The Easiest Meal That Will Win You Brownie Points (Sausage Stuffed Spaghetti Squash)

The idea of spaghetti squash didn't seem too inviting in my household. The idea of squash in general wasn't appealing to J two years ago and the thought of the intense process it would require to make squash (obviously not knowing) seemed daunting to me. We were determined, though. For the health benefits of squash, and the ridiculously cheap cost of it during the fall and winter months.

After cooking my first spaghetti squash last fall, we now have this fall-back, wow-worthy meal in our go-to-list. It's different every time we make it, which is what makes it so fantastic. If you have spaghetti squash in your house, you can create something amazing (I.e. people will say "ooo") - easily.

I promise. 

Firstly, you have to decide how much time you have to work with. To get the "stuffed squash", I recommend using an oven. If you're in a rush, you can cook a spaghetti squash in the microwave but then you've got the extra work of digging out the squash once it's cooked.

Secondly, your options for the "stuff" are endless. I'll tell you what I did for this particular meal, but I did this only because I had it on hand. Enjoy!

Sausage Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
From Allie's Changing Kitchen

2 sausages (local, italian)
1 green pepper
1/2 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 can of diced tomatos
1 spaghetti squash
1 tbsp of a mix of Italian spices
Sauce: A splash or two or Fish Sauce and Frank's Red Hot
Optional: nutritional yeast or Daiya

Ready for this?

1. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove seeds. Place face-down on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 30 - 40 minutes (depending on the size). You can tell when it's done if the outside is getting soft.
2. Start cooking your sausage and onion. Once they are almost cooked, add in all of your other ingredients and let simmer.
3. Take your squash out of the oven and flip the halves over.
4. Spoon your sausage and veg mixture into each half.
5. I topped both with nutritional yeast and placed it back in the oven for 5 minutes to heat it all together.

That's it. Now you can eat your squash and mixture with a fork - I promise it will work.
This is paleo, dairy-free, soy-free, sugar-free and gluten-free.

Alterations:
-We essentially do this with whatever we have in the fridge, and whatever we would put with regular pasta. Ground meat, no meat, sundried tomatos, mushrooms, marinara sauce, etc. The options are endless.
- It could easily be made vegan by simply omitting the meat and fish sauce and adding more veg. We've done it that way, as well