I was looking for fun ways to incorporate more veggies into my diet, and I thought spaghetti squash would be a perfect (and seasonal) solution! Most of the recipes I see for spaghetti squash use it as the "spaghetti" for a pasta sauce, but using it as the base for a taco bowl ended up being a fun twist! It's also really pretty, healthy, and filling!
INGREDIENTS
~Serves 4~
-2 small spaghetti squash
-***1lb ground turkey
-1/2 white onion
-4.5oz chopped green chilis
-4-6oz tomato sauce
-1 teaspoon each: garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, and paprika
-Tabasco
-6-8oz shredded pepper jack cheese
-Pickled jalapeno slices
-2 Roma tomatoes
-2.25oz sliced black olives
-2 scallions
-Lime wedges
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Microwave the squash for about 4 minutes (this makes it easier to cut open). Carefully cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle the inside of the squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place squash cut side down on a sheet pan and bake for 40 minutes.
2. About 10 minutes before the squash is finished cooking, start on the taco meat. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and small dice the white onion. Add the white onion and green chilis to the skillet and saute until onion is translucent. Then add the turkey and cook until browned. When the meat is almost finished cooking, add the garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, paprika, a few dashes of Tabasco, and the tomato sauce to the skillet. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
3. Remove the spaghetti squash from the oven. Use oven mitts to flip the squash over, and use a fork to shred the insides into "spaghetti." Add the "spaghetti" to the skillet with the taco meat and stir to combine. Then fill each of the squash halves with a 1/4 of the squash and taco meat mixture. Top each squash half with shredded pepper jack cheese and a few slices of pickled jalapeno. Return squash halves to the oven for about 10 minutes until cheese has melted.
4. While squash finishes in the oven, dice the Roma tomatoes and slice the scallions.
5. Remove the squash from the oven. Top each with diced tomato, sliced black olives, and sliced scallions. Garnish each with a lime wedge.
***MM Option: To make this meal meatless, leave out the turkey and substitute in a can of black or pinto beans in place of the meat.