If you love a meal prep friendly weeknight dinner, this recipe is for you. Packed with flavour, protein and made with delicious spaghetti squash, this is an easy recipe to make ahead to save time. This brown butter spaghetti squash with ground turkey, walnuts and sage is a comforting winter dinner idea. Made with minimal ingredients (which can easily be prepped in advance), you're going to love it!

I love all the versatility when it comes to winter squash. Because, lets face it, the standard butternut squash and pumpkin can get a little boring when used over and over. Spaghetti squash is so different and I love being able to use it to substitute in spaghetti for many recipes. No, it's not pasta (let's be honest), but it's delicious and such a fun way to switch things up. Whether you're tossing it in a marinara sauce, pesto or brown butter, it's versatile and pretty easy to use.

For this recipe, the spaghetti squash gets tossed in a rich brown butter sauce which may just be my personal favourite way to dress spaghetti squash. Topped with ground turkey, toasted walnuts and crispy sage, it's a dreamy winter bowl.

Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this spaghetti squash with ground turkey.

• spaghetti squash
• extra virgin olive oil
• ground turkey
• shallot
• kosher salt & black pepper
• garlic cloves
• fresh sage leaves
• unsalted butter
• lemon juice
• walnuts (raw)
• parmigiano reggiano (optional)

How to make noodles from spaghetti squash

Cutting into a spaghetti squash can be quite the challenge, I know. So if you're finding it challenging, hopefully these tips will help.

• If you don't have sharp knife or you want to make it easier to cut, you can microwave the squash whole first. Poke holes into the squash with a fork and microwave for three to five minutes until the outside feels slightly softer.
• Start by using a small, sharp paring knife to cut the spaghetti squash around the middle, width wise (not lengthwise).
• Once you've used the paring knife to sort of trace around, use a sharp chefs knife to cut into the squash the rest of the way. Be careful and use a kitchen towel for more grip if needed. And keep your fingers away from the knife!
• Scoop out the seeds using a spoon.

I recommend cutting the spaghetti squash width wise once through the middle as opposed to lengthwise as this will lead to longer strands of noodles. This is just the way spaghetti squash is made, the strands (or noodles) run width wise not lengthwise.

How to Make Spaghetti Squash with Ground Turkey

Ok, now that the hard part is over and the squash is sliced in half, it's time to cook it!

Drizzle the cut sides with olive oil, and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Arrange the squash, cut sides down, on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake until the squash is cooked through and fork tender and the cut sides are golden, about 45 to 55 minutes. Flip the squash over to let the steam escape and allow them to cool. Gently use a fork to separate the insides and make strands.

While the squash is cooking, make the ground turkey. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Drizzle some olive oil in the pan and once hot, add the turkey and shallot. Cook, stirring to break up the meat and season with 1 tsp of salt and pepper. Once the turkey is just about cooked, add the garlic and the 2 tbsps of chopped sage and continue cooking for another minute or so until cooked through, about ten to 12 minutes total. Remove the turkey and set aside.

Make the brown butter sauce. Heat up a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt, stirring constantly with a silicone whisk or spatula until bubbling and browned. It will start to smell nutty and look browned and foamy. Don’t stop stirring, it can easily burn. This should take about five to eight minutes total. Adjust the heat as needed to medium-low to avoid burning. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Squeeze in the lemon juice once cool.

In the same skillet used to cook the turkey, fry the sage leaves. Over medium heat, pour just enough olive oil to lightly coat the pan. Add the sage leaves and fry until crispy, flipping after about one minute or so. Remove and set aside on a paper towel lined plate.

Reduce the oven to 350ºF and pour the walnuts on the same baking sheet used to cook the squash. Toast until fragrant and lightly browned, about nine to ten minutes. Roughly chop and set aside.

Combine everything! Add the spaghetti squash to a large bowl and drizzle with about half of the brown butter and toss to combine.

Divide onto plates or bowls and top with the ground turkey, walnuts, crispy sage and drizzle with the remaining butter. Garnish with parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tips

This recipe works best (and quickest) if you meal prep a few things ahead. Then you can enjoy this spaghetti squash with ground turkey for a quick weeknight meal.

Here are some tips on prepping ahead.

• Cook the ground turkey ahead and then reheat in a nonstick skillet before serving.
• Prepare the spaghetti squash in advance. You can reheat the cooked spaghetti squash noodles in a nonstick skillet before serving.
• Toast the walnuts ahead.

Basically, the only things I wouldn't prep in advance are the brown butter sauce and the crispy sage.

Substitutions

• Ground turkey: feel free to use another ground meat alternative like chicken or a vegetarian alternative. Ground beef could also be used, but the flavour will be a lot stronger.
• Shallot: use some finely chopped yellow onion instead.
• Sage: if you can't find fresh sage, you can omit or substitute with some fried rosemary on top. You'll need far less rosemary than sage, one to two small sprigs should be enough.

Ingredients & Products I Recommend:

I share these products to show you what I choose to use in my kitchen as staple ingredients I use daily (or weekly). So if you opened up my fridge (or pantry), here's what you'll find!

Kosher salt:

I exclusively use Diamond Crystal kosher salt for all of my recipes. I prefer the texture, taste and consistency of this brand and highly recommend it for everyday cooking.

More Recipes to Try

Looking for more weeknight dinner ideas? Try these

• Creamy Gochujang Pasta
• Air Fryer Chicken Schnitzel
• Moroccan Chicken Meatballs
• Chipotle Ground Chicken Tacos
• Ravioli with Creamy Spinach Pesto & Peas
• Pan Fried Gnocchi with Sage & Brown Butter
• Easy Gouda Mac & Cheese
• Honey Lime Chicken Thighs & Sweet Potatoes
• Thai Red Curry Turkey Meatballs

Are you ready to make this? Let's get to it!

As always, if you make this spaghetti squash with ground turkey please share with me, by tagging me on Instagram or leave a comment and/or review below. I truly love seeing and hearing form you!

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