Spaghetti squash and meatballs

Spaghetti squash and meatballs

Spaghetti squash and meatballs

45 minutes

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Details
  • Serving Size:   18
  • Weight Watchers:   3 Points
Cuisine
  • antipasti
  • starter
  • snack
  • appetizer
  • antipasto
  • hor d'oeuvre
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Ingredients
  • 2 pounds of Kumato tomatoes, cut in half (you can also use Roma)
  • 1 pound chicken breast halves, about 3 breasts, cooked and shredded
  • Dried basil
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 cup 1% milk
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion – sliced
  • 3 ounces pancetta, diced small
  • 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • 1 spaghetti squash
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 cups white bread, torn into small pieces (I used Ciabatta)
Instructions

FOR THE MEATBALLSIn a bowl, add the milk and the bread.

Mix until the bread is submerged into the milk. Set aside.Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a saut pan.

Add the pancetta and cook until it starts to look a little crispy, about 5 minutes.

Add the onions and cook until softened.

Add the grated garlic and cook for 1 minute taking care not to burn the garlic.

Add the tomato pasted and stir to combine, cook for 1 minute.

Transfer the onion mixture to a bowl and set aside to cool.Setup your food processor.

Remove the bread from the milk, squeeze out excess and add the bread to the food processor. Discard the leftover milk.Into the food processor with the bread, add the cooled onion mixture, chicken breast, egg, Parmesan cheese and basil.Pulse only until the mixture comes together. Do not over mix or the meat will get gummy.Scoop 1 tablespoon of the meat into your hand and roll into a ball, place on a baking sheet. Repeat until you have as many meatballs on the sheet pan as you want to make.You can either freeze the rest of the meat, keep it in the fridge for 3 days or make the rest of the meatballs and they will keep in the fridge for 3 days.Roast the meatballs for 20-25 minutes or until browned. Do not overcook.FOR THE SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Place both halves of the spaghetti squash, flesh side up onto a baking sheet.

Brush with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.Roast on the middle shelf for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the strands come away easily with a fork.FOR THE TOMATO SAUCEOn a baking sheet, arrange the tomatoes skin side down.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper and dried basil.Roast in the shelf below the spaghetti squash for 35 to 40 minutes, or until you see the tomatoes brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.Once the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, remove all the skins, they should come off very easily, put the flesh into a bowl and discard the skins.In a medium saucepan, add the olive oil and heat over very low heat.

Add the garlic clove. It should not sizzle, cooking the garlic just enough to infuse the oil, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of dried basil into the oil and cook until you can smell it.

Add the tomato flesh to the saucepan and stir to combine. Raise heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened..Using an immersion blender, blend the tomatoes until smooth. Or blend in batches in a blender. Set aside.

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