Spaghetti (Squash) and Meat Sauce!

Winter is almost over which makes me wish I'd thought of this earlier in the season. But, hey, as long as it's still cold, I will continue to make this awesome, super tasty, satisfying, comforting dish. Best of all, especially for my fellow food-sensitive friends, this dish is free from most allergens like eggs, nuts, etc and is gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free and paleo-friendly.

Here are your ingredients:
1 Spaghetti squash
Olive oil
Salt 
Pepper
1 lb Organic grass-fed beef (or whatever meat you prefer)
1 Large carrot, chopped
1-2 Shallots, chopped
1 Jar marinara sauce (I'm super lucky to have some of my parents' homemade sauce but you can use an 18-oz store-bought sauce. Make sure to look at the ingredients to verify there's no dumb stuff in there like sugar... Trader Joe's Traditional Marinara Sauce does the trick.)
Parsley or cilantro to garnish
Red pepper flakes to garnish

Pre-heat the oven at 400F. Slice the spaghetti squash in half length-wise and scrape out the seeds. Brush some olive oil on the flesh and salt and pepper to taste. Line a roasting pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the squash flesh side down. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Time will depend on how big your squash is.

In the meantime, heat a heavy fry pan over medium heat. Trader Joe's has 85% lean organic grass-fed ground beef so I find that I definitely do not need to oil the pan ahead of time even if the pan is not non-stick. Brown the meat in the pan for about 5-10 minutes. Before it's all cooked through, stir in the chopped carrots and shallots. Cook until softened. Then, pour in the marinara sauce. Turn heat to low and let the sauce simmer very softly for 10-20 minutes to let the sauce cook down a little bit. 

When the squash is done, let it cool down. Once the temperature is cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape the flesh out. 

Then, simply scoop out some spaghetti squash onto a plate and top with meat sauce. I like to sprinkle some red pepper flakes and chop up a little bit of cilantro to give the dish a little extra punch.

And that's it! Super easy and mega nourishing! If you're up for it, put some greens on the side!

Enjoy! And remember, if you make this and post a picture online, use the hashtag #IzzyFitFood!