This easy recipe is a great way of incorporating whatever produce you happen to have on hand. I basically load it with whatever veggies are in my crisper on any given day. Using spaghetti squash instead of pasta makes this a super healthy, plant-based dish, that’s filling without being high calorie. Especially if you feel like you’ve fallen off the healthy eating wagon, this is a yummy way to eat clean and get some vegetables back into your life! 😉
I used two medium spaghetti squash for the “noodles” and the end result was enough for 4 adults, one baby (and a little left over for baby’s dinner the following night, too!).
Recipe (in photo form) – Spaghetti Squash “Pasta” Bake Cook your spaghetti squash first so you don’t have to handle them when they’re piping hot right out of the oven. Microwave each squash for about 90 seconds just to soften them for cutting. Cut in halves lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, drizzle with oil, then roast face-down in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.
Once the squash have cooled, take a fork and scrape out the flesh into a greased baking dish. The flesh is really easy to scrape out and looks like thin spaghetti.
Once you have your squash noodles ready to go, start cooking up your vegies in a large saute pan with a little extra virgin olive oil, or coconut oil. I used half an onion, diced; garlic; diced red and yellow peppers; sliced mushrooms; shredded leaves of kale; diced zucchini and halved cherry tomatoes. You can use whatever you have! I also added a little dried oregano and pepper (no salt, because I was preparing it for my son as well).
Then I added the veggies to the spaghetti squash in the baking dish and mixed well. I also shaved Parmesan cheese all over it to give it some gooey deliciousness. 🙂
Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes, to let the flavors combine and to let the cheese melt through. Once it was done, I took my son’s portion and ran it through his baby food processor to make it a little more of a puree for him. The big people added a little salt to our portions before enjoying.
Some yummy versions of the same recipe to try:
Skip the cheese to make this a vegan dish.
Add tofu, white beans, or any kind of meat to incorporate protein.
Try it with goat cheese, feta, or mozzarella instead of Parmesan.
Add chili flakes or sliced jalapeno to give it a spicy kick.
