Back-to-school season is just around the corner for our family. As a homeschool mom, just like other back-to-schoolers, this season is very busy as we get ourselves back into the learning groove. In order to make dinner prep easier, we’ve been stocking the freezer with easy-prep healthy meals and snacks.
This “spaghetti” and meatballs recipe is a great comfort food that you can feel good about eating because it is packed with healthy ingredients. With a 20 minute prep time, this recipe is one of my favorite go-to recipes for the busy back-to-school season! Some homemade frozen meatballs or homemade tomato paste make it even better!
I start with about 9 medium sized fresh or frozen tomatoes. During the summer, I throw extra tomatoes right into the freezer and save them up for the winter. Then, when I’m ready to use them, I put them in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes until the skins slip right off. I also use any ripe fresh tomatoes I have on hand. I take my skinless frozen tomatoes and my fresh tomatoes and cut them up roughly, removing cores. Then I smash them up in a bowl with a potato masher. I then add about 1 cup of tomato paste and 1 cup of water and mix it all together. Add minced garlic, onion salt, and basil to taste. Chop up one onion and mix it in. I chop the onion into big chunks to make it easy for my picky eaters to remove. LOL. At this point, I add whatever other spices or mix-ins I am in the mood for. Some of my favorites are sautéed mushrooms or capers, although mushrooms and capers are best when added at the end of the cook time so they don’t lose their flavor soaking for hours in the midst of a tomatoey milieu 😉.
Next, I wash the outside of one spaghetti squash and cut it in half, scraping out the seeds with a spoon. Place it in the slow cooker, cut sides down.
Pour the sauce around the squash and add in 2-4 T. of butter. Now take about 12 frozen meatballs and arrange them around the squash. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
About 20 minutes before you are ready to serve, remove the squash onto a plate and leave it to cool down a bit. Once the squash is out of the crock, stir that sauce around. You can leave the lid off for the last 20-30 minutes of cooking.
After the squash has cooled on a plate for about 20 minutes, you can scrape out the “spaghetti” with a fork and place it in a colander over the sink or over a plate to drain a bit. Give the sauce one last stir and pour it over a bed of squash. Bon apetÃt!