“OMG Juli. Spaghetti isn’t allowed on the paleo diet. Pasta is the devil.” Yes reader, yes it is. Spawn of satan that dough in noodle form is. That’s why it tastes so good and you feel instantly sick after you eat it. I miss “make your own pasta” at Macaroni Grill. Holy balls could I get down with that back in the day. And I would eat like 3 loaves of their fantastic bread before my doughy noodles even hit my dinner table. And I would have dessert. Lordy.
These aren’t real noodles. These are spaghetti squash noodles. And I love them.
Guess what happened today?! I tried to act like I knew what I was doing in kickball, reached my arms out for a ball coming “right at me”, and completely missed the ball. I mean, it wasn’t really even near me. I have no sense of how to catch things. Or where a flying object is in space. Or how to catch a ball, really. But then I caught the ball later, and redeemed myself. Thanks gosh. I think my team still kinda likes me.
I think I’m going to play in the park this weekend. And when I say play, I mean read in the park. I want to read “Catching Fire” and get through the entire book. It won’t happen because I’m a very slow reader and very easily distracted by the half naked bodies galloping through the park, but I will try my best.
I also want to bake a cake. Not just any cake though. I want this cake to have bacon in it. Don’t tell me you just said ew. If so, you’re dumb. Because it will be beautiful. I just know it.
Spaghetti and Meatball Bites
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
- 1lb Tropical Traditions Grass Fed Ground Beef
- 1 (14oz) can tomato sauce
- 3 egg whites, whisked
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon fat of choice (I used bacon fat)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, use a spoon to remove the seeds and excess threads.
- Place spaghetti squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. Make sure not to overcook!!
- Add your ground beef to a large bowl and add 1/2 tablespoon of parsley, basil, and thyme and a bit of salt and pepper. Combine.
- Make your ground beef into small bite-sized meatballs.
- Now place a large skillet under medium heat, add your fat then small meatballs.
- Then add your can of tomato sauce, extra herbs, and salt and pepper.
- After meatballs have cooked for about 3-4 minutes, flip them and let them simmer in the sauce.
- While the meatballs are cooking through, remove your spaghetti squash from oven and use a fork to dethread the squash.
- Turn oven down to 350 degrees.
- Place silicone cups in your muffin tin then add your spaghetti squash threads to eat silicone cup, pressing down in the middle of the cup for the meatball to sit.
- Once the meatballs are done cooking, remove them from the sauce, and place each one in a muffin tin.
- Now pour just a little bit of beaten egg white on top of each muffin, spaghetti squash and the meatball.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until egg is completely cooked through.
- Add extra sauce to a bowl and dip your spaghetti and meatball bites in the sauce! BOOM!
Notes
You may have some leftover meatballs depending what size you make them. I just ate them while my other bites cooked. Obviously.
LOVE! getting one 😀
About how many of these cutesy nesting meatballs does this recipe make?
BOOKMARKED!!! OH YUM!! 🙂
hi! first time to your website and stumbled across this recipe. how did you find a paleo friendly tomato sauce??
emma
Most tomato sauces in a can have no other added ingredients, if they do just check out other brands
I made this again last night but I put the spaghetti squash (after cooked) on a greased 8×10 Pyrex. Then placed meatballs on top and cooked. When done cooking topped it all off with remaining sauce. Awesome! Solves issue if you don’t have proper silicone cupcake holders.
Wow!! Fantastic recipe!! Every recipe I have made from your blog has rocked!!! Thanks for sharing!!
I made these tonight…deeeelish! Thanks!
Loved these! I did not use silicone, just oiled the pan, and they popped right out. My three year olds and hubby loved too! Thank you so much!
I don’t own a muffin tin or any silicone cups (of any kind), i’m a guy. Any alternative suggestions? guess i could just mix the egg whites w/ the spag squash & cook in the bacon fat kind of like potato pancakes…
first, man up and get a muffin tin. and then yes, you could try the pancake idea.
fine but i’ll never admit i bought one.
i did manage to totally f this simple recipe up the other night too. I used some grass fed ground beef (never cooked with it before & it’s considerably different than reg ground beef, even the 93-7 or whatever the ratio is). I used the same measurements of spices/herbs but apparently nowhere enough salt & I sea salted the shit out the beef, so i thought. then i just got lazy & baked the squash, dug it out of the skin & threw it in a bowl & just poured the meatballs & sauce over it. Also, i didn’t have tomato sauce so i thought i’d improvise w/ a can of diced tom & tom puree (FAIL).
Don’t judge me, the wod that day was a total bitch & the last thing i wanted to do was go home & cook.
ah balls
Can’t wait to try this! But wait..this serves 12?! Or makes 12 little muffins? Because seriously…I might eat them all in one sitting myself.