Spaghetti squash is perfect whenever you’re in the mood for some delicious pasta…
but don’t feel like eating so many carbs…
If you’ve never cooked it, you probably wouldn’t know why it gets its pretty name (although it’s an easy hint!). But hopefully with this recipe you can see for yourself:
It’s also called “noodle squash” or even “squaghetti” (ha!). Someone made me try it once and when I cooked and ate it… I realized it was one of the world’s 7 wonders (or 5, or 10?)!!!
You’ll love it because it’s something you can have to try all the different sauces you usually have for pasta dishes, but in a healthier way! And yes, I went all nutso nutritional freak and googled the differences between the two. This is what I got:
Spaghetti squash has:
- 1/5 less calories
- More water
- 1/5 less carbs
- More than 3 times more Calcium
than regular pasta (cooked, per 100 g)!!! In addition it also contains Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and a good dose of Manganese, which means healthy bones and tissues!
Oh and if that weren’t enough, it’s also big on beta carotene, which can help improve eye and skin health and maintain a strong immune system. Yup: healthy, healthy, healthy! Go-crazy-on-it-kind of healthy.
And it’s like it wants you to eat loads of it: one medium squash can give you up to 4-5 servings (by the price they sell it in the US, it’s really convenient!). You could either eat it for a whole week by yourself (which I almost did!) or feed a medium-sized party of 4 with one of them.
For this spaghetti squash recipe I used a made up sauce with key “saucey” ingredients such as mushrooms (I used cremini mushrooms but you can use any brown variety), sun dried tomatoes and luscious red wine (you can get one of those “Two-buck Chuck” ones, or any cooking wine). It definitely tastes gourmet (wine!), perfect for a date night or whenever you want to indulge in something very tasty!
If you don’t eat meat, the chunky mushroom sauce in this dish is really satisfying. But if you do, you could also add to it any favorite pasta-like meat to make it a more complete meal (I used ground beef once, but you could use sausages or meatballs too!). It’s also a great recipe for moms who want their kids to eat more veggies since depending on the sauce you pair it with it really serves as pasta! So many options!
Spaghetti Squash with Cremini Mushroom and Red Wine Sauce
Ingredients
Spaghetti Squash
- 1 medium-sized spaghetti squash (we’ll only use one half of it for this recipe!)
- 1 tbsp of olive oil (to spread on top of the squash)
- Salt and pepper to season on top of the squash
Cremini Mushroom and Red Wine Sauce
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- ¼ cup of onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons of garlic
- red pepper flakes
- 2 tsps of thyme
- 2 tsps of oregano
- 1 + ½ cup of cremini mushrooms (or any brown variety), sliced
- 1 cup of red wine
- 1 can tomato sauce
- ½ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- Parmesan cheese to serve, shredded
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Spaghetti Squash
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F
- Cut the squash in half and take away the seeds and pulp
- Brush the squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper
- Place the squash side up on a cookie pan and bake it for 40 minutes, or until it's soft. Use this time to prepare the Mushroom Sauce!
- When the squash is ready, take it out of the oven and let it cool for about 20 minutes.
- Peel the squash with a fork, and you'll see it's almost magic how the spaghetti strands form!
Mushroom Sauce
- Slice the Cremini mushrooms as evenly as you can
- Add the tablespoons of oil to a medium saucepan or pot
- Saute the onions, the garlic, and the red flakes. Stir and let them cook until the onions are slightly transparent.
- Add the Cremini mushrooms, along with the oregano and time. Mix well and enjoy how delicious it smells!
- Add the tomato sauce, and stir to blend it with the other ingredients
- Pour the red wine, and add the sun-dried tomatoes, as well as salt and pepper to taste
- Cook for 8-10 minutes, so the alcohol from the wine evaporates
To serve
- Serve a generous portion of spaghetti squash with Cremini Mushroom and Red Wine Sauce. Shred parmesan to taste, on top of the sauce and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If you’re vegan, you can enjoy this dish without the parmesan. It will be delicious nonetheless!
- If you’re a carnivore, you can add minced beef, sausages, or your favorite meat, and the sauce still works great
- Grate your parmesan and grind your pepper just before you need it. These ingredients add more taste when they are fresh
Enjoy your magic “spaghetti”! 🙂
If you liked this spaghetti squash recipe, you might like some of my other recipes too.
And remember, if you try this recipe and want to share your pictures, tag me @lacooquette on Instagram. I’d love to share your pictures on my IG stories.
Note: We published this recipe first on January 11, 2014.
Leave a Reply