Bacon Bolognese over Spaghetti Squash

Another amazingly satisfying dish that I got to enjoy even months after cooking (thanks to my freezer).  I stumbled across this gem at Paleo Diet Lifestyle.  Just looking at the bolognese, your instinct is to add something more - bolognese couldn't possibly satiate one's appetite for a balanced meal with a complex flavor profile, right?  Oh, so wrong.  Soon after your first spoonful, you'll notice the starchy sweetness of the carrots and that unmistakable salty taste of bacon and you'll be hooked.  I particularly love this dish because you can make it (well, re-make it) even if you don't have the time (or the energy) to spend all evening in the kitchen.  Once I've defrosted some of the frozen bolognese (overnight in the fridge), I just roast a spaghetti squash for 25 minutes and dinner is ready!

Honestly, the spaghetti squash is harder to prepare than the super-awesome and delicious meat sauce.  There are lots of different methods listed on the internets on how to cook spaghetti squash in the oven.  I like to slice mine lengthwise, then place each half face-down on a baking sheet.  Cook in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of your squash), then use a fork to "make spaghetti" by running it lengthwise down the meat of the squash.  If cooked correctly, the squash should easily fall away from the edges in firm strands.  If overcooked, the strands will not hold together and you'll basically be scraping mushier, tinier strands out of the squash.  The trick I've found is to check on the squash 20 minutes in and see if your fork easily tears the strands away from the squash.  If the squash just barely starts to give you strands but most of the squash is somewhat firm, remove from the oven and let rest (untouched) for at least 5 minutes.  Afterwards, your "spaghetti" should be just right.

Hardware:
Large dutch oven or small stock pot
Baking sheet (for roasting spaghetti squash)

Ingredients for Bacon Bolognese:
1 lb. ground beef (grass-fed)
2 tbsp. cooking fat (or less, depending on the fattiness of your ground beef)
1/4 cup chopped bacon (uncooked)
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2 (14.5 oz) cans whole tomatoes (or equivalent of fresh) - you may want to roughly chop them before adding them to the pot; sometimes I get crushed tomatoes instead
1/2 cup to a cup of heavy cream (optional: I didn't add this because I'm not a fan of refrigerating and reheating things with heavy cream in them - it never tastes quite the same)
fresh parsley (for garnish)

Directions:
1. Melt cooking fat in dutch oven over medium high heat and cook ground beef and bacon for 5 minutes.
2. Remove meat (with tongs or slotted spoon) and set aside.  You want to keep all of that delicious fat from the meat in the dutch oven so that it will flavor the rest of your ingredients.  Reduce heat to medium.
3. Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic and oregano.  Cook until carrots are soft.
4. Add whole tomatoes, tomato paste, and bay leaf.  Return the meat to the pot.  This is the point where you can add any additional spices, if you so desire (salt, pepper, chili flakes, etc.)
5. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
6.  If you want the spaghetti squash to be piping hot from the oven when your sauce finishes cooking, now would be the time to prep and roast that in the oven.
7.  Once your sauce is done, add heavy cream (if desired)

That's it!  This recipe can easily be doubled.  Happy nomming.