Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash
Things of note lately—
- Pretzel buns make a mediocre sandwich borderline awesome
- A huge breakfast burrito and an egg salad sandwich are wise choices if you plan on drinking for Hurricane Relief
- Breakfast Jack’s help with any potential hangover…not that I had one
- A meatball and vegetable calzone makes the time change less painful
- The my favorite local bar was serving the following election night drink specials—the Hopey Changy, and the Mitt’s Private Sector. Hilarious.
- A pie float—a pot pie floating in a sea of split pea soup—might be my new favorite food
In lieu of talking about the obnoxious time change or the election, let’s talk about spaghetti squash.
I fell in love with spaghetti squash a long time ago, but I really don’t make it all that often. The last few times I’ve made it [here and here], I went the quick microwaveable route. This time, not so much. I had plenty of time to actually roast it in the oven while I made meatballs and sauce. Roasting definitely makes it better. It definitely makes it take way longer, but that’s okay. I’ll still use the microwave if I need to speed things up, but I implore you to use your ovens at least once when roasting a spaghetti squash if you haven’t yet. It’ll change your world.
Did you know I can eat a whole spaghetti squash by myself? No shame. If you add a delicious kalamata tomato sauce and a bunch of meatballs, though, I have a little bit more of a challenge in eating said entire squash.
Have you ever had cold spaghetti squash and meatballs for breakfast? I have, and I loved all 30 seconds every minute of it. You probably need to like cold pizza for breakfast [my favorite!] before you try that one. I hear some people have issues with that.
Can someone please tell me where I can find ground veal in Portland? Every meatball recipe on the planet likes to call for it, but I can never ever find it in my area.
What kind of non-traditional breakfast foods do you like to eat?
Inspiration: Roost
Ingredients
- 1 3lb spaghetti squash
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon dried fennel seeds, chopped
- 1/2lb ground beef
- 1/2lb ground pork
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- salt
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1 egg
- 1 14oz can fire roasted tomatoes, drained
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 425° and line a baking sheet with a Silpat or aluminum foil. Or don’t, and have fun cleaning. Using a sharp knife, and extreme care, cut the spaghetti squash in half. Place the pieces cut side down on the baking sheet. When the oven is preheated, place the squash in for about 30 minutes. Remove when done and allow to cool.
Heat 1/2 of the butter in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Saute the onions for a couple minutes until soft. Add the garlic and fennel, and cook for only another minute or two more. Bring on that delicious smell! Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, mix the two ground meats, the cooled onion mixture, the egg, Parmesan, a pinch of salt, and parsley. Mix loosely so you don’t end up with dense meatballs. Roll them into nine evenly shaped balls, about the size of ping-pong balls. Heat the remaining butter in your skillet on medium high-heat. Place the meatballs in the pan, in batches if you have to, to brown them on all sides. Really let them sear or you’re going to break them apart while you try to rotate them. Remove them to a paper towel lined plate when you’re done.
In the same pan, add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and olives. Stir to incorporate. Add the meatballs. Bring to a boil before simmering, covered, for about 30 minutes or until the spaghetti squash is cooled enough to shred and handle. Remember to taste your sauce periodically for seasoning.
To serve, place spaghetti squash on a plate, top with as much sauce and meatballs as you so choose. Drown in a healthy pile of Parmesan.
You know, I don’t think I’ve tried a spaghetti squash! I’m just starting to get my feet wet when it comes to autumnal squash. I’ve got the butternuts and the acorns and a little bit of the pumpkins but still have quite a few other varieties to conquer. I’ve heard such great things about spaghetti squash though and it seems to be a wonderful (and healthier) alternative to actual pasta noodles.
I still have a ton of squash to try, too. Spaghetti is so easy to forgot when there is the great butternuts and the acorns!
I’ve never thought to put spaghetti squash in the microwave. What happens if you do that?
It cooks it in a similar fashion as roasting it. You cut it in half, put a tablespoon of water in each well where the seeds/guts were, and microwave 5-15 minutes depending on the size of your squash. It’ll basically steam the hell out of it so you can shred it just like you would after roasting.
Who has issues with cold pizza for breakfast?? That’s totally the best breakfast ever! And I’ve had spaghetti squash and greek yogurt for breakfast before. It was amazing, but definitely would have benefited from the addition of tomato sauce. Seriously, come visit me, and we’ll have cold dinner for breakfast every day. And then an entire spaghetti squash each for lunch.
Andrew has issues with cold pizza for breakfast. I actually think I prefer cold pizza to fresh pizza. There is something way more intense about the flavors. I dig it a lot. I am so jealous of your greek yogurt binge you’ve been on. What brand are you using? That is the one dairy product I have to use in moderation, otherwise breakout city. I did buy cottage cheese this week, though! I *finally* channeled you and bought some. Now I just need the protein powder.
Trust me. I’ll visit someday. It’s going to happen!
I do love fresh pizza, but I think a large portion of me enjoying it is I know I get more of it–and cold–the next day. I’m using a bunch of brands, since I stole a random collection from my parents’ house a week ago. Trader Joe’s is my favorite/the tangiest, had a cup of Oikos that was decent, Fage is my second favorite after TJ’s, Kroger store brand sucks–it’s watery and flavorless. I’ve had Whole Food’s 365 brand too, and it’s good, about the equivalent of Fage.
And you better! If I ever find reasonable PDX tix (in the summer), I’m totally showing up at your front door!
I’m so glad you can be my yogurt guinea pig. I think I’ve only tried Fage at this point. So delicious. I’m surprised at how hard it is to find whole milk yogurt. It’s generally “lite” or nonfat, which kills me.
I would TOTALLY eat a plate of cold spaghetti squash and meatballs for breakfast! For some reason it actually sounds more appealing than having it hot for dinner. Actually, cold leftover anything is my favorite breakfast, so that’s why. Cold pizza! Cold pasta! Cold wedge of calzone you can pick up and eat like a sandwich! I will warm up things like curries over rice–or better yet, scramble them into an egg mess, or fry them into cakes–but that’s about it for hot leftovers. Savory breakfast for the win!
I’m a firm believer that cold pizza is better than fresh-outta-the-oven pizza. It’s like a soup. It totally gets better!
Oh man, curry scramble sounds awesome. Curry leftovers are hard to come by in my house, but I’m definitely going to give it a try.
Local butcher can’t find you veal?! 🙁
Sheridan Fruit Co. on SE MLK and I think SE Washington has the best meat counter in town. A ton of the better restaurants/chefs in town have wholesale accounts there and it’s a really good place to buy anything you’re looking for. I just called over there because I was curious about ground veal myself for the same reason you were (meatballs dammit) and confirmed that they have it for 9.99 a pound. They have it fresh and frozen and if you call ahead they can usually grind it fresh for you too and have it ready. Seriously awesome place if you haven’t been, really good bulk section too.
Thanks, Leo! I haven’t been inside, only driven by a bunch of times. I will definitely check it out.