The Lodge kitchen is up and running, and the garden is open! With Spring knocking at our back door, and the season of bountiful Farmers Markets approaching, this week we are putting an Italian flair in our garden fare, with…………

Spaghetti and meatballs! Who doesn’t love a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs? We all have our favorite comfort foods that warm our souls, and give us fond memories of days gone by, and here at the Lodge, we are no exception. So, after living for the last 13 years, with a man who was raised by an Italian mama, and infused with his own sacred family traditions- I knew that I would have my work cut out for me when I took on the challenge of coming up with something vegan and hearty, that would bring together the tastes and flavors of Italy from out of the garden. But I also needed it to be healthy and point friendly, so after a fair amount of trial and error with quite a few contenders (all of which I plan to feature here on the menu eventually) I have decided to start us off with an oldie but a goodie……..good old spaghetti and meatballs, garden style!

Here is what you will need:

Spaghetti Squash Italiano: 

Yields 4 servings (see at bottom of page for Weight Watchers PPV)

Shopping list and ingredients:

Meatless ground veggie protein. 1 package. I use ‘Gimme Lean Ground Sausage style veggie protein’

Spaghetti squash-1 medium sized 

Crushed tomatoes-1 -28 oz can -I use organic and fire roasted if I can find it.

Worcestershire sauce-2 Tablespoons- I use ‘Annie’s’ (a vegan one)

Extra virgin olive oil-2 Tablespoons

Minced dried onions- 1/4 cup

Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Italian seasonings-3 Tablespoons

Garlic powder and onion powder-3 teaspoons of each

*Cinnamon and brown sugar- small pinch to cut the acidity (optional)

*Fresh basil (chiffonade cut) for garnish (optional)

Grated parmesan style topping – I use ‘Go Veggie! dairy free’- vegan (or you can use actual grated parmesan if desired)-1/4 cup

*Most of my listed ingredients are available at regular chain grocery stores, with the exception of the grated soy topping and the vegan worcestershire sauce which I sourced from a specialty food market.

Step 1: Squash Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut the spaghetti squash bluntly at both ends, then in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds.

Then pour one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into the scooped out wells of each half.

Massage olive oil into squash halves, and then sprinkle 1/2 tsp of both onion powder and garlic powder, as well as 1/2 Tablespoon of Italian seasonings on each half.

Place on metal baking sheet covered in foil and bake for 30 minutes face up, and then flip squash and bake face down for an additional 30 minutes.Once the squash is in the oven, its time to get the meatballs rolling.

Step 2: “Meatball” Preparation

Open the veggie protein and put it in a large bowl, and then add the following:

Minced dried onions-1/4 cup

Worcestershire sauce-1 Tablespoon

Italian seasonings-1 Tablespoon

Onion powder- 1 teaspoon

Garlic powder-1 teaspoon

pinch of salt, and pinch of pepper

Mix up and fold in all of the ingredients in the bowl by hand until it is all well incorporated.This is your meatball mixture. Pinch off 1 inch pieces and roll into balls.Mixture makes approximately 28 meatballs. If the mixture is tacky, put a little olive oil onto your hands to prevent sticking.

Once all of the meatballs are rolled, brown them in a cast iron skillet or shallow saucepan in a small amount of olive oil until browned on all sides. Remove from skillet and rest finished meatballs on paper towels to drain any excess oil. Leave pan/skillet as is for the preparation of the sauce.

Step 3: Sauce preparation

Into the same cast iron skillet or shallow saucepan used for meatballs, over medium-high heat, add the entire can of crushed tomatoes with the following:

Italian seasoning-1 Tablespoon

Onion powder-1 teaspoon

Garlic powder-1 teaspoon

Worcestershire sauce-1 Tablespoon

Grated soy topping (vegan parmesan) or a similar substitution-1/4 cup

sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

*I also like to add a pinch of cinnamon and a dash of brown sugar to cut the acidity

Once sauce begins to boil, turn down, cover and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

After the sauce is finished simmering, we add the meatballs back into the pan, to warm up and infuse all of the flavors together. Continue to simmer all ingredients until the squash is finished baking.

Remove the squash from the oven and let cool slightly. I use a pair of tongs to grasp the squash skin, and a fork to scrape the flesh out onto the plate. Fluff the spaghetti squash “noodles” to give texture and separate.

Step 4: Plating your masterpiece

Top squash with meatballs and sauce, and garnish with a chiffonade of basil if desired.

Buon Appetito!!!

Weight Watchers PPV for one half squash with sauce and 14 meatballs= 12 PPV

24 PPV for entire meal= 6 PPV per single serving-depending on modifications of course.

Each half of squash serves 2

Here is the total breakdown:

Veggie protein 14 oz/28 meatballs=8 pts

Olive Oil on squash 2 TBSP=6 pts

Crushed tomato sauce-28 oz (8 pts) w/ vegan grated topping 1/4 cup (2 pts)=10 pts

 Please share your flair! And leave your comments and feedback here on our page to let us know how it went with your garden feast. See you next week!