Stop hitting the drive thru on busy nights and plop this easy, delicious recipe in the crockpot before you leave the house! You are busy. Finding time to plan, prepare, and cook meals before you and your kids are already starving is challenging. This recipe is quick, simple and something the whole family will enjoy. Who knows, it might even become one of your staple weeknight meals!
The invention of the crockpot is, in my mind, one of the best things to ever happen to working moms. It is easy to hit the drive thru on your way home from work or order yet another pizza delivery when you’re tired. However, the crockpot is also SUPER easy! Most of the dishes I cook in it are literally dump and go recipes.
Dinner is ready for you when you get home! Plus, you get the satisfaction of knowing that you are eating clean and healthy. You and your family will be filled with sustainable foods to keep you energized instead of filling up on processed junk with added sugars. (Find out why you should stop eating sugar.) Win-Win!
Now, I don’t mean to say that working people are the only ones who can use the crockpot. You definitely don’t need to be a parent or plan a meal for the masses with it. It is amazing for EVERYONE and easily accommodates for those cooking for 1 as well. Best part about it… you only have to wash 1 dish when you’re done! Bonus: mine goes straight into the dishwasher. 😉
Make It Your Own Way
This easy weeknight meal is easily adaptable to the changing produce season. Right now, it is HOT out! This may be the hottest summer I can remember and the last thing I want to do when it is 95 degrees out, is turn on my oven. Just another reason to love the crockpot!
You can add in or take out ingredients easily without worrying you’ll mess up dinner. If you LOVE broccoli, go ahead and throw it in! If you hate onions, forget about them! If zucchini is in season at the farmer’s market, let’s use that to our advantage.
The other great thing about this recipe is that it accommodates to restrictive diets AND doesn’t leave you feeling like you missed out on something. Spaghetti squash is a great alternative to pasta containing wheat and gluten. The flavors are so good that your taste buds won’t miss out if you don’t add any cheese to it. Personally, I don’t eat dairy, but I do add it for my small children because… let’s be honest, getting a toddler to eat anything some days is an accomplishment.
We love hearing your feedback, so go ahead and give this recipe a try and be sure to leave a comment below and let us know how it turned out!
Healthy, Easy Crockpot Spaghetti Squash Bolognese
Equipment
- Crock pot
Ingredients
- 1 medium Spaghetti Squash
- 1 jar organic marinara
- 1 lb organic ground turkey or beef
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 bunch fresh spinach
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 medium white onion- finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese optional
- 1-2 sprigs fresh basil optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown ground turkey (or beef) until fully cooked. Drain any excess fat. Finely chop white onion and zucchini. (Note: you can use any fresh vegetable that you have on hand here like broccoli, bell peppers, yellow squash, etc.) Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scooping out any seeds.
- Add marinara sauce into bottom of crockpot. Followed by meat, garlic, chopped onions and zucchini. Place the squash cut side down on top of the ingredients in the crockpot.
- Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or high for 3 hours.
- Add in fresh spinach. Cover and cook an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve the squash as a half and cover with meat sauce OR scrape out the squash and mix it with meat sauce prior to serving.
- Garnish with fresh basil and/or a sprinkle of parmesan cheese if your diet allows.
