Microwave spaghetti squash with meatballs

This microwave dish uses spaghetti squash instead of regular pasta noodles, decreasing calories and carbohydrate and adding a serving of veggies to your meal!

Ingredients:
1 pound extra-lean (97% lean) ground beef
21 low-sodium saltine crackers, crushed
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 30-ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 4-pound spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, crushed crackers, water, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, egg and black pepper. Use your hands (wearing gloves or wash them well) to mix ingredients together. Form into 16 meatballs and place in a 9-by-13-inch pan.
2. In another bowl, combine tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and minced garlic. Stir. Pour over meatballs and cover pan with plastic wrap. Microwave on 70 percent power for 12 minutes or until a cooking thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball reaches 165 F. Remove from microwave and set aside (keep covered).
3. While meatballs are cooking, cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. (Throw away or compost the seeds.) Coat the inside of each squash half with oil and sprinkle with remaining garlic powder. Cover cut portion of squash with plastic wrap and cook in the microwave on high power for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Remove plastic and use a fork to scrape out the inside of the squash to make strands (like spaghetti noodles). Place 1 1/2 cups of squash with 1 cup of sauce and 4 meatballs in each bowl. Enjoy!

Makes 4 servings

Recipe contains: wheat, egg

Carb choices per serving: 2 1/2

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