This year I’ve been trying more traditional ‘autumn’ dishes, since it is not yet winter time officially speaking. One of those veggies on my list is squash, something I rarely eat throughout the rest of the year. I was looking for a fun way to use squash when I came across spaghetti squash. I tried making pasta out of this squash before with olive oil and spinach, I didn’t have much success, but I did try to bring it back with some tomato pasta sauce, and it tasted Sooo good!! So here I am now, a month later, craving something healthy and filling, and remembered this dish:) I tried it a second time and made the most amazing pasta sauce to go with this dish, I am so pleased. The flavors are really vibrant and everything we are using in this dish is a whole food, so it is something you can feel good about.
I also shared this with my guy friends, they had the idea to use this dish as a dip with tortilla chips, and fell in love with it. They wanted seconds too! So if you want to try something different, you can take their word and eat it with the crunch of tortilla chips.
BTW if you are on a diet, this is a Great recipe for you!
1 Cup of spaghetti squash is not even 50 calories!! And tomato sauce is barely anything either, my guess is that a cup of this dish would be less than 150-200 calories, so you get the benefits of being filled up with good tasting food, but with none of the guilt! So you can keep loosing that weight enjoyably, I’d call that a winner;)
You can also toast the squash seeds for a very tasty treat later.
Scoop out the inside before you bake the squash, toss it in a bowl of warm water and use your hands to shake around the squash seeds until they float to the top. That way it is easier to grab them.
Dry them off, coat them in a little Vegan Butter and salt, and lay them flat on a small baking tray. Place in the toaster oven to bake at 275F for about 10-15 minutes (watch them! As you don’t want them to burn!).
Remove when crispy, let it cool a bit and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 - Spaghetti Squash
- Coconut Oil Spray
- SAUCE:
- 2 Tbsp - Coconut Oil
- 1 - Onion (chopped)
- 6 - Cloves Garlic (chopped)
- 1 - Bell Pepper (chopped)
- 1 - Container of Pasta Sauce
- Optional - 1/2 Cup Sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms
- 1/3 Cup - Kalamata Olives (pitted and sliced)
- 1/4 Cup - Parsley (finely chopped)
- 2/3 Cup - Vegan Cheese (I used Daiya Cheese)
- 1 tsp - Cayanne Pepper
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- First preheat your oven to 400F.
- Cut your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise (be careful doing this! Go slow, it can be hard).
- Scoop out the middle of the squash, all of the slimy parts and seeds (you can keep the seeds to toast and eat later if you'd like!).
- Spray or rub coconut oil over top, place on baking sheet (cut side up) and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place coconut oil into a pan over medium heat and add in onions, garlic and bell peppers. Cook until the onions become translucent.
- Add in your tomato sauce, your mushrooms (optional), olives, and parsley. Bring heat down to a low simmer. Add spices to your liking. Cook for 5-10 minutes to help the flavors infuse.
- Once your squash is cooked through, take it out and let it cool.
- Once cooled to the touch, start scraping the inside of the squash out with a fork to create the 'spaghetti' we will be using for this dish (if it has been cooked properly, this will be easy to scrape, it just takes a few minutes to do). Scoop all the way through to the shell and place into a large bowl.
- Once finished, oil down a casserole dish (big enough to fit everything into) and mix together your spaghetti and sauce. Garnish the top with vegan cheese.
- Place in the oven for about 20 minutes (or until the cheese has melted or begun to brown on top).
- When cooked, take it out and let it cool. Eat fresh or as leftovers for the week!
Notes
Can be used as a side dip with tortilla chips too! Just cut the recipe into 1/4 😉