Turkey Meatballs with Marinara and Spaghetti Squash Recipe

Ingredients

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan.
2. Add onions, carrots, and garlic.
3. Sautee; over medium heat until vegetables are just crisp-tender.
4. Add zucchini, bell pepper and mushrooms; sauté; until vegetables are tender.
5. Stir in tomatoes and seasonings.
6. Simmer for 30 minutes.
7. For a thinner more traditional sauce, puree marinara in a large food processor or blender.
8. Return pureed marinara to large saucepan. (For a chunkier sauce, use an immersion blender to partially puree the sauce in the pan.)
9. While marinara is simmering, combine ground turkey, egg,spinach, onion, basil, garlic powder, salt and black pepper in a large mixing bowl (clean hands work best for this).
10. Portion into 16 meatballs (1-1/2 inch).
11. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
12. Add meatballs to skillet and brown all sidesuntil cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.
13. Remove meatballs from skillet and add to marinara sauce.
14. Continue to cook marinara and meatballs for 10 minutes.
15. Pierce squash thoroughly with a sharp knife; about 1-inch in depth.
16. Place squash on a plate or shallow microwave-safe casserole.
17. Microwave squash on HIGH for 8 to10 minutes.
18. Turn over and continue to microwave on HIGH for an additional 8 to 10 minutes or until squash is soft when pressed.
19. Remove from microwave; let sit 5 minutes to cool.
20. Slice squash in half.
21. Using a fork, lighlty scrape to remove seeds.
22. Now, scrape the squash flesh from the skininto a large serving bowl.
23. Top with marinara and turkey meatballs.

Tips

Spaghetti squash can be baked for 1 hour in a 350F oven; pierce squash prior to baking.