Spaghetti Squash. Did I really just make that?

First off, I have been a bad, bad blogger.  I started this blog back in the middle of a cold, Minnesota winter and then I completely ignored it for months.  I didn't forget about it, I was just preoccupied with sun and summer.  So my apologies.  I promise to do better!

In the last month and a half, the hubby and I have decided to get serious about losing some weight.  We'd been counting calories and exercising more, and I'm happy to say we're making some great progress.  We've both lost a little over 10 pounds!  We've both always been kind of picky eaters, so when I first saw this recipe I thought "no way"!  But, with counting calories has come a willingness to try new foods and new combinations, and I decided to give it a shot.  So, without further ado:  Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce.

Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

*The serving size for this is one cup of spaghetti squash and a half cup of meat sauce, which comes in at 192 calories.  Recipe makes approximately 5 servings*

 

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash

1/2 pound of extra lean ground beef

1 jar of spaghetti sauce (we use Prego with Meat)

Cooking Spray

2 tsp. Parmesan Cheese

 

Note:  I brown an entire pound of ground beef but only use half of it for this recipe.  I either refrigerate or freeze the rest for later use.

 

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2.  Cut the spaghetti squash in half and clean out the seeds and "guts"

 

 

 

3.  Spray the "meat" or inside part of the each half with cooking spray and place rind up on a cookie sheet lined with foil.

 

 

4.  Place in oven and bake for 35-45 minutes

5.  While squash is baking, brown hamburger in a skillet and drain.  If you've browned an entire pound, move half to another container and leave half in the skillet.

6.  Add the jar of spaghetti sauce and simmer until heated through

 

7.  Remove squash from oven. Careful, it will be very hot!

8.  Using a pot holder, grab one half of the squash and start running the fork lengthwise to create long strands that look like noodles.  This was a relatively small squash, which gave me about 4 cups of squash (2 per each side).

 

9.  Measure one cup of squash onto a plate and top with a half cup of meat sauce.  Sprinkle two teaspsoons of parmesan cheese over the top, and enjoy!

 

 

Just like spaghetti, only with a lot fewer calories.  I'll admit I was skeptical at first, but there's only a slight texture different and it tastes GOOD.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!