Baked Spaghetti Squash w/Bison Meatballs & Marinara {Grass-fed Beef or Turkey Optional}

It’s crazy to those who knew me back in the day, I’m sure, but it’s true… bison is my favorite meat.  It’s lean, it’s delicious, it’s awesome.  It used to be trickier to find, but now even Costco sells it!  I use it for burgers, meatballs, shepherd’s pie, and in stuffings.  But one of my absolute favorite ways to eat it is with spaghetti squash.  Oh, how I love me some spaghetti squash.

Spaghetti squash takes a while to cook, but man, it couldn’t be easier.  Once cut and in that oven, it just does its thing… while you do yours!  You can hang and watch TV, drink some wine or read a book, or better yet, make some delicious meatballs to go inside your baked spaghetti squash.  They’re super simple and easy.  Oh and guess what?  They’re pretty darn healthy, too. 🙂

I like to keep meat simple.  Something like bison doesn’t need a whole lot added to it.. its natural flavors should shine.  I LOVE fresh sage with bison, so that’s a must.  The rest is basic… some onion, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.  It’s my go-to burger recipe broken down to meatball size.  🙂

 

If you prefer, these can easily be made with ground turkey or beef instead.  In fact, I’ve made these with both many times!  Same recipe, different meat.  Just yesterday actually, I created this exact same dish, but used grass-fed beef and tossed in a little sautéed mushrooms and zucchini in the sauce, too.  It was delish.  Point is, make this work for you… I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with this rather fool-proof deliciousness no matter what meat you use.  😉

   

makes enough meatballs for four servings

INGREDIENTS

1 0r 2 large spaghetti squash (1 for two people, 2 for four)

approx. 1 lb ground bison (or grass-fed beef, turkey, or whatever you like)

1 cup diced yellow onion (approx 1/2 onion)

1 tbsp minced garlic clove (approx 2 cloves)

1 tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves (see note below)

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp ghee

2 cups marinara sauce, homemade or your fave store-bought (for whole30, best to make)

extra salt and pepper for roasting squash, along with a drizzle of olive oil

optional: fresh parsley leaves, for garnish

note about sage: sage + bison = perfection… if using turkey or beef,

you can use sage if you’d like, but basil works deliciously, too!

  

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and clean out all seeds

Generously sprinkle the faces with salt and pepper and drizzle with some olive oil

Turn the squash face down (doing so creates steam and helps it cook faster)

Place on the center rack of the oven for about 45 minutes, depending on how large the squash is

(larger squash may need an hour)

Meanwhile, begin the meatballs…

Finely dice the onion, garlic, parsley, and sage

Add the meat, onion, garlic, sage, parsley, salt and pepper together in a bowl

Using your hands, mix the ingredients together- you don’t want to overwork the meat,

just get it all evenly mixed

Roll the meat into golf-ball sized balls- you’ll prob get about 10-12 balls

Add ghee to a large skillet over a medium-high heat

I used Pure Indian Foods ghee… I love it since it grass-fed, but making your own or

buying another brand is fine, too (I also like OMGhee’s ghee… both great products!)

Once hot, add the meatballs to the ghee (this may have to be done in batches)

Cook each side for a couple of minutes, until browned

All together, they’ll probably take about 7-10 minutes, depending in how large they are

(unlike poultry, bison and beef do not have to be cooked all the way through)

       

Get the tops, bottoms, and every side that you can browned!

   

When done, lay on a paper towel

Continue until all meatballs are cooked

(you may want to add more ghee to the pan if doing multiple batches)

Keep the scraps from the meatballs in the pan, as well as the oils (adds flavor!)

Add the marinara sauce- turn heat to low

(optional- saute up some onion, garlic, mushrooms, and/or zucchini

in the pan first to make it a veggie-packed marinara)

Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce, coating each ball with the marinara sauce

Cook until everything is warm

   

When the squash is done, remove from the oven

Using a fork, break up the squash a bit, so the sauce gets into every nook and cranny

  

Add sauce, meatballs, and a couple of fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Enjoy!