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Paleo Spaghetti with "Nomato" Sauce and Meatballs

Low carb, grain free, and kid-approved! Instead of traditional tomato sauce, this recipe uses beets and carrots to mimic a traditional red sauce. Pasta noodles are replaced with low-calorie spaghetti squash. The end result is a delicious and nutritious spin on traditional spaghetti and meatballs.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword AIP, grain free, healthy dinner, ketogenic, kid-friendly, low carb, nomato sauce, paleo, Whole 30
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4
Author Raina Cordell

Ingredients

  • 1 large spaghetti squash
  • 1 medium onion
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 5 medium beets
  • 5 large carrots
  • 1 pound ground beef grass-fed and organic if possible
  • sea salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

  2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds.

  3. Place the cut squash face down on a large baking tray and fill with 1 inch of water.

  4. Bake squash for 45 minutes or until the top is soft to the touch.

    spaghetti squash and meatballs in oven
  5. Roll ground beef into balls approx. 2 inches in diameter and place them on a well oiled baking tray (or alternatively use a mini muffin pan).

  6. Bake the meatballs for 35-40 minutes on the lower rack under your squash.

  7. While squash and meatballs are baking, peel and chop the onion, garlic, beets and carrots.

  8. Set your "Instant Pot" to the sauté function and lightly brown the garlic and onions.

  9. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot along with 2 cups of water or bone broth.

    carrots and beets in instant pot to make nomato sauce
  10. Secure the lid on the "Instant Pot" and set the timer to 20 minutes using the "manual" pressure cook function.

    Instant Pot on manual function
  11. (If you do not have an "Instant Pot," you can make the sauce by sautéing the garlic and onions in a pan and cooking the vegetables in a sauce pot).

  12. Once the squash is finished baking, use a fork to gentle pull the noodles from the flesh.

  13. When the sauce has finished cooking, you can either use a hand immersion blender to puree the sauce right in the pot or else transfer the cooked vegetables to a blender or food processor to puree the sauce to your desired consistency (I like to leave it slightly chunky).

  14. Serve the "nomato" sauce over your spaghetti squash noodles and top with meatballs.