Fake Out Spaghetti & Meatballs

I've been meaning to make my first batch of meatballs for sometime now. Yes, I've never made a homemade meatball from scratch.

There must be something wrong with me.

When I saw this recipe on Em's Homecookedem's blog, I knew I had to try them. I mean she did say they were her mama's homemade Italian meatballs and the recipe was genius, so I figured they were good.

Aside from that, my sister-in-law gave me a huge spaghetti squash and this gave me a chance to bake that up. I've never had spaghetti squash and I was excited to use it in place of spaghetti noodles.

Verdict - delicious. I really like spaghetti squash and will be using it in other things for sure!

Oh, and the meatballs were divine.

Fake Out Spaghetti & Meatballs

adapted from this recipe

Spaghetti Squash - cut vertically, remove seeds. Place face down on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake at 375 degrees for one hour. When cool to handle, turn over, shred the inside pulp with a fork and this will give you your "spaghetti noodles".

Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey or ground beef (I used turkey)

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

1 egg

1/2 c. whole wheat Italian style breadcrumbs

2 T. minced garlic

2 t. salt

1 t. pepper

1/2 c. milk

1 t. oregano

2 t. parsley

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, form into 1 in. sized meatballs. Either bake on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or let simmer in spaghetti sauce for 40 minutes.

Well, I did both. I'm a little leery of letting raw meat simmer in sauce...so I baked them first, then threw them in the pot of sauce and they simmered away for an hour while the spaghetti squash baked.

You need to try this dish, especially if you are doing that "no carb" thing (which I'm not!), it's a great filling meal, that leaves you satisfied.

So, guess what this weekend is for us? KOCH OLYMPICS!!!

What is that you say? Well, it is the annual gathering of my dad's side of the family. Two days of competitive, silly, weird games. Lots of drinking, lots of eating, and usually some blooper reels.

I'll be sure to bring back some pics!

Would you like to comment?

Autumn @Good Eats GirlAugust 6, 2010 at 8:23 AM
Oh, this looks so good! I've had spaghetti squash on my list of things to try soon! I've never had it and want to try! I've never made meatballs either! These look great!

Have a great time this weekend!
homecookedemAugust 6, 2010 at 8:32 AM
Phew!! I'm so glad you liked the meatballs!! :) I always worry about how people will like recipes when I post them, but I'm glad to hear they were a success!! :)

This is definitely a stretch, but I have a good friend with the last name Koch. Elissa? She's married to Joe and has 2 boys? Yeah, I'm sure there's no relation, but sometimes I have small world experiences, so it's worth a try! ;)
Ally's Sweet and Savory EatsAugust 6, 2010 at 8:54 AM
Em - yes, we loved the meatballs! None left!

Koch is my maiden name, it's pronouced "cook"...don't know of an elissa...but gosh you never know she could be some long lost relative!
ChristinaAugust 6, 2010 at 9:25 AM
your meatballs are making me drool!
UnknownAugust 6, 2010 at 10:09 AM
Spaghetti and meatballs are so comforting! Looks delicious!
Anne @ Food Loving Polar BearAugust 6, 2010 at 10:55 AM
Homemade meatballs are the best, I never buy the readymade ones anymore :)
April@The 21st Century HousewifeAugust 6, 2010 at 10:56 AM
What a great recipe - spaghetti squash is so much healthier than pasta!!
Jolene - EverydayFoodieAugust 6, 2010 at 11:42 AM
It is actually fascinating how well spaghetti squash replaces noodles - I don't even miss the noodles!
Lori- what runs loriAugust 6, 2010 at 12:06 PM
Hey, weird, I had spaghetti squash last night too! I love them. Although I had mine with a "cheese" sauce, your giant meatballs look so good. I love meatballs. Definitely underutilized in my life. ;)
Jane @ Sweet Basil KitchenAugust 6, 2010 at 12:36 PM
Nice to meet another Iowa food blogger! Any chance you are going to Healthy Living Summit next week in Chicago? I was on standby, but finally got in!
Out of the Box into the KitchenAugust 6, 2010 at 1:54 PM
i can never seem to make a good meatball...i guess i will have to try this one! and ive had spaghetti squash once and it was ok...perhaps ill give it another chance though!
tigerfishAugust 6, 2010 at 3:01 PM
There must be something wrong with me too! I never made meatballs before :p
Simply LifeAugust 7, 2010 at 5:29 AM
Looks like a great meal!
NatalieAugust 8, 2010 at 6:47 PM
ooh I love spaghetti squash but haven't yet tried it with spaghetti sauce and meatballs (and I've never made meatballs before either ;))

I'll try this next time we're craving comfort food!
Lindsay @ http://pancakesnpajamas.blogspot.com/August 9, 2010 at 8:04 AM
I only made spaghetti squash once and I didn't cook it long enough. I'm definitely going to try it again!
Heather S-GAugust 10, 2010 at 5:10 PM
Yum, these meatballs do sound delicious...and I love subbing spaghetti squash in place of pasta now again. Great meal!! thanks so much for sharing it with Two for Tuesdays this week (don't forget to add in a link to one of the hosts so everybody can share in the REAL food love ;)...thank u) =)
Hunger and ThirstAugust 10, 2010 at 11:08 PM
I'd take spaghetti squash over pasta any day. Thank you for sharing with T4T.
ArnoldAugust 11, 2010 at 11:16 AM
These meatballs look yummy. The recipe seems to be nice and easy as well, thanks.
ChristyAugust 12, 2010 at 12:18 AM
Spaghetti squash is such a great way to add veggies to the plate - I love spag. squash! Thanks for linking this to Two for Tuesdays!
a moderate lifeAugust 12, 2010 at 12:59 PM
Welcome to the two for tuesday recipe blog hop. Please place a link back to the blog hop so others can join in the fun. I do like spaghetti squash this way! Very cool.
ChristinaAugust 13, 2010 at 5:30 PM
I've never tried just using spaghetti squash in place of spaghetti like that! I've made two things on my blog that I really liked - one was a spaghetti squash boat where it was stuffed with sausage and veggies in the skin. The other was a casserole with quinoa. You should search my blog (top left corner) for them - I bet you'd like them too! :) Thanks for sharing with Friday Firsts and I'm glad you came up with a good idea to use that huuuge squash!
ChristinaJune 26, 2011 at 5:54 PM
I've never tried just using spaghetti squash in place of spaghetti like that! I've made two things on my blog that I really liked - one was a spaghetti squash boat where it was stuffed with sausage and veggies in the skin. The other was a casserole with quinoa. You should search my blog (top left corner) for them - I bet you'd like them too! :) Thanks for sharing with Friday Firsts and I'm glad you came up with a good idea to use that huuuge squash!
Anne @ Food Loving Polar BearJune 26, 2011 at 5:54 PM
Homemade meatballs are the best, I never buy the readymade ones anymore :)
ChristyJune 26, 2011 at 5:54 PM
Spaghetti squash is such a great way to add veggies to the plate - I love spag. squash! Thanks for linking this to Two for Tuesdays!
ButterpoweredbikeJune 26, 2011 at 5:54 PM
I'd take spaghetti squash over pasta any day. Thank you for sharing with T4T.
homecookedemJune 26, 2011 at 5:54 PM
Phew!! I'm so glad you liked the meatballs!! :) I always worry about how people will like recipes when I post them, but I'm glad to hear they were a success!! :)

This is definitely a stretch, but I have a good friend with the last name Koch. Elissa? She's married to Joe and has 2 boys? Yeah, I'm sure there's no relation, but sometimes I have small world experiences, so it's worth a try! ;)
April@The 21st Century HousewiJune 26, 2011 at 5:54 PM
What a great recipe - spaghetti squash is so much healthier than pasta!!