Takeout-style szechuan noodles, made with spaghetti squash instead of wheat

Some nights you want the noodle bowl, the kind that usually arrives in a paper carton. This is that same comfort, rebuilt so it works with your body. The noodles are strands of roasted spaghetti squash, the soy sauce is coconut aminos, and ground meat, cabbage, and carrot fill it into a real dinner that comes together in one pan.

It is a satisfying plate that also feeds the repair work underneath. Ground meat is a clean source of protein, the foundation your body draws on while it heals. Cabbage is a source of vitamin C, involved in tissue repair, and carrots bring beta-carotene the body can convert toward vitamin A. Coconut aminos carries the deep, savory note you would expect from takeout, without the soy.

There is a small grace in turning a craving into something that nourishes you. This noodle bowl is entirely yours.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground meat
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 small onion
• 4 carrots, shredded
• half a head cabbage, shredded
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• sea salt
• 1 cooked spaghetti squash, shredded into strands
• green onion to garnish

Swaps made: None needed. The source already uses spaghetti squash in place of wheat noodles and coconut aminos in place of soy sauce, so this is AIP-compliant as written. The 'noodle' is roasted spaghetti squash.

Method

Brown the ground meat in a large skillet and set it aside. In the same pan, saute the onion, garlic, and ginger in coconut oil until soft and fragrant. Add the shredded carrot and cabbage, then pour in the broth, coconut aminos, and a little salt. Bring to a brief boil, then return the meat to the pan. Toss everything with the hot spaghetti squash strands and scatter green onion over the top. To prepare the squash, halve it, scoop the seeds, and roast cut-side down at 400 F for about 35 to 45 minutes until the flesh pulls into strands with a fork.

*Adapted from a-clean-plate*