Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

This is my favorite time of year to cook. The weather has cooled down and evenings are spent indoors. Winter squash are in season and baking something in the oven is appealing. I bought a nice spaghetti squash from Yurtstead Farm’s booth at the Montrose Farmer’s Market a few weeks ago and made this delicious and comforting recipe.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground meat ( I used ground turkey). Crumbled firm tofu or beans could be substituted to make this vegetarian.
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
8 mushrooms, diced
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 28 oz. can diced or pureed tomatoes
1 medium sized spaghetti squash or 2 small squashes
grated parmesan, for garnish

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Poke a fork into the squash in several places.
3. Place the whole squash on a baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes, flipping the squash over half way through. Take out of the oven and allow to cool. Cut the squash in half and carefully remove the seeds with a spoon and discard. Then scrape out the squash “noodles” from the skin, taking care not to rip the skin. Set the “noodles” aside in a bowl.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Add the ground meat to the oil and break into crumbles.
6. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and mushrooms and cook until the meat is well-browned and the onion is tender.
7. Add the seasonings and tomatoes and stir to combine.
8. Once the mixture begins to simmer, reduce heat to medium and cover for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Add the spaghetti squash noodles to the pan and toss with the sauce until everything is evenly coated.
10. Carefully return the mixture to the squash skins and top with parmesan if desired.
I like to put these back in the oven on a baking pan under the broiler for a minute to brown the parmesan.
Serve and enjoy!