Spaghetti Squash and Turkey/Chicken Meatballs

To prepare the spaghetti, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half and remove all the seeds. Drizzle cut sides of squashes with oil; season with salt and pepper. Place cut sides down on a baking sheet (you can cook with the cut sides up, but I’ve always had better results with the cut sides face down). Bake until soft to the touch, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

When the squashes are cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh of each squash with a fork into strands, and place into a large bowl. Serve topped with meatballs and sauce, and sprinkled with cheese, if desired.

To prepare the sauce, heat the oil (drizzle to lightly coat pan) in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 1 minute or until starts to release fragrance. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for an additional minute. Stir in the tomatoes and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.

Prepare the meatballs. In a medium bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, and garlic with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the milk, and stir until incorporated. Add the chicken/turkey, egg, salt, and pepper, and mix with your hands until well combined. Form mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the meatballs until evenly browned, turning often, about 6 minutes. Repeat with remaining meatballs. Transfer meatballs to the sauce, and simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes.