Spaghetti Squash Bolognese

📝 Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash (about 1.5 kg)
• 600 g minced beef, 5% fat
• 1 brown onion (about 120 g)
• 2 carrots (about 100 g each)
• 1 celery stick (about 60 g)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400 g) + 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp dried oregano + 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp olive oil (1 for the squash, 1 for the sauce)
• 60 g grated Parmesan
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Baking sheet + parchment paper
• Chopping board
• Large knife
• Sauté pan
• Wooden spoon
• Fork

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Place the squash on a stable chopping board and cut it in half lengthways with a large knife, pressing on the back of the blade with your palm. If it's too hard, prick it first and microwave it whole for 3 min.
2. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits from the centre with a spoon. Brush the inside with 1 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the halves cut side down on the tray lined with baking paper and roast for 40 to 50 min, until the flesh can be pierced with no resistance.
3. Meanwhile, peel the onion, carrots and garlic, and finely chop them with the celery into very small 3 to 4 mm dice: the finer they are, the more they melt into the sauce.
4. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat. Fry the onion, carrots and celery for 8 min, stirring, until soft and lightly golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more min.
5. Turn the heat up to high, add the minced beef and break it up with the wooden spoon. Let it brown for 5 to 6 min without stirring too much, until there's no pink left and the bottom of the pan starts to brown.
6. Stir in the tomato purée for 1 min, then pour in the chopped tomatoes, oregano and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 25 min over a low heat, lid ajar, stirring from time to time: the sauce should become thick.
7. Take out the squash and leave it to cool for 5 min. Scrape the flesh lengthways with a fork, from the outside towards the centre: it comes away in long strands, like spaghetti. If they've released water, pat them dry with kitchen paper.
8. Remove the bay leaf from the sauce. Divide the squash strands between plates (or leave them in the squash halves for a nice presentation), top with bolognese and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Serve piping hot.