Finished Meatballs

Spaghetti Squash with Stuffed Meatballs

Pasta is one of those carboholic dishes that people tend to crave when first switching to a ketogenic or low carb diet. I’ve tried a bunch of crazy faux pastas like tofu based shirataki noodles, shredded vegetables like cabbage but none have come as close as spaghetti squash.  There is just something about its texture and look that make it the perfect faux pasta!

Spaghetti Squash and Stuffed MeatballsHere’s the finished dish with the stuffed meatballs, spaghetti squash and pasta sauce topped with some shredded parmesan cheese!

Spaghetti SquashThis recipe starts with the humble spaghetti squash.  Note that this is a specific type of squash and not any squash will do.  You might need to go to a market with a decent amount of produce to find it. Also, for an added bonus for the environment, I use these reusable produce bags so I’m not constantly throwing away the plastic ones.

Split Spaghetti SquashStart by splitting the spaghetti squash in two.  Make sure to be careful as the skin is pretty thick and you could easily cut a finger off …

Remove Seeds from Spaghetti SquashThen remove the seeds from the spaghetti squash with a large spoon.

Spaghetti Squash ready for cookingAfter all of the seeds are removed, place the spaghetti squash face down in a pan with some water in the bottom of it.  Then cook at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Starting the meatballsOnce the spaghetti squash is in the oven, we can start on the meatballs.  You can use practically anything but I’ve used ground pork as a base with some spices and an egg.

Chopped Onion

Carbs permitting, I also like to throw in some chopped onion.

Mixed MeatballsOnce all the ingredients are in place, mix it up with your hands.

Meatballs on ScaleTo make the meatballs, I like to cover my kitchen scale with saran wrap and measure out each meatball. This way they are all the same size and will cook consistently.  For these meatballs I went with 2 oz portions.

Measured MeatballsThis batch yielded 20 or so meatballs, well, really 19 and one awkward one.  I would suggest you just pretend it makes 18 and eat the remainders before you serve them to your family.  It will be our secret …

Chopped MozzarellaNext, take some mozzarella and cut it into the correct number of pieces. For this, I wouldn’t use shredded, you really want whole mozzarella so it sticks together throughout the cooking process.

Making MeatballsMake the meatballs in three steps.  First, make a hole in the center with your finger.  Then insert a piece of mozzarella.  Finally, place the meatball in your hand and form the meat over the mozzarella.  Repeat this for all of the meatballs.

Finished Stuffed MeatballsNow you should have a full array of stuffed meatballs.  Make sure to grease the sheet so they don’t stick.  Then place them in the oven at 375 for 25 minutes.

Spaghetti SquashThe spaghetti squash are done when a fork easily inserts into the skin as shown.

Shredding the spaghetti squashOnce the spaghetti squash are cooked, shred them with a fork to create the “spaghetti” as shown.

Shredding Spaghetti SquashThe easiest way to do this is to put on a pair of ove gloves and grab the squash in your hand.  Then take a fork and shred the squash into a bowl.  Its a little bit of a time crunch because you want to shred the squash before it gets cold but they are really hot from cooking.

Shredded Spaghetti SquashTwo spaghetti squashes totally 1.437 kg raw yielded 0.810 kg of shredded, cooked squash in case you were wondering 🙂

Finished MeatballsAfter 25 minutes the meatballs should be done!

Closeup of finished MeatballsDon’t they look amazing!

Money shot of Finished MeatballsAnd of course I had to include the money shot of the finished meatballs and spaghetti squash!

Spaghetti Squash with Stuffed Meatballs
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 6
  • Serving size: 135g Spaghetti, 3 meatballs, ½ cup sauce
  • Calories: 636
  • Fat: 46
  • Carbohydrates: 17
  • Fiber: 4
  • Protein: 37
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • 2 Spaghetti Squash - 1.437 Kg Raw, 0.810 Kg Cooked
  • 32 Oz Ground Pork
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 small Onion (84g)
  • 8 Oz Mozzarella
  • 1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed
  • ½ tsp Garlic Powder
  • ½ tsp Onion Powder
  • ½ tsp Black Pepper
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • ½ tsp Frank's Hot Sauce
  • 2 Oz Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 3 cups Rao's Tomato Basil Sauce
Instructions
  1. Wash the Spaghetti Squash, cut in half, and scrape out the seeds
  2. Place face down on a casserole dish with 2 cups of water
  3. Cook at 375 degrees for 45 minutes
  4. Mix together the pork, egg, parmesan cheese, spices and flax seed
  5. Form 2 oz meatballs
  6. Split the mozzarella into 18 pieces
  7. Make in indent into the meatball and place a piece of mozzarella into it
  8. Wrap the meat around the meatball
  9. Place on a greased, foil lined sheet
  10. Cook at 375 degrees for 25 minutes
  11. When the Spaghetti Squash is done, shred it with a fork
  12. Combine 135g shredded Spaghetti Squash, ½ cup of sauce and three meatballs
  13. Optionally, top with shredded Parmesan!
 

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