TDAE PERFORMANCE RECIPE: Swap Out Your Pasta for Spaghetti Squash For This Healthy Alternative to a Traditional Favorite

Spaghetti Squash with Meat & Veggie Sauce

Swap out the pasta for spaghetti squash, keep the same flavorful sauce, and you have yourself a veggie loaded take on a traditional favorite.

Yield: servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Spaghetti Squash Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash

• Extra virgin olive oil spray

• Sprinkle of salt

• ¼ cup grated parmesan

• Optional: ¼ tsp oregano

  
  

Meat & Veggie Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground turkey, beef, or bison

• 1 jar no sugar added spaghetti sauce

• 1 Zucchini, diced

• ½ Yellow pepper, diced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400℉. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Spray lightly with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and oregano or spices of choice. Place squash face down on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 40-50 minutes until the edges of the squash are slightly brown and the flesh of the squash is easily pierced and can be raked with a fork into spaghetti strands.  

2. While the squash is cooking, put a large skillet on medium-low heat and spray lightly with extra virgin olive oil spray. Add in ground meat and break apart gently with a wooden spoon. Simmer, mixing occasionally, until completely browned.

3. While ground meat is simmering, put a saucepan on medium-low heat and pour in contents of spaghetti sauce jar. Add in diced zucchini and yellow pepper.

4. When meat is browned, remove with a slotted spoon and add to spaghetti sauce. Simmer for about thirty minutes, or until spaghetti squash is done cooking.

5. Remove spaghetti squash from oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Hold squash over plate or bowl and rake squash with a fork until it forms spaghetti. Enjoy with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top or partition into four containers to store in fridge and enjoy throughout the week.

Tips: This recipe can be customized according to your preferences. Swap out the zucchini and yellow pepper for other options such as onions, broccoli, or summer squash. Choose other spices such as crushed red pepper, onion or garlic powder. Switch the meat with cannellini beans if you want a plant based protein, or use nutritional yeast instead of parmesan cheese.

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Ryan Healy, BS Exercise/Sport Science, CSCS, has been a certified personal trainer for over 13 years and is a Level 2 certified nutrition coach through world-renowned Precision Nutrition. She is passionate about helping people change their lifestyle habits with support, guidance, and compassion along with helping clients train around their injuries so they can move better, feel stronger, and get more of what they want out of life. 

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