One of our easy weeknight dinner staples is turkey meatballs over spaghetti squash. Buster is a vegetable monster and as soon as he knows I’m making spaghetti squash, he won’t leave the kitchen. He always gets the leftovers with his dinner, which makes him the happiest boy on earth. He’s very well behaved, so we had to coax him to “steal” the spaghetti squash from the plate in the picture below. Oh, the things we do for social media #dogcorruption

We don’t follow any particular diet in our house, but I know many of my readers do, so I’ve included a paleo-friendly substitution for breadcrumbs (ground flax!). I hope that turkey meatballs over spaghetti squash become a favourite in your household too!

Quick Facts

Before we get started, let’s talk about the recipe:

1. Spinach leaves, like most leafy greens, tend to be heavily sprayed with pesticides that don’t come off easily, so I recommend always buying your greens organic.
2. The protein in lean ground turkey provides all of the essential amino acids you need to get from your diet.
3. Subbing spaghetti squash for pasta will reduce the calories and carbs in your meal while increasing the protein.
4. Organic free range eggs are more nutritious than their factory farmed counterparts and have more vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids.
5. The daily consumption of garlic has been associated with preventing stomach and colorectal cancers while strengthening overall immunity

Turkey meatballs over spaghetti squash

Delicious, hearty and protein-packed turkey meatballs over spaghetti squash that leaves plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day! James and I eat the recipe exactly as is, but you can pour some tomato paste (or sriracha) over everything for an additional kick.

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs (I use organic, free range eggs)
• 2 cups of chopped spinach (you can use kale if you prefer)
• 1 medium diced onion (I use red, but you can use whatever you prefer)
• 3 cloves of minced garlic (to save time, you can use pre-minced garlic)
• ½ teaspoon of oregano
• ½ teaspoon of basil
• ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
• ¾ cup of sprouted grain breadcrumbs (or ground flax if you follow the paleo or keto diet)
• 2 pounds of lean ground turkey (or lean ground meat of choice – we always use organic and highly recommend it if your budget allows)

Directions

1. Crack the two eggs into a large bowl and whisk them with a fork. Add the spinach, onion, minced garlic, oregano, basil, ground black pepper and breadcrumbs (or ground flax) and combine.
2. Add the lean ground turkey and mix together with your hands. Form into balls and place on a baking sheet with a grease drip tray.
3. Bake at 350º until golden brown (about 40 minutes in my oven). James and I usually eat these meatballs over spaghetti squash, but you can eat them with another vegetable side, over Basmati rice, or even in a sub.
4. If you do decide to try the spaghetti squash option, simply cut a large spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds (I use an ice cream scoop), bake it for about an hour at 350º (I do this in advance and freeze it to save time, but you can put the squash in just ahead of the meatballs for a perfectly timed dinner), and then shred it (I use two large forks to make shredding easy and less messy)

What is your favourite fall comfort food?

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