Some time ago, I had dinner with a good friend who is in amazing shape and a master of the healthy kitchen. It was then that I was introduced to the concept that a pasta dinner can be healthy without bogging yourself down with carbs and bad fats. What you see in the picture is spaghetti squash instead of spaghetti noodles. And it tastes amazing! Who knew?
I took her concept of spaghetti squash pasta and did a little more research and found even more ideas. The meat balls in this dish here... amazing! I can tell you right now I'll make the meatballs alone for future parties. They're lean, extremely low on fat and sugar, and darn good! Here's the scoop (pun intended. You'll understand shortly).
To make the meatballs, I mixed 1 egg and 2 egg whites. Then proceeded to mix in 1 pound of 99% lean ground turkey along with a pack of onion soup, and a half cup of oatmeal (you'll need the oatmeal to help hold it together). Once you have a moist, but firm consistency, roll the meatballs to your desired size. Most recipes I saw said to sautee them, but I baked them in about an inch of water with a little chicken broth at 450 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Cut one down the middle to make sure they're done! Once they are done, add them to your pasta sauce (if you buy a sauce, there shouldn't be more than 50 calories,
2 grams of fat, or 4 grams of sugar in a serving).
While I was preparing the meatballs, I had the spaghetti squash (seeds scooped out) cut in half (long ways, insides facing down) cooking in the microwave for about 12 minutes. If you cook it too much, it'll scoop out mushy. It still tastes good, but it doesn't look as pretty. If you leave it just a little firm, it'll scoop out like spaghetti noodles. Add some "noodles" to your plate and top it with some sauce and meatballs and enjoy! I just did!
I took her concept of spaghetti squash pasta and did a little more research and found even more ideas. The meat balls in this dish here... amazing! I can tell you right now I'll make the meatballs alone for future parties. They're lean, extremely low on fat and sugar, and darn good! Here's the scoop (pun intended. You'll understand shortly).
To make the meatballs, I mixed 1 egg and 2 egg whites. Then proceeded to mix in 1 pound of 99% lean ground turkey along with a pack of onion soup, and a half cup of oatmeal (you'll need the oatmeal to help hold it together). Once you have a moist, but firm consistency, roll the meatballs to your desired size. Most recipes I saw said to sautee them, but I baked them in about an inch of water with a little chicken broth at 450 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Cut one down the middle to make sure they're done! Once they are done, add them to your pasta sauce (if you buy a sauce, there shouldn't be more than 50 calories,
2 grams of fat, or 4 grams of sugar in a serving).
While I was preparing the meatballs, I had the spaghetti squash (seeds scooped out) cut in half (long ways, insides facing down) cooking in the microwave for about 12 minutes. If you cook it too much, it'll scoop out mushy. It still tastes good, but it doesn't look as pretty. If you leave it just a little firm, it'll scoop out like spaghetti noodles. Add some "noodles" to your plate and top it with some sauce and meatballs and enjoy! I just did!
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