Chewjitsu : Squash the pasta

I personally love pasta dishes. The only problem is, they don’t love me. It never fails, after eating a plate of pasta I feel very full and ready for a nap. This is one reason I don’t eat them very often. Firstly, with my job I can’t afford to be groggy and lethargic, and second, I generally dislike eating food that makes me feel lethargic. That being said I still eat pasta from time to time. But, if you’re like me and like pasta but don’t want to be down for the count the rest of the day then this recipe is for you.
Also, some people have allergies to wheat products. If you are one of these people, this recipe might be beneficial for you as well.

What you’ll need. . .
• 1 Large spaghetti squash
• 1 lb of lean ground beef
• 1 small red onion
• 2-4 cloves of fresh garlic
• Peppers, mushrooms or anything else you’d like to add into it. I used red peppers and mushrooms myself.
• Pasta sauce. If you buy it premade, try and find one that doesn’t have sugar added.
• Herbs and spices depending on your tastes (I personally like a lot of basil, thyme and rosemary).
• 1lb Brussels sprouts
• Balsamic vinegar
• Coconut oil

Prep
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice squash in even halves, then scoop out the seeds in the middle.

3. While you wait for the oven to heat up. Chop and dice your veggies.
– Dice onions and garlic.
– Slice peppers and mushrooms.
– Cut brussels sprouts in even halves

Squash
1. Once the oven is heated to 400, place the squash on a roasting pan with the meat of the plant facing down. Bake for about 40-45 minutes.

2. Once baked take the squash from the oven and scoop out the insides with a spoon or fork and place into a large bowl. The meat should be soft and stringy.

Meat Sauce
1. Place ground beef on a hot pan with onions and garlic and begin browning the meat.

2. Once the meat is browned add in extra ingredients like mushrooms and peppers you’d like, as well as the pasta sauce.

3. While warming up the pasta sauce add herbs and seasoning to taste.

Brussels sprouts
1. Bring a pan of water to boil. Once boiling, place sprouts into the water and remove heat and let them sit for about 5 minutes

.
2. After 5 minutes place a tablespoon of coconut oil into a hot pan along with 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Begin to add sprouts to the pan with the oil and vinegar.(you can either drain the water or pull them out with a slotted spoon).
3. Add salt and pepper to taste and begin stirring the sprouts around on medium heat until they have a sort of blackened look to them. It will only take a few minutes.

Once everything is done place the stringy squash down on a plate and put the desired amount of sauce. The brussels sprouts are a side dish.

You now have a delicious, less carb heavy pasta style dish. The biggest benefit for me though is that I don’t feel terrible after eating the dish. Also, if you haven’t tried sprouts in a while (which seems to be the case for many adults) I urge you to give them a try. Their way better as an adult than a kid, and this recipe is super easy and delicious.

Enjoy!