Ratatouille recipe with ground beef and spaghetti squash (2024)

Ratatouille

• 2 bunches onions (green) scallions, spring onions
• 4 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin) divided
• 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
• 2 eggplants diced (aubergines)
• 2 zucchini diced (courgettes)
• 2 bell peppers red and yellow (capsicum), seeded and diced
• 4 tomatoes plum, or 8-12 cherry tomatoes
• 2-3 sprigs thyme (fresh)
• 1 handful basil leaves (fresh)

Roasted spaghetti squash

• 1 spaghetti squash

Ground beef

• 32 ounces beef (grass-fed, ground) grass-fed
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp black pepper

Ratatouille

• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large cast iron or nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions until they are soft.

• Add the garlic and cook until soft.

• Transfer to a deep roasting pan or oven-safe baking dish.

• Sauté each of the other vegetables separately, adding more oil as needed, until each is golden.

• Transfer as you finish to the baking dish.

• Add the tomatoes, uncooked, and thyme, and season with a tiny amount of salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Drizzle with additional olive oil. Stir to combine.

• Bake at 350F/180C/gas mark 4 for about 40 minutes until soft and tender.

• Stir in a handful of torn basil leaves before serving.

Roasted spaghetti squash

• Wash one squash. Slice off each end, then slice lengthwise.

• Use a spoon (grapefruit spoons work great for this) to scrape out the seeds and stringy bits. Spray or oil the cut side of the squash, then place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner.

• Roast at 350F/180C/gas mark 4 for 35-45 minutes until fork tender.

• Let cool enough to handle.

• Use a fork to separate the flesh into spaghetti-like strands. Compost or toss the skin.

Ground beef

• Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil over medium-high heat in a cast-iron frying pan or non-stick pan. (You can use the pan you sautéed the vegetables in.)

• Add grass-fed ground beef and garlic.

• Add a tiny amount of salt and a generous amount of black pepper.

• Sauté the beef until cooked through and no longer pink.

• Pour off or blot up any excess fat with a paper towel; reserve in a glass jar for another use. (Saturated fat is key for migraine brains and is fine to eat so long as you keep your sugar and flour intake low.)

• Add the ratatouille to the beef and cook until all flavors are combined.

• Serve over warm spaghetti squash strands and a side salad (shown). Garnish with fresh thyme.

Per serving with beef and squash:

• 173 calories
• 10 g fat
• 4 g saturated fat
• 5 g monounsaturated fat
• 1 g polyunsaturated fat
• 0 g trans fat
• 30 g cholesterol
• 52 mg sodium (made without any salt)
• 409 mg potassium
• 11 g carbohydrate
• 3 g fiber
• 3 g sugars
• 12 g protein
• 5 Weight Watchers Points Plus