The following article was written by Girls With Guns CEO + Co-founder, Jen O’Hara: Who doesn’t love delicious spaghetti?! For years I have been making my own homemade spaghetti sauce from scratch with the venison I harvested that year. It’s always my husband’s favorite meal and it’s fairly lean because of venison being my meat of choice. This year is a very different year for me with the birth of my daughter Olivia. I am now a “stay at home mom” who runs a company – Girls with Guns – while being the primary caregiver for an infant. It’s a juggling act and finding time to cook can be hard. The crockpot has always been my best friend in the winter and it’s even more so this winter as it saves me a ton of time.

Although it’s not from scratch anymore, this year I came up with a shortcut version of my “healthy spaghetti” that taste much better than just pouring something out of a jar.

I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients needed:

• 1 lb Ground Venison (you can do ground turkey or burger as well, I just prefer venison)
• 2 Spaghetti Squash
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 Bell pepper
• 1/2 Onion
• 1 Cup Mushrooms
• 1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce of choice
• 1 Can Tomato Sauce
• 1 Can Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Can Black Olives whole – I prefer whole so I can pick them out, they are my husbands favorite addition to the meal.
• 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder

Start by browning your venison over medium heat.

I always add a bit of water when I brown it because venison is so lean and it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan and burn if I don’t. Chop the mushrooms, onion and bell pepper. Add olive oil to a small pan and over medium heat saute the garlic, onion, bell pepper and mushrooms – You can skip this step if you’re short on time, this just adds a lot of flavor.

Season the venison with the pepper and garlic and onion powder. Combine the venison, veggies and the remainder of the ingredients into a crockpot and cook on low for 5 hours. An hour before you are ready to eat, bake your spaghetti squash at 400 degrees face down in the oven. I add a little bit of water to the pan and use aluminum foil or parchment paper so it makes for an easier clean up. Use a fork to make your “spaghetti noodles” out of the squash and add a veggies such as asparagus or broccoli to complete the meal.

Voila dinner is served!!  Mom hack crockpot 101.