a win!
So delicious and filling
We really loved this dish. The meatballs and sauce were really good. I love spaghetti squash and loved it with this sauce, but my daughter who is a pasta lover, ate hers with pasta. We were all happy:-) I will definitely be making this again.
Yum!
Can you make this with all beef and no pork??
This is my go to meatball recipe!!
Meatballs are great. Spaghetti squash…..ehhh…..not so much. Too watery and bland. But I’ve researched multiple cooking sites and they all cook the squash the same way. Maybe it’s just me but this is one recipe I will not be recreating. Will cook my spaghetti squash another way. Meatballs and sauce is the only thing that made this dish consumable. Left over spaghetti squash was tossed and real spaghetti cooked to eat with the remaining meatballs.
My favorite wedge salad!
Great recipe! Wonderful flavor. I will definitely make this a go to meal. Love it!
Great!