Spaghetti Pie

Ingredients:
1 medium raw spaghetti squash
1/2 pound uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced, or 1 tsp jarred minced garlic
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano or Italian herbs
2 tsp dried basil, or to taste
2 tsp dried oregano, or to taste
salt & pepper, to taste
3/4 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1/4 cup fat-free egg substitute, or 1 egg
1/2 cup shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°.  Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds.  Place squash, cut side down, in a large baking dish and prick skin all over with a fork.  Bake until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.  OR follow microwave instructions which can sometimes be found on the squash.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium high heat, begin browning the beef.  Before the beef is completely cooked, add garlic and onion.  Continue cooking until beef is completely browned and onion is tender.  Stir in both cans of diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until desired consistency, about 5 minutes.

Place ricotta cheese and egg substitute in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  Coat a 9 inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.  Remove squash from oven and increase the oven temperature to 375°.  Using a fork, carefully rake the stringy squash pulp from the insdie of the shell and separate it into strands that look like spaghetti.  Arrange spaghetti squash strands in the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate to form a crust.

Carefully add and gently spread the ricotta cheese mixture over the squash. Pour the meat and tomato mixture over the ricotta and sprinkle with mozzarella.

Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven, and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Special Information:
This is a wonderfully light, but very filling, meal when served with a large green salad.  Lean ground turkey can be used instead of ground beef, but this DOES NOT change the POINTS value per serving.  Occasionally, I have trouble finding fat-free ricotta.  You can use part-skim ricotta instead, but must INCREASE the POINTS value per serving to 4.