By Corie Cameron
Guest blogger Corie Cameron cooks beautiful food at home. She’s letting us in her kitchen for great posts using Isernio’s products. Check out more from her on her site, Good Life Everyday.
Spaghetti Squash might be my favorite squash. You don’t have the tedious task of peeling it, it bakes in it’s own serving dish, it’s healthy, and it actually makes a pretty darn good replacement for pasta!
I’ve recently been working with Isernio’s to make home-cooked recipes using the locally made, delicious sausages, which are perfect for me because they have no sugar added! That’s a win-win-win in my book!
I’m getting through the Whole30 diet this month and I’ve been dreaming up the best ways to use each specific sausage variety. The first one I wanted to use was the Chicken Basil and Sundried Tomato Sausage. I was thinking big, bright, Italian flavors in a super easy, healthy recipe that I could whip up on a weeknight for the whole family.
For this stuffed spaghetti squash recipe, I decided to pinch off pieces of the sausage to create a sort of meatball, which ensures that they stay juicy and flavorful — and they’re super cute! Follow along with me and feel free to share your own variations and creations!
xo Corie
Ingredients:
- 1 Spaghetti Squash
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more to coat squash
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1 oz sundried tomatoes, sliced
- 2 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
- 1 pound Isernio’s Chicken Basil & Sun Dried Tomato Sausage, casings removed (or your favorite Isernio’s chicken sausage variety, like Italian Chicken or Chicken Spinach & Feta)
- 5 oz kale, roughly chopped (1 bunch)
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375°. Line a sheet pan with foil and set it aside. Cut your squash lengthwise and scoop out all the seeds. (I cut the ends of my squash off just so I could stand it up straight on my cutting board. I find it easiest to cut “down” the squash as it’s standing. I’ve had a few incidences of getting a knife stuck in the middle of a big squash when I’m home alone — very frustrating! This “push down” method seems much easier to me.)
Place the squash flesh-side up on the pan and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place it in the middle rack of the oven and set the timer for 50 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Toss the garlic and onion in and cook until softened and aromatic.
Turn the heat to medium. Add mushrooms and sundried tomatoes. Continue to cook until the mushrooms have let out their juice and the pan is dry again.
Pinch off nickel-sized pieces of sausage, tossing into pan as you go. (If you need, stir the mixture so the sausage doesn’t end up in a big pile and stick together.)
Continue to stir until the sausage is fully cooked, about seven minutes.
Add kale to the pan. You may have to add it in two batches, depending on the size of your pan. As it cooks down, you will be able to put more in the pan.
Give everything a good stir and taste for seasoning. You shouldn’t need much salt with the capers, sausage, and tomatoes, but I did add a tiny bit.
Check your squash for doneness. Once done, remove from oven. Using a fork, scrape the bottom of each squash until “spaghetti strands” loosen. Do this with both squash, making sure not to scrape through the outer shell. You want to leave enough flesh to ensure it holds up as a serving vessel.
Remove strands of squash from vessel and add them to the pan.
Mix thoroughly and check for seasoning again. You may need more salt and pepper at this point.
Fill each squash vessel with the medley of squash, sausage, and kale. Add red pepper flakes as desired!
My kids ate theirs in a bowl with no squash shell, and a sprinkle of parmesan. I served mine with a shake or five of the red pepper flakes. I recommend keeping those nearby for immediate spice factor while eating. Delicious!
See the full step-by-step picture-by-picture directions on Corie’s site, Good Life Everyday!
Thanks, Corie!
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