Spaghetti Squash: two variations

I decided to try a recipe that RRR had emailed me awhile back saying, "This might be a good idea for lunch". So last Sunday, I took a crack at Weight Watchers' recipe for Italian Turkey and Spaghetti Squash Pie.

The recipe is on the link above and I made a few tiny adjustments. For what is basically their version of a bechamel sauce (ricotta plus an egg) I added a generous helping of thyme. Instead of the olive oil, I used my trusty nonstick cooking spray since it seemed a bit unnecessary for this dish. And you might say that no self-respecting cook would use a fat free mozzarella but in this instance, it melted quite nicely and took on the flavor of the sauce. I think you don't use enough cheese for it to get rubbery.

Unfortunately for me, I underestimated the size of my dish and the amount of "spaghetti" that my squash would yield. As I was layering (squash, then ricotta mixture, then sauce, then cheese) I wound up with a holy mess. The sauce leaked over the sides of the pan and I had to cook it with a baking sheet underneath to catch the dripping sauce. Lucky for me, taste and aesthetics don't always go hand in hand and I wound up with a flavorful hearty lunch that I rounded out with a small mesclun salad.

This experiment led to this week's slight variation of the same recipe. Instead of a lasagna-type dish, I went for a simpler squash with a chunky Bolognese-type sauce. Spaghetti squash is in abundance at my local market (sadly, acorn and butternut squash aren't looking so great) so I decided to give it another go, but with a few minor adjustments.

I started by halving a spaghetti squash, scooping out the seeds and pulp, then placing it cut side down in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes. I added a bit of water to the bottom of the dish, but it's not completely necessary.

While that was cooking, I began to brown 1 1/2 lbs of ground turkey. While that was draining, I sauteed half an onion and 3 small cloves of garlic. On a whim, I grated into the onion and garlic one small carrot to add a bit of sweetness to the sauce. The turkey went back into the pan and was joined by a jar of Nanina's marinara sauce (a gift from my Aunt) and a large can of diced tomatoes.

To this mixture I added: chicken stock, some generous squeezes from my tube of tomato paste, fresh nutmeg, thyme, Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper and two bay leaves. I let that simmer for a good twenty minutes and then removed the bay leaf.

While the sauce was simmering, the squash became cool enough to handle. I took a fork and basically raked the inside of the squash and placed the spaghetti-like strands of squash into a bowl.

Once that was done, a heaping scoop of squash, some of the hearty, tasty sauce, a sprinkling of grated cheese and in no time I was enjoying a low calorie version of a typical Italian Sunday meal... and without the post meal carb coma!