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Stopping by today to introduce you to my new super easy, savory spaghetti squash fritters made with BACON and KALE. Two of my most favorite foods. I mean, can you really go wrong with BACON?
Sometimes a recipe comes to me out of pure necessity. I am hungry. I need to eat. What’s in the fridge? On this particular day, it was more like, “When the heck am I going to cook that spaghetti squash that has been sitting on the counter for weeks?”
So I finally decided to throw that bad boy in the oven whole- yes whole. I am lazy and just wanted to cook the thing. I’m a busy girl, and I love things that just cook themselves. As I blog away and edit photos, I’m thinking about what I am going to cook the family for dinner. I know I have kale in the fridge. And I know there’s some bacon. Boom! A recipe is born!
If you have never had spaghetti squash fritters before, I highly recommend that you try them. I eat a really simple diet, so making fritters feels like I’m making something a little fancy. Something a little different. And like I said before, can you really go wrong with bacon?!?
Spaghetti squash fitters can be served as a main dish or as a side. You can add whatever vegetables inspire you. I love kale, and I love bacon. So there you go. That’s what I added. They are crispy and flavorful. Filling and savory. And they can be made ahead and easily reheated in the toaster oven or oven. Oh, and don’t forget to serve them with a homemade ranch dressing as a dipping sauce. Seriously next level good! Get my dairy free version HERE.
My family loved these fritters. They are a great way to sneak some extra veggies into your kiddos. My Little One loves to dip, so the ranch dressing was a hit. I’m definitely going to make these again…and again…and again!
Never cooked a spaghetti squash before? 3 easy ways to cook spaghetti squash:
- Place whole (uncut) spaghetti squash on an greased baking sheet. Pierce a couple of times with a sharp knife. Bake at 375° for 50-60 minutes. Allow spaghetti squash to cool for 20-30 minutes. Cut squash open with a knife. Using a spoon scoop out seeds. Scrape the flesh out of the squash into stringy noodles.
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and place inside a large crock pot. Pour in about an inch of water. Cook on high for about 2 hours, or until soft.
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and place skin side up on a greased baking sheets. Lightly oil the outside skin as well. (I use coconut oil or ghee). Bake for 35-45 minutes on 400’F, or until fork-tender.
Cooking tips:
- I highly recommend using fresh herbs in this recipe to create the fabulous flavor that I love. I used chives and basil, but feel free to use parsley, dill, or any other herb that you love.
- Be sure to NOT skip the squeezing part of the recipe. I like to use a clean tea towel or unbleached cheese cloth to squeeze out the moisture from my spaghetti squash. This keeps the fritters from being soggy.
- This recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of tapioca flour. You can substitute 1 tablespoon of coconut flour instead.
- Use kitchen shears to easily and quickly chop your bacon. This is a trick I learned from my mama. She even cuts her chicken with kitchen shears, which is brilliant because you don’t have to get a cutting board dirty with raw chicken.
Hope you get a chance to try these. Feel free to leave a comment if you do. Enjoy!
xo,
Katja
Bacon and Kale Spaghetti Squash Fritters
- Yield: 12-14 fritters
Ingredients
- one medium spaghetti squash (recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked spaghetti squash)
- 4 strips of bacon,
- 3 packed cups of kale, ribs removed and chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped (basil, chives, parsley, dill, or cilantro)
- 3 tbsp tapioca flour (like THIS)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- several grinds of fresh pepper
- coconut oil or ghee for cooking
- Homemade ranch dressing for dipping (get recipe HERE)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375’F. Pierce several holes into skin of uncut spaghetti squash with a knife and place onto oiled baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes, until slightly tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Chop your bacon into small pieces and cook in a large skillet over medium heat until cooked and crispy. Remove from heat and drain bacon on a paper towel. (I use kitchen shears to easily chop my bacon.)
- Drain most of bacon fat from skillet leaving just enough to lightly coat the bottom. Heat pan over medium heat and saute kale for 3-4 minutes until wilted and beginning to soften. Add chopped garlic half way through cooking kale.
- Once spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, slice in half, remove seeds, and scrape out strands with a fork. Measure out 3 cups of spaghetti squash and place in the middle of a large, clean tea towel or cheese clothe . Fold ends up and begin to squeeze the moisture. out of the spaghetti squash. Squeeze several times to get a good amount of the water out.
- Place squeezed spaghetti squash into large bowl. Add cooked kale and garlic along with eggs, herbs, tapioca flour, salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Fold in bacon pieces.
- To cook fritters: Liberally coat a large, clean pan with fat of choice on medium heat. Scoop out 1 tablespoon-sized mounds of mixture onto hot oil, flatten a bit with spatula to make a nice patty. I fit about 4 or 5 in a large skillet at one time.
- Cook each side for 3 to 5 minutes or until nicely browned. Repeat until you‘ve used up all the mixture. Be sure to add more ghee or coconut oil to the pan each time you start a new batch.
- Cool on a cooling rack so they don’t get soggy.
Notes
1. I highly recommend using fresh herbs in this recipe to create the fabulous flavor that I love. I used chives and basil, but feel free to use parsley, dill, or any other herb that you love.
2. Be sure to NOT skip the squeezing part of the recipe. I like to use a clean tea towel or unbleached cheese cloth to squeeze out the moisture from my spaghetti squash. This keeps the fritters from being soggy.
3. This recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of tapioca flour. You can substitute 1 tablespoon of coconut flour instead.
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I was very excited about this recipe, and it turned out way better that what I’d hoped for! It is was very creamy and the kale really balanced out the taste! I have to say this recipe is one of the most delicious meals I’ve ever made! 100 stars out of 5!
★★★★★
Yay! I am so glad you liked it. Thank you for leaving your feedback. 🙂
These fritters taste amazingly well. They remind me of traditional Czech potato pancakes. Next time I’ll add little bit of marjoram and I think I won’t be able to tell the difference. Thanks for sharing your fabulous recipe.
So glad that you enjoyed them. 🙂