“Spaghetti” with meat sauce is the paleo plate that ends pasta cravings: roasted spaghetti squash raked into golden strands under a deeply savory meat sauce built on pancetta, porcini, tomatoes, and herbs. The sauce simmers a full hour until the liquid evaporates into rich, clingy ragù. Hearty enough to silence any table, light enough that nobody needs a nap afterward.
SERVES 6 TO 8
The vegetables and meat make this meal so hearty you won’t miss the spaghetti. Plus, this Paleo modification of spaghetti squash will leave you feeling satiated, light and energetic.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE “SPAGHETTI”:
1 large spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise
FOR THE MEAT SAUCE:
2 tbsp/30 g ghee
4 oz/115 g pancetta, finely diced
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 ribs celery, finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp sea salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup/40 g dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped
2 lbs/900 g grass-fed ground beef
6 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 tbsp/45 ml tomato paste (preferably from a jar)
2 tsp/1 g dried oregano
2 tsp/1 g dried basil
1 cup/235 ml Beef Broth
1 bay leaf
fresh basil, chopped (garnish)
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C. Place squash in a baking dish, cut sides down. Add enough water to come ½-inch/1 cm up the sides of the baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn the squash over and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow to cool. Use a spoon to discard seeds from the center. Use a fork to rake the squash to remove its flesh in strands that look like spaghetti.
To make the meat sauce, heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and add ghee. Add pancetta. After it has released some fat, add onion, celery, carrot, pepper and salt. When the vegetables are tender, add garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the vegetables and set aside.
Put the pan back on the heat and add the meat. Cook until it browns, about 15 minutes. Add the cooked vegetables, tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and basil. Stir to combine. Add beef broth and bay leaf. Turn heat down to reduce the sauce until the liquid evaporates, about 1 hour. Remove bay leaf. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Pour over spaghetti squash and garnish with fresh basil.
CHEF’S TIP
This recipe makes quite a bit of sauce. If you don’t use it all, you can freeze it for another night!
Pro Tips
- Roast the squash cut-side down in a half-inch of water — the steam keeps the strands tender while the edges caramelize.
- Rake the squash flesh only after it's cool enough to handle; hot squash shreds into mush instead of clean spaghetti-like strands.
- Rehydrated porcini mushrooms are the umami secret here — chop them fine so their deep flavor distributes through every spoonful of sauce.
- Brown the ground beef in the same pan after the vegetables, undisturbed at first, so it develops real color rather than steaming.
- The sauce needs the full hour of reduction — when the liquid has mostly evaporated, it clings to the squash strands instead of pooling at the bowl's bottom.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I keep spaghetti squash from getting watery?
Roast it cut-side down and let it cool before raking. If the strands still seem wet, give them a quick toss in the hot pan before saucing.
Can I make the meat sauce ahead?
Absolutely — it freezes beautifully and the flavor improves overnight. Freeze the extra sauce flat in bags for easy weeknight dinners.
What can I substitute for pancetta?
Chopped bacon works in the same quantity. It smokes the sauce slightly differently, but the rendered fat still builds the soffritto base beautifully.
How many does this recipe serve?
Six generous servings, with plenty of sauce. The recipe makes extra ragù on purpose — freeze what you don't use rather than skimping on the simmer.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- COOKING INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
- Place squash in a baking dish, cut sides down.
- Add enough water to come ½-inch/1 cm up the sides of the baking dish.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Turn the squash over and cook for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Allow to cool. Use a spoon to discard seeds from the center. Use a fork to rake the squash to remove its flesh in strands that look like spaghetti. To make the meat sauce, heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and add ghee.
- Add pancetta.
- After it has released some fat, add onion, celery, carrot, pepper and salt.
- When the vegetables are tender, add garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Remove the vegetables and set aside.
- Put the pan back on the heat and add the meat.
- Cook until it browns, about 15 minutes.
- Add the cooked vegetables, tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and basil.
- Stir to combine.
- Add beef broth and bay leaf.
- Turn heat down to reduce the sauce until the liquid evaporates, about 1 hour.
- Remove bay leaf.
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour over spaghetti squash and garnish with fresh basil. CHEF’S TIP This recipe makes quite a bit of sauce. If you don’t use it all, you can freeze it for another night!
