Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Spaghetti Squash with Super-Thick Bolognese Sauce

My sister-in-law introduced me to this recipe and now it's one of my favorites. Such a clever idea to substitute spaghetti squash for pasta. I love it. And really, if you want to be boring, you can just use normal spaghetti sauce on the squash, but I'd highly recommend this recipe. Now, Rachel Ray, the creator of this recipe, uses a lot more fancy ingredients than fit into my budget, so I've adapted it to make it more realistic for my household. If you want to see her ingredients, just click here for the original.


INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping, if desired
  • 1/4 pound bacon, chopped
  • 1-1 1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey
  • 1 carrot, peeled and cut into small dice or shredded
  • 1 medium onion, cut into small dice
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup grape juice
  • 1/2 cup beef stock
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil (about a handful), chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley (about a handful), chopped


PREPARATION

Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.

Place the spaghetti squash halves, cut-side up, onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of EVOO, salt and pepper. Turn the squash over so they're cut-side down and roast until the flesh is tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Once cooked, use a fork to loosen the squash strands up. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons EVOO, ground black pepper, and a sprinkle of cheese. Reserve squash in the shells.

While the squash is roasting, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the bacon to the pan and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the beef to the pan and cook until golden brown, 6-7 minutes. Add the carrots, onion and garlic to the pan and cook until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes.

Season everything with salt and pepper, then add the tomato paste, cooking it until golden brown and aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the grape juice and beef stock, scraping the bottom for any bits that may be stuck, and cook the sauce until thickened and slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.

To serve, ladle the meat sauce on top of each squash half and garnish each with fresh basil, parsley and additional Pecorino Romano cheese.

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