Spaghetti Squash and Lamb Meatballs
Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
Yes, with spaghetti squash in season the first thing that came to mind is a classic spaghetti and meatballs with marinara sauce. A childhood favorite is you ask me. You can’t really go wrong the spaghetti and meatballs if you ask me. I packed the meatballs full of flavor as well. So, that first bite of meatball with grated parmesan will be heavenly. Instead of using beef I used lamb. Just to have a different type of meat in our diet. But of course, you can easily use beef if that’s what you have at hand. This is quite easy to make but it takes some time in the kitchen to finish all the different elements. I say double the portion of meatballs and marinara sauce and make it worthwhile. You can then simply freeze a portion for later use.
Tip!
Double the meatballs and marinara sauce and freeze them to use another time.
Spaghetti Squash
If you are not familiar with spaghetti squash you might be thinking what in the world is she on about. It’s basically a type of squash that once cooked breaks up into pieces just like spaghetti. Hence the name spaghetti squash. I remember back in the day it wasn’t really available in the Netherlands and I would actually bring them over from Curaçao when I would go. Talk about overweight luggage nightmares. But now that’s not necessary anymore. As they can actually be found in the supermarkets. I was so happy when I saw they have a separate stand at our supermarket with just different varieties of squash. What can I say I’m very easy to please.
Feeling Italian
Is the spaghetti and meatballs getting you craving more Italian dishes? Not to worry we’ve got you covered! Try our endive and truffle antipasto or Caprese stuffed Portobello mushrooms.
Spaghetti Squash and Lamb Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 kg spaghetti squash
- olive oil
Lamb Meatballs
- 500 gram minced lamb
- 2 tbsp rosemary
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp almond flour
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
Marinara Sauce
- 1 onion diced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 can chopped tomatoes each of 400 gram
- 250 ml vegetable stock
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp basil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp butter
- salt and black pepper to taste
- parmesan topping
- Handful fresh basil garnish
Instructions
Prep Spaghetti Squash
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Cut the stem off the spaghetti squash to discard. Slice the bottom section to give you a stable base to slice in half lengthwise. Save the bottom to be used. Place the squash standing upright on your cutting board and proceed to slice in half. Be careful and make sure you have a sharp knife because the spaghetti squash has a very thick skin you need to pierce through. You should have 3 pieces of squash left to bake.
- Scoop all seeds out with a spoon.
- Rub the inside and outside with olive oil and place on a lined baking tray. Bake for 40 minutes or until you can pierce through the skin.
- Remove from oven and let cool down for a bit.
- With a fork use to lift the spaghetti squash from the center to actually get spaghetti like strings. Continue till you scrape everything from the skin. Set aside for later.
Lamb Meatballs
- Slightly whisk the egg to mix yolk and egg white together.
- Mix all meatball ingredients together by hand.
- I always check the seasoning is good before shaping into individual balls. So heat up the frying pan with some coconut oil and grab a small piece of meatball mixture roll into a ball and add to the pan. Lightly fry on both sides and let cool down a bit before tasting. If it’s good proceed to shaping otherwise adjust with more salt or black pepper and repeat step to check.
- Divide mixture into 4 parts and from each section make 5 balls. At the end you should have 20 equal sized balls.
- Heat the frying pan back up with coconut oil and fry the meatballs for a total of 6 minutes while flipping to another side every 2 minutes. (as much as balls can have sides, just go with it) Don’t overcrowd the pan. Depending on the size of your pan you can do it in 4-5 batches. Set meatballs aside on a paper towel. They will not be cooked all the way through but seared on the outside. It will finish cooking in the sauce.
Marinara Sauce
- In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onions to cook for 5 minutes
- Add the bell pepper to cook another 3 minutes together with the onions.
- Lastly add the garlic to cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste and vegetable stock to the pan and stir everything together.
- Time to add the spices, proceed with the oregano, basil, salt, fresh black pepper and apple cider. Stir together cover with a lid and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Add the meatballs to the pot and allow to cook for another 10 minutes. The hot sauce with finish cooking the rest of the meatballs while keeping them moist.
- While the meatballs finish cooking we can finish the spaghetti squash. In a large pan melt the butter and add the spaghetti squash.
- Pour 3-4 large scoops of the marinara sauce in the pan with the spaghetti squash and stir together. Because the squash has not been seasoned you might need to add some more salt add this point. Taste and adjust to your taste.
- Time to serve! Place the spaghetti squash in a bowl add the meatballs on top. Generously add some grated parmesan cheese. And finish off with a few fresh basil leaves.