Low-Carb Chorizo Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Stuffed spaghetti squash is super easy, delicious and you will only need a few ingredients. Although spaghetti squash is a versatile low-carb ingredient, it may not be suitable for everyone on a keto diet. If you follow a very low carb ketogenic diet, then this meal will not be suitable for you.

Are you eating too many carbs?

It depends on your goals and individual body responses. While some people are thriving on a very low-carb ketogenic diet, others - including me - achieve better results with more clean carbs mostly from veggies.

As many experts pointed out during this month's Keto Summit, there is no universal diet that works for everyone. Foods and food sensitivities, lifestyle, health conditions, ethnic origin and goals are some of the factors that determine our ideal diet. Simply put, you won't always maximise the benefits (health, weight loss, performance) by following a universal approach. As an example, while high ketone readings will not always enhance fat loss, studies show that they are beneficial for top-level performance and managing health conditions such as epilepsy or even cancer.

You have to find out what works best for you. In my case, the best approach for managing my thyroid issues is a low-carb & primal approach with 25-40 grams of net carbs per day. To maintain ketosis, I eat carbs strategically and plan most of my daily intake round my workouts.

More about carbs, ketones and low-carb foods:

• Ketogenic Food Pyramid
• How To Low Carb: 15+ Common Weight Loss Mistakes
• Total Carbs or Net Carbs: What Really Counts?
• Do Ketones Matter?

Step-by-step

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/ 400 °F. Halve the spaghetti squash lenghtwise. Use the tip of a chef's knife to break through the skin in the middle part and push the blade down until it cuts through. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard or reserve for snacking (you can roast them). Brush the inside of each half with melted ghee (keep some ghee for cooking the chorizo) and season with salt.
   Place the spaghetti squash in the oven and bake for 25-40 minutes (timing depends on the size of the squash). Check the doneness using a fork.

   

2. Meanwhile, grease a large pan with the remaining ghee and cook the onion over a medium heat until lightly browned. Then add the chorizo and cook for 3-5 minutes or until browned. Add the canned tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and combine. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.

   

3. Then add the grated cheddar cheese (reserve some for topping) and mix well. Take off the heat and fill up each of the spaghetti squash halves with the meat mixture.

   

4. Top with the reserved cheese and place under a broiler for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and crisped up.

   Enjoy immediately or let it cool down and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

   

Recipe

Low-Carb Chorizo Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

★★★★★4.5 (31 ratings)

Stuffed spaghetti squash is super easy, delicious and you will only need a few ingredients. Although spaghetti ...

Hands on

10m

Overall

45m

Servings

4

16 g

Net carbs

26.4 g

Protein

40.4 g

Fat

548

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings16 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 4 servings

• 2 small or 1 medium spaghetti squash, seeds removed (800 g/ 1.76 lb)
• 2 tbsp ghee or lard (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
• 1 small white or brown onion, chopped (70 g/ 2.5 oz)
• 450 g Mexican chorizo (1 lb)
• 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes (240 g/ 8.5 oz)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (113 g/ 4 oz)
• pinch salt (I like pink Himalayan salt)
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/ 400 °F. Halve the spaghetti squash lenghtwise. Use the tip of a chef's knife to break through the skin in the middle part and push the blade down until it cuts through. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard or reserve for snacking (you can roast them). Brush the inside of each half with melted ghee (keep some ghee for cooking the chorizo) and season with salt.
   Place the spaghetti squash in the oven and bake for 25-40 minutes (timing depends on the size of the squash). Check the doneness using a fork.

2. Meanwhile, grease a large pan with the remaining ghee and cook the onion over a medium heat until lightly browned. Then add the chorizo and cook for 3-5 minutes or until browned. Add the canned tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and combine. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.

3. Then add the grated cheddar cheese (reserve some for topping) and mix well. Take off the heat and fill up each of the spaghetti squash halves with the meat mixture.

4. Top with the reserved cheese and place under a broiler for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and crisped up.

   Enjoy immediately or let it cool down and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Nutrition per serving

Carbs 12%Protein 20%Fat 68% of calories

Net carbs

16 g

Total carbs

21.8 g

Fiber

5.8 g

Sugars

8 g

Protein

26.4 g

Fat

40.4 g

Saturated fat

18.2 g

Calories

548 kcal

Sodium

794 mg · 34.5% RDA

Magnesium

70 mg · 17.5% RDA

Potassium

836 mg · 41.8% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per serving	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Squash, spaghetti, winter squash, raw	10.8 g	1.3 g	1.1 g	62
Ghee	0 g	0 g	7.5 g	68
Onion, white, fresh	1.3 g	0.2 g	0 g	7
Chorizo sausage, Mexican, soft type	2 g	18 g	22.2 g	287
Tomatoes, canned (unsweetened)	0.9 g	0.5 g	0.2 g	10
Cheddar cheese	0.9 g	6.5 g	9.4 g	114
Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Pepper, black, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	16 g	26.4 g	40.4 g	548

• Gluten free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free