Take it to the Table: Grain-Free Spaghetti Squash Pasta with Grassfed Beef.

Eating in season makes a whole lot of sense! Especially for me since I love sweet potatoes, apples and squash. However, let’s take a step back to see where this all started…read this first then come back over to create recipe with the purpose to cross barriers: What if Grace and Gratitude Were Always in Season?

Now, trying a new seasonal recipe is the perfect reason to step out in real-food style by seating others at your table. Look at Christ’s life! Jesus often sat to break bread, enjoy a meal and eat with His followers. He lingered with them, communing and caring for them at the table. So, let's learn to use the excuse of eating well to express gratitude for God’s grace by inviting someone to over to eat with. Connect and hear someone’s heart while you’re seated at the table.

Either take it to a person on your heart who lives on the other side of the wall or invite her over to talk about all the reasons you’re grateful for the unexpected gift of grace.

Pour love and gratitude out through the work of your hands as you prepare this meal, praying for a way God can use you to graces someone’s table… or for someone to find grace at yours.

For me, this will be a new challenge to try. I’m up for it. Be humbly bold with me…. wanna try?

If you’re looking for something simple and in-season to enjoy at your table, try this. Something as simple as a spaghetti squash can transform right into a deliciously whole, seasonal meal. No one even know there weren’t noodles!

Ingredients

1 medium spaghetti squash, baked and pulled apart*see notes
1 tablespoon ghee or olive oil (I am partial to ghee but oil is fine too)
½ yellow onion, finely chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, minced (I love garlic, but you can use less if you prefer)
1 pound ground beef (I always use grass-fed when possible*)
3 cups chopped spinach
Tomato sauce: I used about 24 ounces of my homemade stuff from my garden tomatoes. But you can certainly use a jar variety for ease and convenience. Be sure to use a traditional or herbal one and you'll need about 2 jars)
3 tablespoons fresh parsley OR 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary. Some don't like the flavor of this. I do! So I include it whenever I can-
2 eggs (I use organic from pastured chickens)
OPTIONAL if you want a cheesy baked dish: 1 cup cheese of your choice and ⅓ cup parmesan for the top
If you prefer to avoid some of the dairy, you can use about ½ cup nutritional yeast in the dish.*see note

Recipe Instructions

You can prepare many of the ingredients ahead of time. These instructions assume your squash is baked already and you will be assembling everything else now.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large saucepan, heat the ghee or oil and add the onion and garlic. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes or until slightly softened. Add the ground beef, brown and stir until cooked through, about 7 more minutes.
Add the chopped spinach to the pan and cover for just a minute or two until the spinach is well wilted and can be stirred in.
Pour in the tomato sauce and add all of the spices, salt and pepper. Stir well and simmer uncovered about 10 minutes. If mixture gets thick, simply add a bit of water.
Meanwhile prepare your cheeses (if using) and beat your eggs in a small dish. When the mixture in the pan is done, pour all the contents of the pan into a large mixing bowl, add the prepared squash and stir well. Add the eggs and cheeses or nutritional yeast except the parmesan cheese. Stir well once more.
Prepare a 9x13 baking dish with oil or ghee (or a nonstick spray). Pour the entire contents of the bowl into the dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven to sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and back another 10 to 15 minutes until bubbly.
Remove from oven, let sit about 5 minutes and serve!
I served this with a side of cabbage and brussels sprouts using this recipe as a guide: Walnut Oil Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
We also enjoyed this bread alongside for those who needed something a bit hardier : Ancient Herb Bread

Recipe Notes

*To bake a spaghetti squash, preheat your oven to 350. Pierce the squash a few times to allow for steam to vent. Put it on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until you can pierce it with a fork. When you remove it from the oven, slice it in half and let it cool until it's manageable. Use a fork to pull the squash into noodle-like pieces. See the photo for an example. I always make sure to really dig the fork to the edges so we don't waste any! (this can be done in advance)

*A note on grass-fed beef: Think about this: you are what you eat eats (instead of you are what you eat!). That means that if your cow meat comes from healthy eating, pasture-raised cows, you in turn consume heathier meat (cows were made to eat GRASS, not industrialized mush and pumped up with growth hormones and antibiotics, etc).

*Nutritional Yeast is an inactive yeast that has a cheesy flavor. I used it in this dish and also use it in sauces and on our popcorn. Bragg and Bob's Red Mill both make a nutritional yeast often found in regular grocery stores. (I still topped the dish with parmesan but used the yeast to cut some dairy and calories for the innards).