• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Paleo in PDX

Living, moving & eating well in Portland, Oregon

  • Home
  • About
  • What is SCD and Paleo?
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Side dish
    • Snacks
    • Treats
  • Contact

Spaghetti Squash Sloppy Joe Casserole

Spaghetti Squash Sloppy Joe CasseroleNow that it’s October, we’re getting further into some of my favorite seasons: winter squash season and casserole season. In other words, comfort food season and this spaghetti squash sloppy Joe casserole (or sloppy Jane if you make it with ground turkey) fits the bill.

This recipe features spaghetti squash, sweet and savory meat sauce, and a crushed potato chip topping. I know, right? The potato chip topping is extra, but a must in my opinion. Growing up, my mom always served potato chips when she made homemade sloppy Joes, so it’s totally nostalgic (and just plain awesome). It was such a treat because we never really had potato chips in the house and I loved classic potato chips. We usually only had baked chips or tortilla chips, which I always felt were subpar and unsatisfying…because they were! Anyway, I liked to carefully nestle the salty chips between the bun and sloppy Joe mixture, so I’d get a bit of crunch in each messy bite. To me, it was the only way to eat sloppy Joes.

Spaghetti Squash Sloppy Joe Casserole

Overall, this delicious one-pan meal is:

  • wholesome
  • stick-to-your-ribs good
  • satisfying and hearty, but not a gut-bomb
  • comforting
  • meaty
  • savory
  • perfect for a chilly fall or winter day

Lastly, catch me making this recipe on Friday, October 5th on Portland’s KATU Afternoon Live. The show airs from 2-3pm PST (note the new time). It’s also my 2-year anniversary as a guest on the show! Watch the replay of my segment HERE.

Cheers and enjoy!

5 from 1 vote
Spaghetti Squash Sloppy Joe Casserole
Print
Spaghetti Squash Sloppy Joe Casserole
Prep Time
35 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 35 mins
Cooling time
10 mins
Total Time
2 hrs
 

Spaghetti squash, homemade sloppy Joe meat sauce and crushed potato chips come together to create this healthy, satisfying and savory casserole. No gluten, grains or dairy either. 

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Grain-free
Keyword: casserole, one-dish meal, sloppy Janes, sloppy Joes, spaghetti squash
Servings: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 medium-large spaghetti squash, cut in half with seeds scooped out
  • 2 tsp avocado oil or grass-fed butter/ghee
  • 2 lb lean ground turkey or grass-fed ground beef
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups strained tomatoes or tomato puree
  • 2 Tbsp coconut aminos
  • 1 Tbsp raw honey
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • Heaping 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • Avocado oil potato chips for topping, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place squash face down in a shallow pan and fill with roughly 1/2 inch of water. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes or until flesh is tender, but not overdone. Set aside to cool.

  2. Add avocado oil, butter or ghee to a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté a couple minutes, until softened slightly. Then, add the ground turkey or beef. Continue to cook for 7-10 minutes, until meat is browned. Break up the large pieces with a spatula as needed.

  3. Once meat is browned, add the strained tomatoes or puree, coconut aminos, raw honey, Dijon mustard, chili powder, paprika, sea salt and black pepper. Mix well. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

  4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then, remove the meat mixture from the heat and scrape out spaghetti squash with a fork into the pan. Stir well to coat and then pour into a 9x13 baking pan.

  5. Lastly, top mixture with desired amount of crushed avocado oil potato chips, if using. Place in preheated oven and bake for 60 minutes. Once done, let cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes Tagged With: casserole, dairy-free, dinner, fall recipe, gluten-free, grain-free, Paleo, paleo casserole, paleo comfort food, paleo sloppy joes, recipe, Sloppy Janes, sloppy joe casserole, Sloppy Joes, Spaghetti squash

Previous Post: « Ginger Cilantro Turkey Meatloaf
Next Post: Grain-Free Honey Nut Granola »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Laura

    October 7, 2018 at 1:45 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for sharing! I made this last night and everyone enjoyed, even my pickiest child loved it. Wondering if this would freeze well…

    Reply
    • Alisa

      October 8, 2018 at 7:38 am

      That’s so wonderful, Laura! Thank you for trying the recipe and sharing your success! I haven’t tried freezing this dish, but I do think it would freeze well. I would just skip putting the potato chips on before freezing and put them on when reheating the dish in the oven. You could probably also assemble the dish and just immediately freeze it (don’t bake ahead of time). Then, thaw it and bake it with the chips as normal. Hope that makes sense! Anyway, if you try freezing it, let me know how it works out.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hi, my name is Alisa! I am a paleo recipe creator, personal trainer, and all around health and wellness enthusiast living in Portland, Oregon. I am passionate about living, moving and eating well, and love inspiring others to do so too. Read More…

Let’s Connect!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe for email updates



Recent Posts

  • Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
  • 1-Bowl Grain-Free Sunbutter Cookies
  • Healthy Spinach and Herb Yogurt Dip
  • Healthy Bean-Free White Chicken Chili
  • Valentine’s Day Coconut Macaroons

Archives

Categories

Footer

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Paleoinpdx.com

 

Loading Comments...