This is one of my favorite dishes to create - it's not only delicious to eat, but the aroma while cooking? Magnifique!
You will need one large spaghetti squash for the base of the dish.
To make the sauce, you will need the following ingredients:
2 one-pound packages or ground beef, or other ground meat of your choice
1 diced white medium sized onion
1 cup white mushrooms 1 diced green bell pepper
1 diced red bell pepper
1 diced zucchini
1 8 OZ can original Rotel tomatoes
1 14.5 OZ can diced tomatoes
1-2 tablespoons minced garlic, to taste
1/4 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh thyme
1/4 cup fresh oregano
For some spice, add either 1/2 diced fresh jalapeno or red pepper flakes, to taste (or both)
Salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the spaghetti squash in half. If you microwave the squash for 3-4 minutes, it will soften the squash and make it easier to cut into. Be careful while cutting the squash, as it can be tricky!
Using a fork, pull out the squash seeds and set them aside. You do NOT want to throw these little guys away! You can put a little salt and pepper on them and microwave them in 30 second increments until crisp, stirring them around on a microwave safe plate each interval. The seeds are not only an excellent source of Vitamin A and Potassium, but they are so, so yummy!
Place the halved squash face down in a baking dish with approximately a half inch of water in the bottom of the dish.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes while you prepare the sauce.
In a large chili pot, place the beef in the bottom of the pot and sautee' with the onions until the beef is browned and the onions start to look a little clear. Add the bell peppers and zucchini and soften them a bit. Add both cans of tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, jalapeno (if using), and all of the spices.
Simmer the sauce for another 20-30 minutes, until all of the ingredients are tender.
When the spaghetti squash is done baking, pull out of the oven and let cool for ten minutes. Fork out the spaghetti squash and place a portion on a plate or bowl. Use a towel to hold the squash while forking if it is still hot to touch.
Pour your desired amount of sauce over the squash and season with salt and pepper to taste.
This dish is even better the next day! ENJOY!
