Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs

Lately my husband and I have been trying to focus on eating healthier and cutting back on carbohydrates. One meal that we both loved was this spaghetti squash with meatballs. It is basically spaghetti and meatballs, but instead of using spaghetti we used spaghetti squash. Now, I'm not going to lie to you and say that it tastes just like regular spaghetti because it doesn't. It isn't pasta, it's a vegetable! Don't let that keep you from making this dish though, it turned out delicious! The flavors of the tomato sauce paired really well with the flavor of the spaghetti squash! We liked it so much we are making it again this week!

This recipe will make about 16 meatballs which I would consider 4 servings. To make the meatballs you will need:

• 3/4 lb. GROUND BEEF
• 2 cloves GARLIC, minced
• 6 Tbs PLAIN BREAD CRUMBS
• 1 LARGE EGG
• 6 Tbs PARMESAN CHEESE, shredded
• 2 Tbs FRESH PARSLEY, minced
• pinch of SALT and PEPPER
• splash of MILK
• 3-4 Tbs OLIVE OIL

To make the sauce you will need:

• 1/2 YELLOW ONION, chopped
• 2 cloves GARLIC, minced
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1/2 tsp PEPPER
• 28 oz. CRUSHED TOMATOES 
• Optional: 1/4 cup WHITE WINE
• 1/4 tsp SUGAR
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1/2 tsp PEPPER
• 2 Tbs FRESH PARSLEY, minced

You will also need:

• 2 medium SPAGHETTI SPAGHETTI SQUASHES (1/2 a squash per serving) 

Start off by mixing together the ground beef, garlic, bread crumbs, egg, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and milk in a medium bowl.

Don't be afraid, get your hands in there and mix it all up!

Once the mixture is well combined roll out balls that are about 1 & 1/2 inches in diameter and place them on a cookie sheet. Once all of the meatball are rolled out, place the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Doing this helps them stay together better while you brown them. 

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, sear the meatballs in the pot, turn to brown. (You are not trying to cook the meatballs just yet, you are just trying to get a good sear all over.) 

Place the meatballs on a paper towel once they have a good sear in order to drain off any excess oil. 

Into the large pot with oil, add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes until they start to to turn translucent.



Then add the crushed tomatoes, wine, salt, pepper, and parsley. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat.

Then add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for another 30 minutes. Stir gently as to not break up the meatballs. If the sauce starts to get too thick you can add more crushed tomatoes if you have them or else a little bit of water.



While the meatballs are cooking prepare the spaghetti squash. This way all of the food will be ready at once!

Pierce the skin of the squash several times with a sharp knife in order to allow the steam to escape (Basically stab it a few times, but be careful! The skin is very tough!).

If you choose to bake it, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and then bake it on a cookie sheet for 1 hour. OR you could take the quicker route and put it on a plate and microwave it for 10-12 minutes making sure to rotate the squash half-way through. Your choice! The squash is done cooking when you can pierce the squash with your knife fairly easily.

After cooking your squash, cut it open lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. 

Then take a fork and scrape the stringy, spaghetti-like squash out.

Transfer the squash to a bowl... 

and top with the sauce and meatballs! 

Then sit back and enjoy!

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Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs

Ingredients:

To make the meatballs you will need:

• 3/4 lb. GROUND BEEF
• 2 cloves GARLIC, minced
• 6 Tbs PLAIN BREAD CRUMBS
• 1 LARGE EGG
• 6 Tbs PARMESAN CHEESE, shredded
• 2 Tbs FRESH PARSLEY, minced
• pinch of SALT and PEPPER
• splash of MILK
• 3-4 Tbs OLIVE OIL

To make the sauce you will need:

• 1/2 YELLOW ONION, chopped
• 2 cloves GARLIC, minced
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1/2 tsp PEPPER
• 28 oz. CRUSHED TOMATOES 
• Optional: 1/4 cup WHITE WINE
• 1/4 tsp SUGAR
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1/2 tsp PEPPER
• 2 Tbs FRESH PARSLEY, minced

You will also need:

• 2 medium SPAGHETTI SPAGHETTI SQUASHES (1/2 a squash per serving) 

Directions:

1. Start off by mixing together the ground beef, garlic, bread crumbs, egg, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and milk in a medium bowl. Don't be afraid, get your hands in there and mix it all up!
2. Once the mixture is well combined, roll out balls that are about 1 & 1/2 inches in diameter and place them on a cookie sheet. Once all of the meatball are rolled out, place the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes. 
3. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, sear the meatballs in the pot, turn to brown. (You are not trying to cook the meatballs just yet, you are just trying to get a good sear all over.) 
4. Place the meatballs on a paper towel once they have a good sear in order to drain off any excess oil. 
5. Into the large pot with oil, add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes until they start to to turn translucent. Then add the crushed tomatoes, wine, salt, pepper, and parsley. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat. 
6. Then add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for another 30 minutes. Stir gently as to not break up the meatballs. (If the sauce starts to get too thick you can add more crushed tomatoes if you have them or else a little bit of water.) While the meatballs are cooking prepare the spaghetti squash.
7. Pierce the skin of the squash several times with a sharp knife in order to allow the steam to escape while cooking (Basically stab it a few times, but be careful! The skin is very tough!). The squash is done cooking when you can pierce the squash with your knife fairly easily.
• If you choose to bake it, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and then bake it on a cookie sheet for 1 hour. 
• If you choose to microwave it, put it on a plate and heat it for 10-12 minutes making sure to rotate the squash half-way through.
8. After cooking your squash, cut it open lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. 
9. Then take a fork and scrape the stringy, spaghetti-like squash out.
10. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the spaghetti squash and top with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil! Then sit back and enjoy!

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Zesty Bruschetta Chicken

I love this dish, it combines several of my favorite foods into one meal! A grilled chicken breast is topped with chopped tomato, olive oil, garlic, and basil all over a bed of fettuccine alfredo! Yum! I didn't say it was particularly healthy did I? ...the tomatoes balance out the alfredo sauce though right?? 

To make this dish for two people you will need:

• 1 (8-10 oz.) CHICKEN BREAST, sliced long-wise into two thin pieces
• KRAFT ZESTY ITALIAN DRESSING (enough to cover the chicken as a marinade)
• 4 ROMA TOMATOES, cubed
• 6 BASIL LEAVES or 1 Tbs DRIED BASIL, chopped
• 2-3 GARLIC CLOVES, minced
• 5-6 Tbs EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
• 4 oz. FETTUCCINE (or your favorite type of pasta)
• PARMESAN or ROMANO CHEESE, shredded (to sprinkle on top of the dish)

For the alfredo sauce you can either buy a jar of sauce OR you could make it using the following ingredients:

• 2 Tbs UNSALTED BUTTER,
• 1/4 cup HEAVY CREAM
• 1/2 cup PARMESAN CHEESE, grated (I like to use 1/4 cup GRATED & 1/4 cup SHREDDED because it creates a lighter sauce, but we usually keep both on hand anyway so it isn't a big deal for us.)
• SALT & PEPPER, to taste

Start by putting the split chicken breast into a small container and pour the zesty Italian salad dressing over the top until the chicken is just covered. Allow the chicken to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes in the refrigerator. It could be left to marinate over night.

While the chicken is marinating, start heating a large pot of water for the pasta. Chop the tomatoes into bite sized pieces. Mix the tomatoes with the basil, garlic, and olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside.

Once the water in the large pot has come to a boil, cook your pasta according to the label on the box (generally about 10 minutes). When the chicken has marinated for at least 30 minutes, grill it! (You could use a grill pan, a George Foreman grill, or an actual grill if you have one!) 

While the chicken and pasta are cooking, melt the butter in a small pot. Once the butter is melted, add the heavy cream, and then stir in 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese. 

When the pasta is fully cooked, drain the water and then pour the cream sauce over the pasta in a medium sized bowl. Toss the pasta in the sauce and then sprinkle on the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (either grated or shredded). Continue tossing the pasta until the cheese, sauce, and pasta are well mixed!

Once the chicken is cooked all the way through, remove it from the grill and slice it. 

To assemble the dish, divide the pasta between two bowls. Then divide the sliced chicken and place it on top of the pasta. Spoon the tomato mixture over the top and then sprinkle on a little bit of parmesan or romano cheese!

Delicous!

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Zesty Bruschetta Chicken

Ingredients:

To make this dish for two people you will need:

• 1 (8-10 oz.) CHICKEN BREAST, sliced long-wise into two thin pieces
• KRAFT ZESTY ITALIAN DRESSING (enough to cover the chicken as a marinade)
• 4 ROMA TOMATOES, cubed
• 6 BASIL LEAVES or 1 Tbs DRIED BASIL, chopped
• 2-3 GARLIC CLOVES, minced
• 5-6 Tbs EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
• 4 oz. FETTUCCINE (or your favorite type of pasta)
• PARMESAN or ROMANO CHEESE, shredded (to sprinkle on top of the dish)

For the alfredo sauce you can either buy a jar of sauce OR you could make it using the following ingredients:

• 2 Tbs UNSALTED BUTTER,
• 1/4 cup HEAVY CREAM
• 1/2 cup PARMESAN CHEESE, grated (I like to use 1/4 cup GRATED & 1/4 cup SHREDDED because it creates a lighter sauce, but we usually keep both on hand anyway so it isn't a big deal for us.)
• SALT & PEPPER, to taste

Directions:

1. Start by putting the split chicken breast into a small container and pour the zesty Italian salad dressing on top until the chicken is just covered. Allow the chicken to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes in the refrigerator. It could be left to marinate over night. 
2. While the chicken is marinating, start heating a large pot of water for the pasta. 
3. Chop the tomatoes into bite sized pieces. Mix the tomatoes with the basil, garlic, and olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. Once the water in the large pot has come to a boil, cook your pasta according to the label on the box (generally about 10 minutes). 
5. When the chicken has marinated for at least 30 minutes, grill it! (You could use a grill pan, a George Foreman grill, or an actual grill if you have one!) 
6. While the chicken and pasta are cooking, melt the butter in a small pot. Once the butter is melted, add the heavy cream, and then stir in 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese. 
7. When the pasta is fully cooked, drain the water and then pour the cream sauce over the pasta in a medium sized bowl. Toss the pasta in the sauce and then sprinkle on the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (either grated or shredded). Continue tossing the pasta until the cheese, sauce, and pasta are well mixed!
8. Once the chicken is cooked all the way through, remove it from the grill and slice it. 
9. To assemble the dish, divide the pasta between two bowls. Then divide the sliced chicken and place it on top of the pasta. Spoon the tomato mixture over the top and then sprinkle on a little bit of parmesan or romano cheese!

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I got this recipe from the following website: http://myprizedrecipes.com/three-cheese-chicken-penne-pasta-applebees-style/