The Modern Nonna

Spaghetti Squash 
0 Preheat the oven to 425°F (220C).
1 Next, wash and cut the squash in half starting from the middle (not lengthwise). Tip: when you don’t cut it lengthwise, you will get longer more beautiful “spaghetti” strands.
2 Scoop out the seeds, drizzle the inside of each one with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt all over.
3 Place it cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake until you can pierce with a knife right through. It can take anywhere from 30-45 mins depending on the oven.
4 Once roasted, take it out of the oven, flip it over, and let it cool.
The Meat Sauce
5 Now, start on the sauce. Place a pan on the stove on medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the ground meat and start breaking it apart.
6 Tip: when you use ground beef, pork, or veal, you don’t need any oil to begin with as the meat will release enough fat. If you use lean ground turkey or chicken, add a tablespoon of oil as they won’t render enough fat to prevent sticking.
7 Once the meat is broken apart, stir and move it around. You will notice that there’s a lot of water and the water has to evaporate. Once the water evaporates, the meat will start to release its own oils and brown. This usually takes 8-10 minutes from start to finish.
8 Once the meat has browned, add the finely chopped onion, garlic, and salt. Stir and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
9 Next, add in the tomato paste and cook it off for 1 min. Lastly, add in the tomato sauce, water, and parmigiano rind.
10 Let the sauce simmer on medium-low heat until desired thickness. Mine takes about 10 minutes but keep an eye on it. Take it off the heat once ready.
11 To assemble, take the cooled squash, and with a fork, separate the pasta strands by pulling them towards the middle. Take the sauce, add it inside and top with good quality grated Parmigiano Reggiano. You can add some fresh basil, and hot pepper oil too. Enjoy!