Italian Sausage on Spaghetti Squash

Cook spaghetti squash. Click here for directions.

Remove spaghetti squash from the oven.

In large skillet on the stove:

Brown 1 lb of sausage

Add:

1 whole diced onion or 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 whole diced bell pepper - no seeds
1 whole zucchini - sliced
1 can cut tomatoes - NOT drained
1 can Great Northern White Beans - drained
1 clove garlic - minced
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook on medium heat until the vegetables are tender.

Serve over the Spaghetti squash strands that you scooped out of the squash.

*This was so flavorful! A wonderful hot meal with lots of veggies.

Vegetable Garden Soup

Add to the crock pot:

1 15oz can red kidney beans, undrained
2 14oz cans cut tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, chopped
4 carrots, sliced or shredded (my kids prefer shredded)
2 small zucchini, diced
2 small yellow squash, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced - no seeds (optional)
4 TBSP parsley
8 shakes of paprika
3 shakes cayenne pepper (red pepper)
4 TBSP Au Jus Gravy powder or 2 1oz packets

Pour over the top: 3 cups boiling water
Cover and cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours or LOW for 7-8 hours, or until your veggies are tender.

*This is one of my most favorite vegetable soups on earth, and sooooo easy to do in the crock pot. All your chopping and dicing is done and cleaned up well before dinner time, you know I LOVE that! This soup just speaks "summer garden" and makes me feel so healthy...haha! Just make sure you cook it long enough to get all of your veggies tender. To make it more low-carb friendly: I have removed some of the beans and totally removed the corn and potatoes from this recipe.

The original recipe with more carbs in it can be found here:
The Family Crockpot

Spaghetti Squash

Prick the spaghetti squash with a large knife to prevent it from bursting in the oven. Place it on a cookie sheet and roast at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven. Cut it in half, scrape the seeds out with a fork or spoon taking care not to scrape out the meat of the squash.

**For microwave and crock pot directions to cook your spaghetti squash, click here

Drag a fork along the sides of the squash and pull the 'spaghetti' strings away from the edges. There are MANY options for the squash at this point:

1. Toss with butter, cinnamon and nutmeg, sprinkle with salt and pepper
2. Top with your favorite spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese
3. Toss with butter or olive oil, parmesan cheese and basil
4. Toss with olive oil, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, parsley, salt and red pepper flakes
5. Italian Sausage Recipe. Click here for the recipe.

*This vegetable is great as a side or used for a hearty meal of spaghetti. I usually make enough sauce to go around. Meat sauce on the squash for some of us and on the noodles for the rest of the family.