There are a lot of firsts in cooking. How about your first turkey dinner, or your first dinner party? What about your first time making bread from scratch?  If you like to cook, you remember these little milestones. This is about one of my firsts. My very first paleo family dinner!

When I started eating this way, I was reeeeally thrown. I honestly didn’t know what the heck to cook. Suspended in the unknown for a good couple of weeks I wondered…was I just going to be eating meat, veggies and coconut oil …forever? How do I make family dinners?  Everything I knew was not going to work anymore. Sunday was fast approaching and Sunday family dinners are what I do! I need SOMETHING! I need an idea. Then I discovered Juli Bauers- Paleo Buffalo Chicken Casserole, and it saved me!

I tend to get inspired by recipes, rather than follow them.  I don’t really measure to a tee, I change things up, make substitutions, and I make them my way. I have made this several times, and each time slightly different, but basically this is what you will need.

• 1 small to med spaghetti squash (cooked)
• 2 small carrots, diced

  

• 1-2 small peppers, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (or more if you like!)
• about a pound, give or take, of ground chicken or turkey (I have even used left over chicken finely diced)
• 3 eggs, whisked
• 1 cup hot sauce (yes you read that right)
• 1/3 cup of  my home made mayo!
• salt and pepper to taste
• butter/oil/ghee for cooking

There are many different ways to cook a spaghetti squash. Some cut it in half, face up, face down,  some put it in the microwave, whatever way you choose, just cook it! Personally,  I  put it in the oven whole for about 45 min or so, until it feels done and I can poke a knife in easily, then cut it in half and clean out the seeds then scrape out the strands. EASY! So while your spaghetti squash is cooking, chop up your veggies and add them to a pan with butter, ghee or oil,  and the garlic and cook for about 10-12 min or so until they are a little soft, then add the ground meat.

When the meat is cooked remove your pan from the heat and add your mayo, hot sauce and salt and pepper.

Grease a baking dish with butter and add your spaghetti squash, add your meat/veggie mixture on top and mix well. Add the whisked eggs last and mix it all together. Bake uncovered at 400F for 1 hour.

The eggs make it puff up a bit and hold together. The house will smell divine!

Top off with avocado and if you do eat some dairy (like me) then you HAVE to top it off with some crumbled blue cheese for the full “buffalo” taste! YUM!! For family dinners where everyone may not be eating Paleo, serve with a salad, a veggie, potatoes, buns…whatever you like! It’s sure to be gobbled up and no one will know they are eating Paleo, just that they are eating something delicious!