The other day we acquired some beef liver and lamb kidneys from ye olde pasture farm and didn’t know how to use them. After some discussions and research we decided that the best use would be to grind it up and cover it with acid (tomatoes). The result has been our awesome Organ Meat Pie and now we present to you spaghetti squash with offal sauce.
Spaghetti Squash with Offal Sauce
- 1 Medium spaghetti squash
- 1 lb ground round or ground lamb
- 2 lamb kidneys and/or 1 beef liver (optional)
- 2 t salt
- 1 t black pepper
- 4-8 basil leaves, chiffonade*
- 1 t dried oregano
- 1 t dried thyme
- 1 T tomato paste
- 1 T apple cider or juice
- 2 cans of diced tomatoes, drained and pureed
*we love the stuff, but it’s not necessary if your kids are scared of green stuff
- The easiest way to cook the spaghetti squash is to slice in half and cook each for 6 – 10 minutes cut side down in the microwave.
- ♥ Have little hands scrape or scoop out the “noodles”. If the “noodles” do not easy flop out, plump and soft, put it back for another minute or two.
- Grind, puree or finely chop the liver.
- Slice in half and remove the white tissue from each kidney before grinding or chopping.
- ♥ Combine and mix the meats with the herbs and spices, salt and pepper; then brown meat mixture (or roll into meat balls and bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 350, as pictured).
- ♥ Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes, letting little hands stir occasionally and adding additional juice if necessary to remove tomato bitterness.
- ♥ Pour sauce over “noodles” and serve warm
Note: the heart symbol (♥) indicates steps with which your children can provide help!
The resulting spaghetti was so good Cole had three full bowls of it and wanted more. It will disappear quickly, although the leftovers are delicious. Stacy, who loves the idea of organ meats but not actually eating them was totally tricked and loved it as well. It turned out to be an effective and tasty way to put a some guts (and healthy fats, vitamins and minerals) in our lives.
