Like most people, I spent the entire weekend at home. I didn’t leave my apartment from the time I got home from work on Friday night, until I left on Monday morning. It was odd, but it’s what we have to do right now to stop the spread of COVID-19. So, how are you spending your time at home? This weekend, in between binge-watching Hulu and Zoom “meetings” with friends, I cooked… a lot. I had a sweet tooth and I’ve been sitting on some Keto dessert recipes that I thought I’d try out. Most of them did not go well. The Keto Cinnamon Rolls tasted like melted, baked cheese with a hint of cinnamon. I do not recommend them. The Keto Brownie Bombs were decent. I mean, at least they resembled chocolate. And the 3-Minute Cinnamon Mug Cake & Cinnamon Chaffle were both throw away disappointments.
Needless to say, I think I learned my lesson that I do better making Keto meals, not desserts. I’ll leave that up to Good Food – the low carb cafe in Madison.
One recipe I made and loved was Spaghetti Squash-Those-Carbs Lasagna! Oh my gosh… it was cheesy, flavorful, and pretty easy. I’ve made Zucchini Lasagna in the past, and that’s good… but this was good. Here’s the recipe, as adapted from the Free Spirited Girl blog…
You’ll need:
1/2 pound ground beef 1/2 pound Italian sausage 1 large spaghetti squash Olive Oil 1 large onion 1 large pepper (you pick the color) 1 can diced tomatoes 1 jar of Marinara sauce (low sugar if you’re doing Keto) 1 15oz. container of Ricotta cheese 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese 1 package of spinach – I used about 2 cups of fresh, chopped up – you can use a package of frozen, thawed & drained Basil Red pepper flakes Salt and pepper Italian seasoning Garlic powder (or fresh garlic gloves)
Start by getting the spaghetti squash in the oven. Pre-heat to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half, lengthwise. Rub with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Put squash on parchment paper, cut-side (filling side) down, and place on baking sheet. It should take 45-50 minutes for a large squash to cook in the oven.
While the squash is doing it’s thing… thaw spinach or chop fresh spinach. Heat olive oil in pan on stove and when hot, add onion, pepper, garlic, and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and italian seasoning. Saute until onions are translucent and peppers are soft, then add ground beef and Italian sausage. When meat is completely browned, add marinara sauce and simmer on low for 20-25 minutes until it thickens. (You don’t want your meat/sauce mixture to be liquidy, or it will make your lasagna liquidy.)
While meat is simmering, combine spinach, ricotta cheese, and basil in a bowl.
Once the squash is done, let it cool and then “shred” with a fork. I take a fork and run it lengthwise down the squash to get the most out of it.
Then, layer your lasagna! Start with half of your meat sauce. Top with half of the squash, then half the ricotta cheese/spinach mixture. Repeat layers and top with Mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is fully melted at 350 degrees. You won’t want to wait for it to cool… but you should! And then, dig in and enjoy!
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Jim Bartlett
April 25, 2024
April 22, 2024