spaghetti squash pasta bake

spaghetti squash is one of the natural wonders of the world. honestly, i remember the first time i saw someone peel the squash out of the skin with a fork, seeing it form those perfect little spaghetti strands. it was magic. 

if you are looking for a lower-carb, lower calorie, gluten free or just plain healthy pasta substitute, look no further. spaghetti squash has about 1/4 the carbs/serving of pasta, and about 1/6 the calories. 

i often make spaghetti squash and "meat" balls, and it is also a great substitute for angel-hair pasta to serve with stir-fry. but, like with "real" pasta, one of the very best ways to cook it is baked and drowning in cheese. i guess eating healthy spaghetti squash makes me feel like i can go a little more overboard on the cheese - because it's all about balance, right?? 

this recipe makes one lasagna-pan full of baked "pasta", or about 6 servings.

ingredients:

1 small spaghetti squash (i used 2/3 of a large squash)

4 c broccoli, in florets
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, grated
2 t oil
2 PC fake chicken breasts (or 1 block tofu, meat substitute of your choosing), bite-sized
2 c pasta sauce
1 T garlic, crushed
1 T pesto (or 1/2 c chopped fresh basil)
cheese (optional - i used 1/2 c daiya on my portion, about 1/4 of the dish. i used 2 c cow cheddar on matt's portion, 3/4 of the dish) 

 

to make:

cut your squash in half and scoop out the seeds. put about 2 cm of water in the lasagna pan, and put the squash in, cut side down. bake at 375 for about 45 minutes. 

you'll know the squash is done when it is easy to poke with a fork (the skin may not break, but you can see below that it's easy to poke in.

pull it out of the oven and set it aside to cool. 

in the mean time, heat a large frying pan over medium heat, and add oil, broccoli, carrots and onion. fry for about 7 minutes, or until the onions have softened up. 

 

 

turn the heat off, and add spaghetti squash. the easiest way to do this is to hold one half of the squash in one hand (oven mitts are helpful if it's still hot!), and use a fork to peel out the flesh. it will come off the skin in long strands, like spaghetti!!

 next, add fake chicken, pasta sauce, garlic and pesto/basil. stir to mix everything well.

dump this into the lasagna pan, spread evenly, and top with cheese (if desired)

bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. 

serve and enjoy!