Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats

I love squash, but spaghetti squash is something I had never cooked before and had no desire to try.  I am so glad I stumbled upon this recipe and it gave me the push I needed to venture out of my comfort zone!.
This was so easy to roast  and fun to shred into strands!   And the bonus was that it was delicious too.  This is definitely something I will make again...and again!.  

Don't you love those strands of squash?  Yes, food CAN be fun!

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats     

adapted from Cafe Delites

2 whole spaghetti squash, cut in half and roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper
Bolognese or marinara sauce -  semi-homemade (below) or from scratch

Quick Bolognese Sauce:

1 T. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1  (12 oz.) pkg.  - Aidell's All Natural Caramelized Onion Chicken Meatballs (these are pre-cooked and so incredibly good and flavorful)*
1 (14 oz.) bottle of your favorite marinara sauce
2 T. tomato paste
1 beef bouillon, crushed or 1 t. beef stock base
pinch of sugar to reduce the acidity (I used 1/2 packet of Truvia)
2 T. fresh chopped parsley (divided)
2 t. fresh chopped basil**
2 t. fresh chopped oregano**
o----------o----------o----------o----------o----------o----------o----------o----------o----------o----------o

1 c. ricotta cheese
1/2 c. fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese or 3 cheese blend
salt and pepper to taste

While the squash is roasting (it takes about 40-45 minutes), prepare the sauce.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Sauté the garlic until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the marinara sauce, tomato paste, chopped chicken meatballs,* crushed bouillon cube or beef base, sugar, 1 T. of the parsley and the remaining herbs.**.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
Reduce heat, cover with lid and simmer for 20-30 minutes to let the flavors meld.

While the sauce is cooking, mix the ricotta cheese and parmesan cheese and set aside.

Now is a good time to take the cooled spaghetti squash and create strands from the flesh by running a fork across the squash.  Leave about 1/2" of squash around the edges so the shell remains stable. (I don't know why, but this is so much fun to do and makes the squash totally irresistible!)

Divide the sauce among the four halves; about 2 cups each.  Then top the sauce with about 2-3 T. of the ricotta cheese mixture, followed by 1/4 c. shredded cheese each (if you want to add more shredded cheese, go for it!  In my world, there is no such thing as too much cheese...)

Each squash half is enrobed with about 2 cups of meat sauce.

The parmesan ricotta mixture adds such creaminess to this dish...

And then the cheese....use mozzarella, an Italian blend, or whatever you have on hand.

* You can use 1 lb. ground beef or turkey - just add immediately after the garlic is sautéed and cook until no longer pink.  Follow the remaining steps.

**You can substitute with dried herbs(use half as much if using dried) but the fresh adds SO much more flavor...

Place the squash halves in the center of the oven and broil for about 10 minutes - until the cheese is melted and browned.

Top with remaining fresh parsley and serve.  You will be surprised at how delicious and filling this is - and you will want to make it again soon!  I promise!  And the bonus is that it's relatively healthy too! 

ENJOY!!!

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Minestrone Soup

it has actually been cold here in southern CA.  Yes it's all relative, but 32 degrees in the morning (yes that was the temp this morning) is truly COLD for us! BRRRRRRR). The saving grace is that  it does warm up to the 60s this time of year. And we can get crazy heat waves - like the 80 degrees forecast for early next week.  I don't like it when it gets that warm in the winter, especially during the holidays.  I want this time of year to feel brisk outside and I want to wear a jacket when I go outside.  I want to make a fireplace and curl up on the couch with the dogs. I love this time of year when I can settle down with a hot bowl of soup and be totally content.  It doesn't take much!

This recipe is a definite winter comfort food, made even better because the Ninja Cooking System did all of the hard work!

There were quite a few fresh herbs in this recipe so rather than hand chop, I used one of my favorite kitchen tools - the Kuhn Rikon Pull and Chop.  The two blades inside are VERY sharp (yes I found out the hard way!) and they easily mince herbs that are not always simple manage.  You can see how the herbs went from garden fresh to recipe ready.

Straight from my garden

 Ready for chopping

Mission accomplished - perfection!

MINESTRONE SOUP

Adapted from Cooking Classy

4 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups water

1 cup red wine (optional)

1 (15 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 yellow squash, chopped

1 1/3 cups pasta (ditalini, shell, orecchiette - I used the latter)

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 (15 oz.) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz.)  cannelini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz.) can cut green beans, drained

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

I Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley

1 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil

1 tsp. fresh lemon thyme leaves
2 tsp. fresh chopped oregano

1 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. sugar

salt and pepper, to taste
shredded parmesan cheese to garnish or Sargento Italian cheese mix

Add stock, water, wine, tomatoes, celery, carrots, onion, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and sugar to the crock pot/slow cooker.  I used my Ninja Cooking System and it was perfect. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook on low for about 7 hours.

When the vegetables are softened after the 7 hours, add the zucchini, yellow squash, pasta, garlic, kidney and cannelini beans and cook on high 30-40 minutes or until the pasta is done.  Add the chopped spinach and green beans and cook a few more minutes until heated through.  Serve warm topped with the Sargento Italian cheese mixture or Parmesan cheese.

Another look at the minced herbs and all of the yummy ingredients ready to become soup.

So satisfying and soooooooooooo good!

And since I had chopped extra rosemary, I decided to do a bit more and make a delicious loaf of garlic rosemary bread to go with the soup.  The aroma from this baking bread will have you swooning!

Stay tuned for that recipe to come soon!

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