Spaghetti squash bolognese with mushrooms

Spaghetti Squash Bolognese with Mushrooms

4
Points®
Total Time
38 min
Prep
15 min
Cook
23 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
Spaghetti squash is one of the most wonderful foods of winter! Once cooked, it appears identical to traditional spaghetti pasta and brings a new twist to this Italian-inspired bolognese. The light and mildly flavored squash noodles absorb lots of flavor from the rich sauce and twirl beautifully on any spoon. Ready in under 40 minutes, the microwave makes quick work of steaming the squash while you make the sauce on the stovetop. Mushroom enhance the sauce with umami while fresh basil finishes the sauce with a brightness. If you have only Parmesan cheese, feel free to use in place of the pecorino.

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 tsp

Uncooked onion

1 medium, chopped

Bell pepper

1 item(s), medium, red, chopped

Garlic

3 clove(s), finely chopped

Cremini mushroom

½ pound(s), chopped

Uncooked 93% lean ground beef

1 pound(s)

Table salt

¾ tsp

Black pepper

¼ tsp

Canned crushed tomatoes

28 oz

Uncooked spaghetti squash

1 large

Grated Pecorino cheese

3 Tbsp

Fresh basil

¼ cup(s), loosely packed fresh, thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add beef, ½ teaspoon salt, and black pepper; cook, breaking apart beef with spoon, just until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.
  2. Stir in tomatoes; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until flavors are blended, about 8 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, pierce squash all over with tip of small sharp knife; place on double layer of paper towels in microwave. Microwave on High until tender, about 14 minutes, turning once halfway through microwaving time. Let stand 5 minutes; then split squash lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out and discard seeds.
  4. With a fork, scrape out squash pulp into medium bowl; toss with remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Divide squash evenly among 6 bowls. Top with sauce; sprinkle evenly with pecorino and basil.
  5. Serving size: generous ¾ cup sauce and ⅔ cup squash

Notes

The cooked squash will be very hot after microwaving, so protect your hands with mitts if necessary when splitting it in Step 3.