No-tomato spaghetti and meatballs

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My husband's been begging to go tomato-less for a while...so I decided to go for it. Most of the no-tomato spaghetti-type sauces have carrots for a base. Then, they generally add beets for color (for those who like beets...which I don't).

Here's my version. It was pretty tasty (and my children all LOVED it)...though it doesn't look tomato-ey like some of the other recipes you can find online.

Makes about 8 portions.


Ingredients:
  • 10-15 (depending on size) carrots, peeled and chopped/diced 
  • 6-8 (again, depending on size) squash (either yellow squash or zucchini), peel if you don't want the skins to affect the overall color, and slice
  • spaghetti squash, halved and de-seeded
  • 2 lbs. ground beef
  • 1 egg
  • salt (you can do to your own tastes, I'd estimate I used about 4 tsp. total)
  • olive oil
  • basil and any other spaghetti herbs you desire 
  • you could also have onion/garlic if you so desire...they'd be easiest to just toss in with the squash
Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. 
  2. Place the halved spaghetti squash, skin side down, in a 13x9 roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt (1 tsp.-ish). Bake for about 1 hour, until done (the threads/noodles should flake away from the skin easily when a fork is inserted)
  3. Place the chopped carrots in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil for 20-30 minutes, until soft. 
  4. Place the zucchini/yellow squash in a medium-sized saucepan. Drizzle with olive oil. Cook for 5-ish minutes. Add salt and cook until softened (maybe 5 minutes more).
  5. While the carrots and zucchini are cooking, make your meatballs. Mix the ground beef with 1-2 tsp. salt, an egg, and herbs (basil, oregano, whatever you usually like). Roll into 1-inch balls and place in a glass 13x9 baking dish. Place in the oven with the spaghetti squash and cook for about 30 minutes.
  6. When the carrots are done, drain the excess liquid into a separate container (don't dump out though, cause you might need the liquid). Puree the carrots in a food processor until they're a consistency you like, adding some of the water back if needed. 
  7. Do the same with the zucchini/yellow squash. Mix the two together. Salt and season to your liking. I kept ours pretty plain and only did about 1-2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. basil. 
  8. Shred the spaghetti squash when it's finished and place it on a plate, topped with the sauce...and then topped with meatballs. Serve and enjoy.  

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