I am a HUGE Mexican food fan.  But I also know that all that rice and corn and wheat can go straight to my belly, and I don’t mean just for digestion. I’m trying to lose my pregnancy weight and so eating less fattening carbs and more vegetables has been a big part of my goals this year. I’m doing well too! I’m only 2 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight.

But no matter how much I still care about my middle, I still enjoy a good Mexican or Mexican inspired dish, especially if I can figure out how to make it healthy.

On night when I had to dig through my cupboards to figure out a meal to make, I accidentally created what we now eat as a family staple in my house. I dubbed it Mexican Spaghetti Squash Casserole. It is soooooo good. And it is healthy. Yay!

What You Will Need:

• A large casserole dish (or you can cook it right in the spaghetti squash shell)
• 1.5 -2 lbs of ground beef
• 1-2 bags of frozen “fiesta style” veggies (corn, black beans, bell peppers, onions)
• Can of red beans
• 1 cup of chopped tomatoes
• small jar of red enchilada sauce
• 4 oz of sharp cheddar cheese
• a container of sour cream
• taco seasoning
• ground cumin
• 1 large spaghetti squash

Directions:

1. Cook the Spaghetti Squash in the oven or the microwave, depending on how much time you have.
2. In a large pan, brown the beef with some onions and add taco seasoning and cumin.
3. Add 1-2 bags of the frozen “fiesta mix” to the meat mixture.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and the canned red beans to the meat mixture.
5. Pull out the spaghetti squash “noodles” from the large shell and into the pan.
6. Toss the spaghetti squash noodles with the meat mixture.
7. Pour into casserole dish or spaghetti squash shells
8. top with enchilada sauce and shredded cheese.
9. serve warm on plate with a dollop of sour cream , some avocado slices, and some cilantro sprigs.

Like this recipe? Read more from Theresa at her new blog http://mamaguts.com