spaghetti squash w/ turkey meatballs

After a long day on my feet in my school’s kitchen cooking family meal for everyone in the building, what do I do when I finally get home? I head back into the kitchen! I think this is just another example that goes to show that cooking really is my passion because when I get into the rhythm of transforming the food from raw ingredients into a delicious meal, all the exhaustion and worries of the day just fades away. It’s just me, my 5 senses, and the food. Into the marinara sauce I also threw in some finely slices jalapeños and torn basil to jazz it up!

Ingredients:

For the Spaghetti Squash:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash

For the Turkey Meatballs:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup finely minced parsley
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Preparation:

For the Spaghetti Squash:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Cut the squash in half length-wise
3. Scoop out the seeds and save them if you want to roast them as a snack later (Check out this delicious honey chili roasted squash seeds recipe!)
4. Grab a roasting pan to place the two squash halves face down on and add in a little bit of water to cover the bottom
5. When the oven is ready, cook the squash for 30 minutes before checking it to see if you need to live it in longer. The squash is done when you can easily pierce a fork through the flesh. Leave it in for another 15 minutes if the squash isn’t ready yet.
6. Take the squash out and use a fork to scrape out the flesh (in the direction that it grows!) into spaghetti strands

For the Turkey Meatballs:

1. Combine the milk and breadcrumbs in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Whisk the egg, salt, pepper, Parmesan, and parsley in a large bowl until blended.
3. Add the pound of ground meat to the egg mixture.
4. Add the prepared onions, garlic, and now soaked breadcrumbs to the large bowl with the meat and egg mixture.
5. Mix all of the ingredients in the large bowl together thoroughly, pinching the meat between your fingers.
6. Pinch off pieces of the meat mixture and roll it between your hand to form 1 to 1.5 inch meatballs. Continue doing this until all the meat is rolled.
7. Bring a large pan of marinara sauce to simmer and add in as many meatballs as will comfortably fit. Cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes until the meatballs are cooked.