If there was one food group I love more than anything it would be pasta. I am a pasta fanatic! I could eat pasta for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I am not sure I could say that about any other food. For some reason a bowl of pasta bolognese is just so comforting… you never want it to end! The only problem is, I can’t eat pasta every meal, not even everyday, so I had to find a solution. Although this spin on pasta bolognese doesn’t have the exact feel, it comes pretty darn close! If you have never tried making spaghetti squash I would highly recommend it. It is such an easy vegetable to prepare and can go with so much… and did I tell you it’s extremely healthy?! After you roast the squash you are able to pull it off the skin with a fork which even makes it look like spaghetti (this may be my favorite part!). I top the squash with a turkey and prosciutto meat sauce which is my LEAN and FLAVORFUL version of bolognese. The prosciutto adds such a depth of flavor in the sauce and after simmering for over an hour this sauce turns out amazing! I even like to eat it on its’ own for leftovers the rest of the week- it is that good! So, if you have a pasta and meat sauce lover in the family I would recommend you give this recipe a try, it definitely works for me!
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Prep Time:
15m
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Cook Time:
2h
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Total Time:
2h 15m
Ingredients
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (you can use more if you like it spicy)
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper
- 1 spaghetti squash
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped (about a cup)
- 3 stalks of celery, finely chopped (about a cup)
- 2 carrots, finely chopped (about a cup)
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 oz of prosciutto, chopped
- 1 1/4 lb ground turkey
- 1 1/2 c dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, 28 oz. (I used san marzano)
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, 14 oz.
- 1 tsp. oregano
Instructions
- Preheat oven 400 degrees.
- Cut the spaghetti squash in half. Remove the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place flesh side down on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. The squash should be soft when it comes out of the oven. Set aside to cool.
- Heat a Dutch oven on medium/high and add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then add your chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic. This is called your mirepoix and is the base for most sauces.
- Sautee the veggies until tender, about 10 minutes. Once the vegetables are soft you can add the ground turkey, prosciutto, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook the turkey until it turns white and is fully cooked.
- Deglaze the pan with the wine- make sure you scrape up all those brown bits at the bottom of the pan with your wooden spoon- this is where a lot of flavor comes from!
- Let the wine reduce until it is mostly evaporated and add in all your canned tomatoes with their juices. At this point you can also add in your bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Cook the sauce for at least an hour/ maybe an hour and a half, until it is thick and all the flavor has developed. Taste for seasoning and adjust if you need any extra salt and/or pepper. Take out the bay leaf and this sauce is ready to serve!
- Scrape the flesh from the skin of the squash... it should look like thin spaghetti strands.
- To plate: Take a serving of the squash and top with a big ladle full of the Bolognese. I like to serve mine with parmesan cheese on top to get that real pasta Bolognese effect but this isn\'t necessary! Enjoy!
xo, Rachel
