It looks just like regular spaghetti and meatballs, doesn’t it!  But here I’ve stripped out alot of the calories and pepped it up with flavor.  After eating it for several years, I still find it fascinating how spaghetti squash will turn into the texture and shape of the pasta - if you have kids, you should definitely let them “fork” out the spaghetti.

The turkey meatballs are jazzed up with spicy arugula and lemon zest.  Here, I’ve used my roasted tomato sauce (the recipe is in a previous posting) but you could easily substitute a good store bought jar of sauce to save some time.

Turkey and Arugula Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash

1 1/3 lbs ground turkey (for some reason, this is the weight of our pre-packaged turkey)
1/2 cup panko crumbs (or you could substitute regular bread crumbs)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
zest of one lemon
1 package of pre-washed arugula, about 3 cups
salt and pepper

2 cups roasted tomato sauce (or store bought)

1 medium size spaghetti squash

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the squash on a baking sheet and bake for about an hour.  Cool so you can handle it.  Cut it half and scoop out the seeks.  Then take a fork and scrape the insides into spaghetti shapes into a bowl.

Cook the arugula in either a steamer or in the microwave until wilted.  Squeeze out any excess moisture.  Dice and place in another large bowl.  Add the turkey, panko, cottage cheese, egg, zest and salt and pepper per your taste.  Thoroughly mix the ingredients with your hands.  Roll into 1 1/2 inch meatballs and place onto a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake in the 350 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, until cooked through.

Heat the sauce in a sauce pan and add the meatballs to heat through.  Microwave the spaghetti squash to reheat and plate the squash with the sauce and meatballs.