Spaghetti Spaghetti Squash! Mmmmmm

I've been getting a little more daring with my cooking. Joe and I need to eat healthy, yet we want it to taste good! This is our first try using spaghetti squash in place of The spaghetti noodles.

For this dish, I used a classic Marinara recipe with a few changes for our diet.

Marinara and Pizza Sauce

1 large red bell pepper
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
Cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup dry red wine (I omitted this for us)
1/4 cup tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon sea salt, divided (I omit this also)
2 (14.5 oz.) can no-salt added Italian diced tomatoes, drained
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb. ground turkey

• Preheat broiler
• Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; remove seeds and membranes and discard. Put garlic and pepper halves on foil lined baking sheet, skin side up, flattening the pepper halves with your hand. Broil 12 minutes or until slightly blackened. Place pepper in a plastic bag and let sit for 15 minutes. Peel pepper; chop pepper and garlic.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add turkey and onion to pan and cook until turkey is browned, stirring frequently. Add basil and oregano; cook for 1 minute. Stir in roasted pepper, garlic, wine (if desired), tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon salt (if desired), and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cooked mixture may be put in a blender and blended for a finer texture for pizza sauce, being carefull to remove the center piece of the blender lid to allow steam to escape. A clean paper towel may be placed over the opening in the blender lid. Blend only half the mixture at a time. Stir in parsley, oil and if desired, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and vinegar.

Yield: 8 servings (1/2 cup)

For the spaghetti squash, I cut it lenghtwise, removed seeds, placed on a baking sheet, cut side down and baked it in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. When it is cool enough to handle, shred the inside with a fork.

Sure this was a different texture then when using real spaghetti noodles, but I was happy with the taste and knowing it was healthier for me to eat!