Winter Red Sauce over Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup ground vegan sausage (such as Gimme Lean)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 (6.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Place the spaghetti squash cut side down on a baking dish. Fill the baking dish with about 1 inch of water.

Bake in the preheated oven until the flesh of the squash is tender and the skin is easily pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes.

After squash goes in the oven, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the vegan sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook and stir until vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add mushrooms, and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, Italian seasoning, brown sugar, sea salt, and black pepper. Cover and simmer while the squash continues to cook, about 35 minutes.

Scoop the flesh from the squash onto a plate, and use two forks to separate and fluff up the strands of squash. Top with the sauce to serve.