Spaghetti Cake

I've been wanting to try this recipe ever since I came across it. Unfortunately, the amount of inactive prep time is nothing short of astronomical, so I had to wait for the stars to align properly giving me enough time at home to complete the recipe. The original recipe was called "Five Ingredient Pizza Pie" or something like that. My youngest told me, "This doesn't really taste like pizza. I don't think that's a very good name for it." I replied, "Okay, fair enough, what would you name it?" Without missing a beat he said, "Spaghetti cake." And so, Spaghetti Cake is born.

I know my son loved it because he had seconds instead of going for a bowl of his post-dinner cereal, but my BF didn't love it. He said it was really good, had good flavor and good texture, but it was not something he would crave. Personally, I thought the flavors were quite a bit better the next day, so maybe the sausage should marinate a little longer.

This is another one of those "doesn't have to be this complicated if you can eat tomatoes, pork and garlic" recipes. So, if you want to just substitute some sausage for the turkey mix and some pasta sauce for the butternut squash, feel free. It'll cut down on a bit of the prep work.

For the 'sausage':
1 lb ground turkey
1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder

Combine all ingredients, stirring well with a wooden spoon. Refrigerate about 30 minutes (or more) to let the flavors blend.

For the sauce:
1 cups cubed, cooked butternut squash
1/2 roasted red bell pepper
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. honey
2 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp paprika
Sea salt & ground black pepper

Blend all ingredients until smooth, adding a little additional water if necessary.

For the pie:
1 large spaghetti squash
Drizzle olive oil
Sea salt & ground black pepper
1 recipe turkey sausage (see above)
1 sweet onion, diced
1 recipe butternut squash sauce (see above)
5 eggs, whisked
16 turkey pepperoni slices

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim ends from squash, halve lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Put squash in baking dish, cut side up, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until squash is tender.

While squash is baking, saute the onion in a drizzle of olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. I let it go until it's caramelized, but let it cook at least until tender. Add turkey sausage and cook until no longer pink. Set aside to cool slightly.

When squash is finished, let cool just enough to handle. Shred squash into a large bowl. Add turkey sausage mixture, salt & pepper, butternut squash sauce (or pasta sauce) and stir well to combine. Fold in whisked eggs until eggs are no longer visible.

Grease a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray or coconut oil. Spread half of squash mixture evenly in pan. Arrange pepperoni slices in a single layer, then top with remaining squash mixture. Bake (still at 400 degrees) for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the center does not "give" under light pressure. Let cool about 5 minutes before slicing.

Variations: Use any pizza toppings you like: vegetables, pepperoni, ham, pineapple, whatever you like. You could even sprinkle a little low-fat cheese in the middle if you'd like.