90 degrees and fall is around the corner – Squash enters the lineup

Today’s post brought to you by comfort food eaters anonymous and the Practical Paleo cookbook. Spaghetti squash bolognese has never been at the top of my list, but I wanted to try something different that was gluten free/Paleo. I shocked even myself – this recipe is amazing! As usual, I tweaked it a little bit from the cookbook. It made me feel like fall, and was delicious enough for me to put it into my regular cooking rotation.

Here we go:

Preheat oven to 365 degrees. Cut a squash in half (this recipe called for spaghetti squash, but I used butternut instead) and place it cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool a little bit before cutting.

2 tbsp. butter
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
Sea salt and pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 lb. ground beef (of course mine was grass fed and organic from my cousins farm in Westby, WI)
8 slices bacon (I used Neuske’s)
1 c. Coconut milk
1/2 c. Dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
6 oz. tomato paste

Melt your butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chopped carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper; sauté for a couple of minutes until onion becomes transparent. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add beef and bacon; sauté until meat is cooked and no longer pink. Add milk, wine and tomato paste; stir until combined, reduce heat and sauté for about 5 more minutes.

At this point I cubed my squash (you could use a fork to make spaghetti squash) and spooned the meat mixture over the top.

I was so happily surprised when I tasted this. Simple ingredients made an awesome flavor, perfect for the kick off of fall. If only I wasn’t sweating while I ate it.