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A sneaky way to get your pizza fix with no dairy and no grains. This dish is so darn convincing, that my super picky veggie-averse children even gobbled this down. And not just the first time: we have made this four times already! A delicious, comforting casserole perfect just about anytime of the year!
I have have found so many new and delicious ideas via our Allergy Free Wednesday blog hop. Here is yet another recipe inspired by one of our regular contributors, Amanda over at Writing in White. When my husband and I first started a grain free focus, I was scouring all sorts of places for dinner ideas…after all….dinner in my house also equals lunch the next day. Anything that resembled pizza was definitely worth a try since my kids happily consume just about any pizza in any form. Every single person who has had this dish loves it, and asks for the recipe…so TRUST ME!
Spaghetti Squash may be new to some of you, but this simple, mild squash has a lovely little secret: when cooked al dente, the squash shreds in to noodlely (not a word, sue me!) threads that resemble noodles…but better! With only 40 calories a cup….and no difficult grains to digest, this casserole is a gem. Dig in people…any dish so loaded with veggies and flavor should be a must on our menus!
INGREDIENT NOTE: To roast a spaghetti squash, halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place face down on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons water around the edges of the squash and roast in a 375 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes. DO NOT OVER-BAKE!! You want your noodles al-dente, not mushy! Remove from the oven, flip up, let cool, and then use a fork to pull the threads out!
Ingredients:
- 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
- 8 ounces chopped pepperoni, divided (we like Applegate Farms w/ no nitrates and dairy free)
- 1 small onion, diced small
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon EACH oregano, basil, and thyme
- 4 cups roasted spaghetti squash noodles (apx, see cooking notes above)
- 2 cups favorite spaghetti sauce – we use my Homemade Blender Pasta Sauce
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup Daiya mozzarella cheese or pecorino romano, and few tablespoons extra for sprinkling, optional
Method:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef, 1/2 of the pepperoni, onion, and garlic.
- As the ground meat cooks, sprinkle in the seasonings. Taste (when cooked!) and add more to your liking if necessary.
- In a large bowl, mix the warm beef mixture, spaghetti sauce, squash threads, eggs, and cheese of choice.
- Place into a greased casserole dish ( I used a 9 X 9).
- Top with the remaining pepperoni and a sprinkling of cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
This recipe was shared on Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Keep It Real Thursdays, Whole Foods Friday, GF Fridays, Fill Those Jars Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Freaky Friday, GAPS Friendly Friday, Seasonal Celebration Sunday, Sugar-Free Sunday, Natural Living Monday, Monday Mania, My Meatless Monday, Make Your Own Monday, GF Monday, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Traditional Tuesdays, Hearth & Soul, GF Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Kids in the Kitchen, Healthy 2Day Wednesdays,
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When her third child was born with severe food allergies, Tessa took to the kitchen to figure out how to feed her family well. Always up for a culinary challenge, their journey has taken many twists and turns! Lots of Paleo, and lots of top 8 free. Good food for families, that's what she's about!
I made this the other day and my kids loved it too!
Tessa,
This looks amazing! What a great, practical, and EASY recipe! If I could have tomatoes, I’d make it in a heartbeat.
Megan
Tessa, you’re recipes ALWAYS catch my eye! I’m a paleo fan and an allergy-free baker. In fact, I’m making your pumpkin snickerdoodles today! Thanks for all of the inspiration!
Angie@ConsciousEatery
YUM! I want this for dinner tomorrow night! Super tasty dish my dear.
Um, yes. Holy cow, this looks gooood! Thanks for sharing on GAPS Friendly Friday, Tessa!
This is on my menu plan this week! I can’t wait to make it! I LOVE spaghetti squash al dente too. It’s easy to make and takes on sauces well. I’ve used it as a side dish with pesto tossed in. So easy and yummy.
Thanks for posting! My kids are gonna love me for making this.
Jen
Hope you all love as much as we do Jen…al dente is the KEY!!
Got this tweeted and pinned! We do this all the time!!
Oh my WORD! I made this for my crew (and my daughter’s friend) and last night and they absolutely LOVED it! Still talking about it today and having leftovers for lunch.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Jen
I know Jen,it is a real people pleaser, regardless if you have food restrictions or not! I might be making this for dinner tonight again….sounds better than my other plan!
Hi Tessa,
This looks so amazing and simple! Thanks for another great dinner recipe my friend.
Hope you’re all well! Miss you…we need to catch up soon. Busy on this end with the big move coming up here soon. But right now I’m focusing on our Nutcracker performances and Thanksgiving. (each year me and Sky dance in a local ballet production of the Nutcracker…and rehearsals are off the hook…and we perform the Fri/Sat/Sun after Thanksgiving…it’s a busy few days, but fun).
I think you will love it Amber…a must try! It has been so quiet over your way..but it doesn’t mean I am not thinking of you! There are only so many hours in a day…and it sounds like you are spending them well with your daughter! Have fun!
I love the word noodlely
This sounds like such a delicious casserole and I love that it uses spaghetti squash instead of noodles.
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures’ Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Check back tomorrow when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts!
So creatvie and yummy!
Thanks for sharing with Natural Living Monday!
http://mexicanwildflower.blogspot.mx/2012/11/natural-living-monday-11.html
What a fun idea.Who needs the crust anyway. This looks heavenly.
Featuring this tonight my friend. Such a great recipe!
This sounds great – I have just found spaghetti squash and am excited to have a new recipe!
I would love to have you share this on Thursday at Tasty Traditions: http://myculturedpalate.com/
Was looking for an alternate recipe for Spaghetti Squash and this is fantastic. Was worried after test tasting that it would be bland, but the finished product has a lot of flavor. Next time I’ll add some red pepper flakes, just ‘cuz I like them on my pizza, but this is great as as. Thanks for the recipe. This is going in my favorites.
So glad…I know I always worry about the bland thing too…I love full flavors!! We add pepper flakes to ours, our kids just won’t go for them! Thanks for commenting and providing feedback…always valuable!
Thank you for sharing this goodness! I am a real person feeding real people and I loved it…It feed a deep craving for pizza & so much more! Thanks!
I think it is super satisfying too Emily’ thank you for taking a moment to let me know!