Spaghetti Squash

Sugar Detox:Day 16

This no sugar diet is truly becoming a lifestyle for me. I’m barely missing it anymore! Yes, of course there are a couple things I would love to sweeten up a little bit with some agave, but the benefits of using fresh fruit or even dried fruit instead outweigh the desire for sweetener! I really don’t know if I’ll be adding any sugars back into my diet again after day 21, I may keep this up..I guess we will see! To the recipe now..

This is a new favorite for me.

For so long, my squash history has been made up of almost nothing but pumpkin. I don’t have to tell you how much I love the stuff, you already know from all my other posts. But every once in awhile I sneak a different kind of squash into my shopping cart and experiment with it. Somehow I always forget just how good spaghetti squash is.

Do you crave big bowls of spaghetti often, yet can’t afford it nutritionally? Well this is the solution for you! This squash is so healthy, and versatile! It is much lower in calories than true pasta, yet satisfies you with a nearly same taste as the real stuff, and is a fiber-filled veggie.

You can make it as a side to your meal, simply just adding in seasonings and a touch of olive oil. Or you can make it THE meal, eating a huge bowl of spaghetti tossed with clean tomato sauce, cream sauce and chicken, or delicious pesto! The sky is the limit. Sometimes I go with it as a side, and other nights, like last night, I make a huge spaghetti boat drizzled with pesto, and call it a meal! Add some chicken to it or lean beef, and you really have yourself a healthy, clean, and satisfying dinner!

Here are just two or the times I’ve made it. Once with a homemade “cream” sauce made of Greek yogurt/seasonings and tossed with cooked spinach and chicken, and then last night, when I just simply topped it with pesto! Both were very delicious and satisfying meals.

Don’t know how to cook one? Check down below for instructions!

Spaghetti Squash
-1 spaghetti squash
-olive oil
-seasonings of choice (garlic salt, sea salt, pepper, season salt, onion powder)
-sauce of choice (marinara, meat sauce, Alfredo, pesto, homemade sauce, simple olive oil)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut squash in half long wise. Take out “guts” and seeds from middle. Either wash seeds for cooking separately, or throw away. Lightly coat flesh of both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings. Put flesh side down on baking tray. Bake in oven for about 45 minutes to an hour (depending on size). When slightly soft on top flesh side, it is ready. Take out of oven. With fork, begin to scrape out insides, going length-wise down the entire half of the squash. It will begin to come off as string-like “spaghetti noodles”. Continue to do do until all squash is out of hard outside skin. Toss skin. Prepare “noodles” with one of the following additions: 1)with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, and lots of delicious seasonings of choice for a light side 2) toss with marinara or meat sauce for a real taste of spaghetti, 3) with any other sauce of choice, like Alfredo, pesto, or a homemade sauce. Top with any additional veggies or protein as desired. Enjoy!!