What we got here is an easy one pan meal for the beginning of a hectic(but fun) holiday week . But I am sure that you have your wits about you, that you are not feeling like a stretch Armstrong doll. No, you are all calm and collected… Well that's nice because I feel like my head going to explode.So what I need this week is easy, fast food with lots of healthy good stuff and maybe to get rid of the meatballs that are in the freezer….. Mission accomplished with this dish. It's basically a hug pan of veggies with a few left over meatballs from Nicks bday dinner and a little cottage cheese. Nothing fancy… hearty and warm..Nick likes it so it's a winner.
The spaghetti squash is the main component in this dish so if you want to use other veggies, go for it. You can make this vegan and leave out the cheese and use fake balls or no balls at all (hehe) You can even toss in some beans, lentils, or tofu. I make variations of this dish often… and lentils are a really good addition..
Besides the squash and the meatballs, I used mushroom, onion, kale, tomato and garlic plus about a half cup of cottage cheese, cause that was what I had in the fridge.
First thing first, cook the squash. Just stick it in the oven for half hour at 425.. Once you can stick a fork into it, pull it out and let it cool enough to handle.. While thats cooling off, cook down the veggies. Started with a little oil in a cast iron skillet on medium heat, toss the onion and mushrooms ands frozen meatballs*(or whatever you want to use) and heat until meatballs are cook through and the onion and mushroom are browned. Now add the garlic, kale and tomato, Turn heat off. When the squash is cooled enough to handle,. slice open, scoop out the seeds and scoop the flash out. Spaghetti squash and cottage cheese into the skillet and toss.. Sprinkled a bit of mozzarella or parmesan cheese on top. Lots of crushed black pepper and into the oven for about 15 minutes. or until the cheese is nice and melty and you are hungry and want to eat.
*Note. If you want to make meatballs fresh, my recommendation would be to make them in the skillet first and then just toss all the veggies into that pan to cook down… No need to make more dishes.
Pulled straight from the oven….Served nice and hot, placed right onto my wooded counter. I need to stop placing hot pans on the wood, I am leaving burn marks. There is actually a lot of thing that I need to stop doing in the kitchen, like setting towels on fire, burning myself at least once a day, slicing my fingers,.breaking dishes…….So maybe place skillet on a trivet of some kind and serve it up!
So easy and fast.. Served with a piece of crusty bread… Man, I wish everything this week could be this fast sans easy….. but I am not complaining.
Have a good Monday!
Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs
1 small Spaghetti Squash
5-7 pre cooked vegan meatballs
Small red onion
2 -3 big mushrooms
1 small tomato
a few kale leaves
3-5 cloves garlic(or as many as you like)
half a cup of cottage cheese *
a handful of shredded parmesan or mozzarella*
salt and pepper
oil (for pan)
*use vegan versions or dairy versions.. up to you.
Preheat oven to 425
Place spaghetti squash in oven. Let bake for about a half hour or until fork tender. Remove and let cool enough to handle.
While that's happening, chop the veggies into any size you want.. Drizzle olive oil in medium skillet and place diced sliced mushrooms, onion, and pre made meatball to brown. Once meatballs are warmed through, add the kale, garlic, tomato, and cottage cheese. Take the cooked spaghetti squash and remove seeds and scoop flesh into the skillet. Toss everything together, sprinkle with salt pepper, top with shredded cheese and place in oven for 15 minutes
Take it out of the oven and let cool. for a minutes and…...