It's pizza flavored, it's gluten free, and it's downright delicious. What more could you want? This paleo spaghetti squash recipe is a meat lover's dream!
It's no secret around here that my favorite food is pizza. It's also no secret that most pizza is bread covered in cheese, and makes me feel pretty terrible the day I eat it, so I'm always setting out to find new ways to get that pizza flavor: Sweet Potato Crust Pizza, paleo pizza crusts from Etsy, and even turning my favorite pizza toppings into a snack.
One of my other favorite foods is spaghetti squash. It's so versatile and can be used in so many different ways.
I bake mine in the oven (here's how!), and I love making paleo spaghetti squash recipes: this pizza pasta and my Chicken Poppyseed Casserole are two of my all time favs!
An easy Whole30 recipe
Every time I do a Whole30, the month seems to both crawl by and blow past simultaneously. In my past Whole30 experiences, I've just been so glad to get it over with I typically run to Starbucks or Jeni's Ice Cream for a dairy and sugar filled reward for myself.
This time around, I actually decided to do a little science experiment, and reintroduce some things individually, with some strict Whole30 days in between.
I struggle with PCOS, and more specifically acne as a result of it, so I'm determined to figure out what causes what this time around, using my body as a science experiment.
Yesterday was sugar. The beast, the dragon. I put a bit of coconut sugar in my coffee (my first coffee in 30 days!) with some dairy-free Nutpods creamer (THE BEST.)
At lunchtime I added a bit of honey to my smoothie - unnecessary, but part of the experiment - and at the end of the night I went whole hog with some So Delicious Cashew Milk Chocolate Truffle ice cream. Oh boy, let me tell you - it was SO delicious. Whoever picked that name is good at marketing. The closest dairy-free option to ice cream I've ever had.
Today I'm back to Whole30 for another 3 solid days, so I can see what, if any, reactions my body has to the sugar. I'm planning on introducing dairy, gluten-free grains, and gluten (yikes!) all individually, with 3 days in between each.
I love Whole30 because it reminds me to cook, appreciate the food, and really take my time with what I'm eating. It also saves us a TON of money, because we don't eat out, and we eat every grocery that we buy.
I had a lot of stuff prepped ahead of time, and we actually didn't even make it through all of it - we still have a bunch of freezer meals left over, because I was busy making things like this paleo spaghetti squash recipe and my Citrus-Glazed Whole30 Salmon.
Cooking the squash
We use a lot of spaghetti squash in our house. I make paleo spaghetti squash recipes pretty regularly, but I also like to just keep cooked spaghetti squash on hand. There are a couple of ways to do this, but my favorite is baking it in the oven.
If you want the easiest method for cooking spaghetti squash, you can find my how-to here. I like this method because you don't have to scrape out the guts ahead of time. Just bake the whole thing, then they scrape out easy peasy once it's cooked.
Making the sauce
This pepperoni pizza pasta sauce, tho. Yeah, it's a paleo spaghetti squash recipe, and not real pasta, but I guarantee no one will notice.
The sauce is chock full of deliciousness. Getting a true spicy sausage will really up the flavor here - if you want to tone it down, get a mild italian sausage instead. (Or, if you're on Whole30, make your own chorizo or sausage for a super-clean option.)
As for the pepperoni, just make sure you're not using a crummy brand full of additives like Hormel or something similar. Applegate Farms is a great brand for clean deli meats.
This pepperoni pizza pasta makes for really good leftovers too, but I'd be surprised if you have any!
Recipe
Pepperoni Pizza Pasta
It's pizza flavored, it's gluten free, and it's downright delicious. What more could you want? This pepperoni pizza pasta is an italian meat lover's dream!
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash, about 3 lb
- ½ pound spicy ground sausage
- ½ sweet onion, diced
- 2 oz sliced pepperoni, I use Applegate Farms, chopped
- 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup sliced black olives
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- s & p to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Slice the spaghetti squash in half and place face down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Add a bit of water to the pan to keep the squash from burning.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes or until the outside of the squash is soft to the touch and the inside shreds easily with a fork.
- When done, remove squash from oven, flip both halves face up, and set aside to cool a bit.
- While the squash is cooking, In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground sausage, crumbling as it cooks.
- Add the diced onion and cook until onion is translucent and tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the pepperoni to the pan and cook 2-3 more minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes and the black olives, tossing everything to combine. Cook until heated through. Remove from heat, add italian seasoning and salt and pepper, and toss.
- Scrape the seeds and guts out of your spaghetti squash, then pull the squash out with a fork.
- To serve, plate the spaghetti squash, then top with the pizza sauce mixture. Top with fresh chopped herbs.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 378Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 932mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 7gSugar: 14gProtein: 13g
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