As we swing back into post holiday routines this month, I am finally finding my footing back in the kitchen post partum. Shout out to my mom who feed us for days once we got back home and were completely gobsmacked by trying to keep a tiny human alive and well-fed. Then shout out to my mother in law for continuing that train the first week of the new year!

I love having people cook for me…. but in all honestly, I also missed the kitchen. It is my happy place! So as I dip my toes back into dinners, I am sharing some of my easy, healthy recipes that I’m pulling out to a) keep my body fueled for breastfeeding, b) give me something to do BEYOND being just a breastfeeding machine, and c) nourish the two most important men in my life!

This recipe originally came out of a large Gruyere cheese wheel we were gifted, but has stuck around because it’s a healthier version of the only kind of pasta I will eat… one filled with sausage and not too sauce heavy!

Unpopular opinion but I am not a fan of pasta. I don’t crave it, I don’t love it, I think it’s a waste of carbs I could be having with salty, crunchy tortilla chips. HOWEVER, spaghetti squash I can get behind.

When cooked properly, it comes out just like spaghetti pasta and with enough flavorful ingredients mixed in, it truly does taste decadent… and healthy. It’s a great way to continue easing out of the holiday gorging. And this warm, cozy, mouthwatering dish utilizes a favorite flavor combination of mine – spicy sausage, kale and mushrooms.

If you’ve never made spaghetti squash pasta, this is the way to try it. And if you have tried it, this is the recipe you’ve been waiting for. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1 large Spaghetti Squash

1 lb. Spicy Ground Pork Sausage

2-3 cups Tuscan Kale

2 cups Sliced Crimini Mushrooms

¼ cup Shaved Gruyere

¼ cup Bone Broth (any flavor works, suggest bone broth for extra protein)

Red Pepper Flakes

Sea Salt Flakes

Serving Size: 2

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven 400°F.
• Using a large, sharp knife cut spaghetti squash lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the inside. Discard the seeds and stringy bits.
• Place upside down (skin out) on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes based on how large the squash is.
• When cooked through, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes so they can be handled with your hands.
• While the squash cools down a bit, heat a large skillet.
• Brown ground sausage in the heated skillet, using a spatula to break it into small pieces.
• When the sausage is fully cooked, add in sliced mushrooms and chopped kale.
• Add vegetable broth to the skillet in order to steam with the sausage, mushrooms, and kale.
• Once the kale and mushrooms are cooked down from the broth, remove from heat and stir in shaved gruyere, red pepper flakes, and sea salt flakes.
• Flip spaghetti squash over and use a fork to shred the insides, it’ll look just like spaghetti noodles.
• Gently stir spaghetti squash with sausage and kale mixture.
• Scoop back into the squash skin bowl to serve.
• Enjoy!