One Pot Spaghetti Squash Meal

Spaghetti squash with ground turkey, red peppers, and fresh sage topped with grated parmesan. A one pot meal made in a flash by preparing the spaghetti squash in advance.

One Pot Spaghetti Squash Meal

Welcome to the main dish portion of my celebration of squash! If you missed the appetizer course, you can find it here. Stay tuned for the dessert recipe coming next week!

Have you ever tried spaghetti squash? If you haven't this is the perfect recipe for you to give it a whirl.

I'm always amazed at the number of people who have never tried or say they don't like spaghetti squash. I think some people shy away from this squash because they think it is hard to prepare. Others because they have tried to use it as a pasta replacement and were disappointed. More often than not, I have found if drowned in a heavy sauce spaghetti squash loses its delicate consistency and becomes mushy. In my opinion, spaghetti squash has to shine on its own merits and this dish lets it do just that.

This one pot meal is simple, delicious and great for lunch or dinner. The blend of ground turkey with the sage is reminiscent of sausage. The tender strands of mild flavored squash are like shredded potatoes. I think this would have even been delicious for breakfast topped with an over easy egg. Something I would have tried had the leftovers not disappeared so quickly. Given my love affair with spaghetti squash and the ease with which this comes together, I will be making this again soon to try with the egg for breakfast. I will update you when I do. If you beat me to the punch be sure to let me know what you think!

Preparing the spaghetti squash in advance (directions at the bottom of the recipe) makes quick work of putting this healthy and filling meal together. If you don't have fresh sage, you can use dried ground sage. I would recommend starting with a half a teaspoon at a time until you work up to the flavor that best suits you and your family.

One Pot Spaghetti Squash Meal

1 Pound Ground Turkey 2 Red Bell Peppers – Sliced into strips 8 Fresh Sage Leaves – Roughly chopped 1 Tablespoon Onion Powder 3 to 4 Cups Spaghetti  Squash – One medium spaghetti squash* ** 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated Salt and Pepper to taste In a large stock pot, on medium heat, add olive oil and swirl to cover bottom of pot. Add ground turkey, cook for ten minutes, stirring to break up the turkey as it cooks.  Add red peppers and cook for another ten minutes or until turkey is completely cooked. Completely cooked turkey will be tan colored, not pink. Add spaghetti  squash, onion powder and sage.  Stir to mix and heat through.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with parmesan cheese. *I roast all types of squash by making several slits with a knife all around the squash and roasting in the oven at 350 degrees until the flesh is tender and can be poked with a fork. This usually takes between thirty and forty five minutes, depending on the size of the squash. Make sure to line pan with aluminum foil as some juices from the squash will seep out during baking.  Allow squash to cool, split squash open long ways, clean fibrous strings and seeds by scooping with a spoon. Using a spoon lightly scrape spaghetti squash, it will come out in little strands that look like pasta. Note: You can roast the seeds just as you would roast pumpkin seeds! ** Roast and separate squash from shell in advance. I did this the night before and refrigerated squash until I was ready to use.

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