Spaghetti Squash and Meatball Sauce

by:http://paleosavvy.com/spaghetti-squash-and-meatball-sauce/?doing_wp_cron=1358182780.1281061172485351562500

By Amber

Serves: 8

Ingredients

2 large spaghetti squash
4 oz pancetta, cubed
2 medium onions, chopped finely
2 lb of meatloaf mix (ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal—85%, 10%, 5% respectively)
salt, pepper to taste
1⁄3 cup tomato paste
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand
1⁄3 cup basil pesto

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F.
Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and place in baking dish face-up. Add water to dish until 1 inch of squash is covered. Bake for 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the sauce, heat the pancetta in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.
After 2 minutes, add the onions, cook until onions become translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the meatloaf mix to pan, brown about 10 minutes. Drain the excess fat. Return the meat to the pan.
Season the meat with salt, pepper, tomato paste, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook together 1–2 minutes.
Stir in garlic, cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add all canned tomatoes and pesto. Simmer for 30 minutes to deepen flavors.
Remove squash from oven, allow to cool. Pull fork vertically through the squash to shred the squash into spaghetti-like pieces.
Add spaghetti squash to the sauce and toss to coat squash evenly.