Spaghetti squash.... I've seen it everywhere. Pinterest seems to be absolutely full of recipes for this little vegetable. I haven't had the guts to try it, yet.
BUT then I started reading about how you could substitute cooked spaghetti squash for pasta noodles and decided I'd give it a shot...at least once. We adore Italian food. I love spaghetti, lasagna, stuffed shells...anything with that tomato sauce- ricotta- cheesy- goodness. Alas, since I pledged for a month of healthy- (cough, healthier) meals, I will give in and disregard my love of ricotta cheese and pasta noodles... but I lay my foot down on the parmesan cheese... that has to be included (even if it's in smaller amounts( insert audible sigh here. ) I'm still slightly skeptical that this will even closely resemble "pasta".... and maybe even a little more reluctant to try something new when it comes to Italian food....
In my "healthier" agreement, we agreed to obviously eat more fruits and vegetables, less carbs, more protein, and less "Virginia's favorite food group" aka dessert. So here's to the veggie accomplishment- luckily it is all in one meal (please don't get me wrong- I love vegetables...in fact, I quite frequently order the "vegetable plate" when we go out to eat. I think my sweet tooth is just now opposed to vegetables since I'm missing my
J wasn't too stoked about the "there is no meat in this" comment that I happened to slip out immediately before he took his first bite....
(I still think this is an awkward looking vegetable, but hey- I'll keep an open mind)
Ingredients:
1 whole spaghetti squash
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 zucchini, diced (the original recipe called for 1 zucchini)
2 carrots, chopped (the original recipe called for 1 carrot-shredded)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tomatoes, diced (the original recipe called for 1 tomato)
16 oz tomato sauce
1 tsp Basil (original recipe did not add additional seasonings)
1 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Garlic Powder
6 (ish) oz shredded mozzarella cheese (the original recipe called for 4 oz, but since I doubled my vegetables, this was not enough cheese to make the casserole "stick" together)
4 oz. shredded parmesan cheese (my heart is pitter-pattering at the thought of this- confession: I added more than the original recipe called for since it only called for 1/4 cup....
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Poke spaghetti squash all over with a knife and cook in the microwave for 8-12 minutes (it will be soft)
3. In a medium pan, cook oil, garlic, bell pepper, zucchini, and carrots over medium-high heat. Add basil, oregano, and garlic powder. (I also used a dash of fresh sea salt and ground pepper because I planned on using no-salt-added tomato sauce)
4. When spaghetti squash is cooked, cut in half and use a fork to "string" the squash out (it will resemble pasta noodles). Put this in a medium bowl.
5. Add the sauce to your stove-top pan with veggies, mix well until heated.
6. Transfer the sauce/veggie mixture on top of the spaghetti squash "strings" in the bowl. Mix well.
7. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Add contents of spaghetti squash, veggies, and sauce mixture.
8. Sprinkle 5 oz of the shredded mozzarella cheese and 3 oz. of parmesan cheese on top. Fold this into the mixture. Add remaining cheese on top.
9. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving. Cheese should be browned and bubbly.
Thoughts after eating:
1. I like love spaghetti squash... maybe even better than pasta noodles....
2. This is incredible- even without meat (husband approved!)
3. I want to try it with some lean ground beef or ground turkey at some point, although this is delicious on its own, my curiosity is getting the best of me.
4. This is officially replacing my favorite "spaghetti casserole" recipe that is in my recipe box.....
In summary:
Veggie "pasta": 1 Biased Virginia: 0
Happy Nom-ing, ya'll
No comments:
Post a Comment