Spaghetti Squash Bolognese

2017 was the year I finally got to try a spaghetti squash…. so yeah, a big year (and it’s only August!) And turns out they are a sensational base for deliciousness such as spaghetti (squash) bolognese. Let me talk you through the easy peasy process!

Preheat oven to 180C
Cut spaghetti squash length ways in half, remove seeds, then drizzle with olive oil and a generous sprinkle of cracked pepper and rock salt.

Place squash face down on a tray with baking paper

Place in oven for 35 minutes
Get busy with the bolognese! First up, finely dice a brown onion, crush 2 cloves of garlic and sautéed in a splash of olive oil til the onion goes glossy and your kitchen starts to smell delicious.

Add 500g of lean beef mince and brown it.

Sprinkle on a little Vegeta, around a tablespoon or so (it’s always good to have a can of this in your cupboard).

Add in some salt and pepper

Here you can either add in a few cans of diced Italian tomatoes or if you have some lovely fresh ripe ones (say 4 or 5 big ones) then pop them in a Themomix or food processor, along with some fresh basil ( a good handful) and blitz together until you have a sauce. Add into your saucepan with the beef.

Simmer until your sauce starts to reduce, stir regularly

When the majority of liquid has been absorbed, you are ready to go!

Grate some cheese. I like to do two types – some cheddar and some Parmesan. Mainly because I love cheese.

Remove the squash from the oven (but leave the oven on!) and flip it over, so skin side down. It’s time to shred! Grab a fork and run it across the squash and you’ll start to see the squash look like spaghetti strands.

It will look all roughed up like this and just shuffle it so you have a bowl in the centre and your spaghetti on the outside.

Add a generous scoop of your bolognese into the squash and then top with a whole lot of cheese. Back into the oven until your cheese just starts to brown, around 10 minutes or so.