I’m an absolute pasta
lover. I’ll have it with carbonara, bolognese or even just plain with some
roasted cherry tomatoes and some olive oil. I’m usually not someone who avoids
carbs at all costs, but when L first showed me Spaghetti Squash at the market I
was intrigued.
A pumpkin that apparently turns into pasta. Not like zucchini
where you have to use a spiralizer to get those spaghetti like strands. No,
it’s just a freak of nature that actually comes like that! You roast it and then,
tada, you scrape out the strands and have something that looks like pasta.
Obviously it doesn’t taste exactly like pasta, but the squash doesn’t have much
flavour itself either, so it’s perfect to combine with flavoursome sauces, or
as in my case, with delicious meatballs, a knob of butter and some parmesan.
If you see spaghetti
squash at your local market, grab it. It’s still not easy to get, so when you
can get your hands on it, do me a favour and give it a go!
Spaghetti Squash with Pork Meatballs
2 spaghetti squash
3 teaspoons coconut oil
1 shallot, finely diced
500 g pork mince
1/4 cup almond meal or breadcrumbs
1 egg, lightly whisked
2 teaspoons dried cumin
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated to serve
Preheat oven to 200
Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove all the
seeds and sticky flesh surrounding the seeds. Put face down into an oven proof
baking dish and add some water, just a cup or two, to cover the bottom of the
pan.
Bake the squash in the oven for about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a saucepan. Cook shallot
until softened and translucent. Add to a large bowl with mince, almond meal,
egg, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix together.
Using wet hands, shape mince mixture into 12 meatballs.
Heat remaining oil in the same saucepan. Add meatballs, in batches, frying
until cooked through (8-10 minutes). Turn halfway through cooking to ensure they’re
browned all over. Once cooked, set meatballs aside and cover with foil.
Once the spaghetti squash has baked long enough,
remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
When you turn them over, you should now be able to ‘rake’
through the flesh and get spaghetti like strands. Go along the width of the
squash, not the length, that way you end up with nice long pieces.
Serves 4.
