These spaghetti squash boats are low carb, insanely delicious, and super simple to prepare! Literally, the hardest part is cutting the squash (you’ll see, the part I didn’t do).

Spaghetti squash is also filled with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and almost feels like you’re eating pasta. I didn’t follow an exact recipe, which is part of the beauty of this dish — it can easily be modified or made vegetarian/vegan.

What You’ll Need

• Spaghetti squash
• Olive oil
• Free-range ground turkey
• Wild mushrooms
• Crushed garlic
• Kale
• Tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes

Squash Roasting

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.

2. Cut squash.

Sidenote: I’m terrified of cutting big, round things since my bagel slicing incident of ‘99, so I asked the grocery store if they could halve the squash for me (don’t be afraid to ask!).

But, if you’re less accident prone, Google says this method works too: poke holes lengthwise along the squash and microwave ~5 minutes to soften the skin. Let sit for a couple of minutes and then cut lengthwise. 

3. Scoop out squash seeds.

Pro-tip: if you like seeds, save ‘em and toast ‘em for a great low carb snack!

4. Drizzle olive oil on squash and any seasoning you like (I did a sprinkle of pepper).

5. Roast for ~30 minutes with the cut side down (the skin should be facing up), then flip and roast for another 15 minutes.

6. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Sauce Prep

1. While your squash is roasting, cook free-range ground turkey and chopped wild mushrooms in a saucepan with a bit of olive oil & freshly crushed garlic.

(Omit the turkey and double up on the mushrooms to make this vegetarian/vegan! Mushrooms actually have a meaty texture and can hold their own for a bolognese-like consistency.)

2. After turkey is thoroughly cooked and no longer pink, add chopped kale.

3. Add either your tomato sauce of choice (I’m currently loving Cucina Antica Tomato Basil because it is made with zero added sugar) or just plain crushed tomatoes.

4. Add your own basil, garlic, seasonings, etc.

5. Let sauce simmer while squash cools.

How to Enjoy

Use a fork to scrape and fluff the “noodles” lengthwise. Then, top with sauce and parmesan (or leave the cheese out if you’re dairy-free!).

If you like it hot, sprinkle red pepper flakes for an added kick. Utterly delicious, super low carb, and totally filling.

Total Carbs: 10g (total) per cup of spaghetti squash with sauce.

That’s it! Try it out at home, and let me know what you think.