Spaghetti Squash Primavera
Last week I told you all about summer squash — the different varieties, the nutritional benefits, and how to use it. I’ve also told you a little bit about some of the winter squash varieties. Surprisingly, the Barefoot Organics CSA grew winter squash in the summer, and I found a spaghetti squash in my box a couple of weeks ago. (Most produce you can find year round in a supermarket, but it’s surprising to see typical fall and winter foods fresh from a farm in the summer!)
I decided to make the spaghetti squash into a simple meal, similar to some of my other pantry dinners. I couldn’t cut through the squash, so I roasted it whole on a baking sheet for about 45 minutes (I did this the day before I used it). The next night I removed it from the fridge, cut it open, and using a fork, separated the flesh, which is in the form of spaghetti. I heated up the “spaghetti” in the microwave, and in the meantime sauteéd some zucchini and onions in a pot. I then added tomato sauce and cannelloni beans to the sauteéd vegetables warmed it up.
Once everything was warm, I plated the meal: Spaghetti squash topped with sauteéd zucchini, cannelloni tomato sauce, and some grated cheese. A nutritioulicious™, balanced meal in no time! Andy was shocked at how amazing it tasted (another case of a healthy, yet flavorful meal) and never knew that squash could be used in place of pasta!
Nutrition Facts for 1 cup of roasted spaghetti squash: 42 calories, 0.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 10 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 1 g protein, 0 mg cholesterol, 28 mg sodium.
Have you ever used spaghetti squash before?
Love the idea of roasting the squash whole ‘cuz you can’t cut it. Some winter squash are really tough to get into!
Thanks! Yeah, I really had no choice! The only downside to roasting it whole is that it was slightly harder to remove the seeds afterwards, but other than that it worked great!
I love spaghetti squash, despite the fact that it is usually a bit messy!
I usually do it in the microwave- after a few minutes you can pierce with a fork and then eventually split and finish cooking it in there until soft.
That’s another quick and healthy way to prepare it! What do you do with it once it’s done?
Sometimes tomato sauce (not a heavy one though) and feta cheese, or sometimes a little olive oil and garlic.
I’ve never used spaghetti squash but always wanted to cook with it. Now I know to roast the whole thing first unless I want to break out my saw! 🙂 Thanks for the post!
Haha…yes, it can definitely be that hard to get into! Have fun experimenting with it. It really is as good as spaghetti – even my husband was impressed!