Spaghetti Squash Two Ways

I love to roast spaghetti squash, the texture makes it a great replacement for pasta and their mild flavor pairs well with most pasta sauces and vegetables.

I had a little time on my hands and a box of mushrooms that needed to be used. Problem is, I LOVE mushrooms, but my husband can only take a limited amount of them. A plate of squash with mushrooms sounded ideal to me, not so much to him. So, to make us both happy I created these two alternatives.  

Ingredients

For the squash 

• 1 medium spaghetti squash 
• 2 large garlic cloves
• salt 
• pepper 
• avocado oil 

For mushrooms

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil 
• 1 box mushrooms (I used crimini) thinly sliced 
• 2-3 large garlic cloves minced 
• salt and pepper 

Ground turkey sauce 

• 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil 
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic minced  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme  
• salt and pepper 
• 1 pound ground turkey 
• 24 oz. stewed or strained tomatoes (I love this brand)
• 1 cup diced tomatoes 

Cashew "Parmesan"
 I love this recipe. It keeps really well in the fridge for a few days.    

Instructions 

For the spaghetti squash

• Pre heat oven at 375.
• Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds out.  
• Brush the squash with avocado oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
• Place an unpeeled garlic clove in each of the halves and placed the squash cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast until fork tender, 45-60 minutes.  
• Let cool and scrape the flesh out of the squash into pasta-like noddles.  
• You can discard the garlic clove or save it and add to your turkey sauce.

For mushrooms 

• Heat the avocado oil in a skillet at medium heat.  
• Add the garlic, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant.
• Add the mushrooms and stir well. 
• Stir occasionally and cook until the mushrooms start to brown. 
• Be careful not to let the garlic burn, you might need to bring the heat down to low until the mushrooms begin to brown.
• Serve the spaghetti squash and top with the mushrooms, cashew parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh back pepper. 

For ground turkey sauce

• Heat the avocado oil in a large casserole pot at medium heat, add the onion and cook until translucent-- 7-10 minutes. 
• Add the garlic, oregano, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook until fragrant--2-3 minutes. 
• Add the ground turkey turkey, stir and cook until it begins to brown--5-10 minutes.
• Add the stewed and diced tomatoes, decrease the heat to medium- low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  
• Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.  
• Serve the spaghetti squash, top with sauce and cashew "parmesan". 

This dish can also be layered in a casserole dish lasagna style. Simply spread 1/3 of the turkey sauce in the bottom of the dish, layer some squash, then some mushrooms and some more turkey sauce.  Add another layer of squash, mushrooms and turkey sauce. You can top it with some shredded mozzarella and bake at 350 until the cheese starts to brown--20-25 min.