Spaghetti Squash and Sausage Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients:
2c spaghetti squash (follow cooking instructions on sticker)
1lb bulk sausage (no casing)
1 can tomato paste, (optional)
1 medium to large head of cabbage, leaves peeled and blanched.
(side note: you can jazz this up with onion and garlic if you like.)

First, brown the sausage and set aside...

To prep the cabbage, set up a large pot to boil water in. While the water is heating up remove the bottom stem of the cabbage with a large knife and slowly begin peeling away the top leaves. Cabbage leaves are tightly packed together, be gentle and patient. Some leaves may need to be wiggled free. If the leaves rip, don't worry, you can use them anyway (as long as the main rib of the leaf is still intact). Stop peeling when it becomes impossible to remove more leaves. Set the cabbage aside and make some cole slaw later....Once the water is boiling, use a set of tongs to drop a couple of leaves into the water. You want them to be wilted but not completely cooked through. Repeat the blanching process until all the leaves have been wilted, set aside on a towel to drain.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and set out a medium glass baking dish.

For the mixture:
In a large mixing bowl combine the sausage and the squash, mix together. You can always add in more, or conversely less, of the squash, depending on how you want the consistency. For a more smooth and creamy texture, add more (you will have mixture left over), or for a more crumbly texture add less. The squash is sweet, so keep that in mind. Add a little olive oil, a dollop, whatever that means to you. For me it's just a 1 second pour. Mix in thoroughly.

Spoon the mixture into the center of each cabbage leaf, fold the sides and begin to roll. Secure with a WOODEN, UNCOLORED toothpick and set in the baking dish. Repeat until all the leaves are gone. You may need to add in a second baking dish. You will have left over mixture, you can use it to stuff more vegetables in the coming days: bell peppers, eggplant, etc....

Cover with foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes. If you opted for the tomato sauce, mix the paste to a consistency you like and after 15 minutes, take the rolls out and pour the sauce over the rolls. Recover and bake for 15 minutes.

YUM.