I’ve been in the mood for pasta these days, authentic deal pasta. So I decided to make this lamb sausage spaghetti that I love. I think it’s my body wanting to put on some insulation for the winter. I’m not one to go all pumpkin crazy in the fall, but this one was obvious. Making zucchini noodles in the fall would be a heinous crime against the food blogosphere.
So I come to you baring this homely meal. But you know what they say — ugly foods are beautiful on the inside. And if you pretend hard enough, the spaghetti squash will taste like authentic pasta.
Though, if you have a strong pasta background like me, it helps not to give the spaghetti squash centre stage. This usually only means one thing: met.
I went with a sweet Italian lamb sausage spaghetti recipe but used ground lamb. I felt it inappropriate to drown the liquorice sausage with tomato sauce, so I kept it simple with the spice-infused ghee and lemon sauce.
Full-Bodied Lamb Sausage Spaghetti Recipe
Ingredients
4 pounds spaghetti squash
1 teaspoon ghee
1 clove garlic - grated with a Microplane
1 teaspoon Kosher salt 
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground lamb (minced lamb)
1 small white onion - chopped- 2 cloves garlic - minced
1½ teaspoon fennel seeds - crushed- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Italian herbs (oregano, rosemary, thyme, and sometimes basil and parsley)- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes - crushed- 1 tablespoon ghee
2 handfuls baby spinach
1 medium lemon juice - juice
¼ cup almonds - slivered- 1 tablespoon ghee
1 tablespoon parsley - minced- 1 clove garlic - minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes - crushed
Instructions
- Cut the spaghetti squash in half with a sharp knife and scoop out the seeds.
- Divide the teaspoon of ghee and garlic clove between the two halves and rub all over the fresh.
- Season the cut spaghetti squash with salt and pepper and place them on a baking tray to bake them in a preheated 400 degrees Fahrenheit oven for one hour.
- Using a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the ground lamb with the minced onions and garlic.
- Add the seasonings for sausage: fennel, black pepper, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and crushed pepper.
- Mix it with a fork so as not to over-mix or mess with the fat content of the meat with your hands.
- In a large skillet, heat the ghee on medium-high heat (use two tablespoons of ghee if your lamb is lean). Add the lamb meat to the skillet and slightly break up so you have a mixture of small and large chunks. Fry the meat until it starts to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, scoop the spaghetti squash strands by running a fork through them and make the pangritata by heating the ghee in a small skillet on medium heat with the slivered almonds, parsley, minced garlic and crushed pepper until they are lightly brown about 3 minutes.
- Once the meat has browned, turn off the heat and add the spinach and spaghetti squash immediately.
- Season with salt and pepper and juice of half a lemon, and toss well by separating the clumps of squash with tongs.
- Serve the spaghetti and squeeze the remaining lemon overtop the individual servings with a sprinkle of the almond pangritata.
