Spaghetti Squash Bake

A friend of ours, Kendra, from the gym gave me some great recipes to try using spaghetti squash. I have modified them a bit, so here is my first attempt. It was pretty darn good. And, just so you know, this is not totally Paleo because it has some cheese in it. You can try to make it without the cheese, but I think it is the cheese that really makes this entree delish!

Here is what you'll need:
1 spaghetti squash
1lb extra lean ground beef
5 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 c mushrooms chopped
1 cup skim ricotta
3 c organic marinara (from TJs)
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 Tbsp garlic powder .... what? I like garlic!!!
parmesan cheese (optional)
chopped basil (optional)

First, preheat the oven to 375. Cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise (or have a strong man do it, it was pretty hard, and kinda scary). Place the two sides face down on a cookie sheet greased with Pam or Olive oil spray. Bake for 40 minutes. When finished, set aside.
Next, in a saute pan, place olive oil, onions and garlic and cook until onions are semi translucent. Add ground beef, garlic powder and italian seasonings and cook until the meat is browned.
While the meat is cooking, "noodle" the squash by scraping the sides out of each half. Once all of the noodles are out, set aside. In a separate bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mushrooms and marinara sauce. The meat should be done by now, drain the fat from the pan and add the mixture to the sauce/cheese mixture, stir it up well, then add about 3.5 cups of the spaghetti squash.

Take the oven down to 325. Place the mixture into a 13"x9" baking dish and top with parmesan cheese if you like. Bake for another 15 minutes. We chopped up some fresh basil and threw it on top, it was quite a delight!