Healthy food doesn't have to be boring. A healthy dish can easily become something you crave and be just as soul-soothing as any comfort food.
This dish hits all those notes...the only downside is, that it's hard to put down your fork when eating it because it's so good! Cheesy, creamy, and garlicky; this is just my type of recipe.
The first time I tried spaghetti squash was this recipe from the blog Peas and Crayons, and I was hooked! I made a few minor alterations but kept the recipe pretty much the same because it was amazing, it is so good I've made it half a dozen times already.
I'm so excited to try new recipes with spaghetti squash- a big shout out to Jenn from Peas and Crayons for such an amazing recipe. She created a dish that was easy to follow, easy to make and on top of being healthy(ish) it tasted delicious. My husband made a comment that he never thought that he would ask for spaghetti squash...but he has, several times over.
So give this recipe a try and head on over to Peas and Crayons to discover more unique dishes there. She had some great tips on cooking spaghetti squash as well.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Carefully pierce 1 spaghetti squash a few times with a knife and microwave for 3 minutes to slightly soften.
Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds; discard seeds.
Drizzle squash with a little bit of olive oil, brush all over.
Season with salt and pepper.
Flip over and place cut side down into a baking pan, roast for 40 minutes until the center is tender.
Meanwhile, as the squash roasts drizzle olive oil into a large skillet and saute 2 1/2 tablespoons of garlic over medium heat until fragrant.
Add 3-4 asparagus spears cut into 1/2 inch pieces, and 5 ounces of fresh baby spinach to pan; stir until spinach is wilted.
Stir in 1 tablespoon Neufchâtel cheese (or 1/3 less fat cream cheese), 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup heavy cream.
Heat for a minute until cheese melts, stir well to combine. Remove from heat.
When squash is done roasting, take 2 forks and scrape the insides to fluff.
Lower oven temperature to 350°.
Pour sauce over each half of squash and stir to mix.
Top with Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes until cheese is melted.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°.
Carefully pierce 1 spaghetti squash a few times with a knife and microwave for 3 minutes to slightly soften.
Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds; discard seeds.
Drizzle squash with a little bit of olive oil, brush all over.
Season with salt and pepper.
Flip over and place cut side down into a baking pan, roast for 40 minutes until the center is tender.
Meanwhile, as the squash roasts drizzle olive oil into a large skillet and saute 2 1/2 tablespoons of garlic over medium heat until fragrant.
Add 3-4 asparagus spears cut into 1/2 inch pieces, and 5 ounces of fresh baby spinach to pan; stir until spinach is wilted.
Stir in 1 tablespoon Neufchâtel cheese (or 1/3 less fat cream cheese), 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup heavy cream.
Heat for a minute until cheese melts, stir well to combine. Remove from heat.
When squash is done roasting, take 2 forks and scrape the insides to fluff.
Lower oven temperature to 350°.
Pour sauce over each half of squash and stir to mix.
Top with Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes until cheese is melted.