Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce

Omg. I love spaghetti squash. I love peanut sauce. Typically, I don't cook with peanut sauce because, well, peanut butter and oil. However, I've found a delicious new way to make it that is so much lower in calories! I love PB2.

Check out the labels and click on "spaghetti squash" for all my spaghetti squash recipes!

1 medium spaghetti squash
salt, pepper, garlic powder
¼ c chopped parsley
2 tbsp crushed peanuts
green onions (I put green onions on everything)

Peanut Sauce:
1 can (14 ounces) light coconut milk
1/2 c PB2 (don't add the water, just leave it powdered)
¼ c Stevia (or sweetener that measures cup-for-cup like sugar)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp red curry paste


Spaghetti Squash: You can cook your spaghetti squash however you'd like. I always make mine like this: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place whole spaghetti squash on baking sheet and stab it all over with a fork. Bake for 45 min to 1 hr. I like to rotate my spaghetti squash about every 20 min. Let the squash cool, and slice it lengthwise down the middle. Scoop out the middle part with seeds, Use a fork to shred the spaghetti squash.

Peanut Sauce: Place all sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then turn down to low and simmer for 5 minutes while stirring almost constantly.
Take off heat to cool sauce.

To serve: I used a fork to pull up the noodles, sprinkled some salt, pepper, and garlic powder on them. Then I poured the sauce in and mixed. I actually ended up with a little extra sauce. Sprinkle parsley and crushed peanuts over the top. Enjoy!

Original recipe found here.

Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

I LOVE Pad Thai. Chances are, if a restaurant has Pad Thai, that's what I'm going to get. So imagine how excited I was to find SPAGHETTI SQUASH Pad Thai! Yes, it is just as delicious as it looks!!

1 medium-sized spaghetti squash, cooked/shredded (click here to see how I always bake my SS)2 cloves garlic, crushed1/2 red onion, chopped1/2 c mushrooms, chopped1/2 c carrots, chopped1/2 c sprouts1/2 c scallions, chopped2 eggs

Sauce2 tbsp light soy sauce2 tbsp oyster sauce3 tbsp rice vinegar1 tsp red pepper flakes1 tsp minced garlic

In a bowl, mix together sauce ingredients and set aside - I actually doubled the sauce. In a large pan, sauté 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil with 2 garlic cloves crushed, half of a red onion chopped, chopped mushrooms, carrots, sprouts, and scallions (and any other veggies you like). Once cooked down, add in spaghetti squash (approx. 3 cups) and sauce mixture, mix well to combine

In a small separate pan, scramble your eggs and add to Pad Thai. Mix everything together. Top with extra scallions and finely chopped peanuts on top! (optional)

Original recipe found here.

Broccoli Parmesan "Meatballs"

Whoa! WHOA. These are so good. In fact, I think they were even better (if that's possible) for leftovers for my lunch today. I served these with spaghetti squash - I mixed in broccoli slaw because I needed to use the broccoli slaw. :) We used our favorite marinara sauce and sprinkled some Parmesan and green onions on top. You can serve them however you like though! Lots of different possibilities! Even as an appetizer with a little marinara or some kind of yummy sauce. 

Before going into the oven.

After:

1/2 c raw almonds
1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets & steamed (about 2 c)
1/2 c shredded Parmesan
1 tsp minced garlic
1-2 eggs, lightly beaten (recipe called for 1, I thought I needed two... but I think I had more than just 2 c of broccoli)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the almonds in a food processor. Process until they're coarsely ground. Put the ground almonds to a medium bowl. Now place the broccoli florets in the food processor and pulse until chopped. Add the chopped broccoli, Parm cheese, and garlic to the almonds and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the egg(s).

Spray a mini-muffin tin with olive oil spray. Form the broccoli mixture into balls, squeezing them a little to make sure they hold their shape, and place each one in its own cup in the muffin tin. I got 22 balls, but I may have had more broccoli than I needed. Bake until meatballs are golden on the outside and heated through, about 30 minutes. I did flip mine after about 20 min. Remove tin from oven and run a butter knife along the edges of each muffin cup to loosen meatballs before gently popping them out. Serve however you'd like!

Original recipe found here - great step by step pictures.

Spaghetti Squash & Peppers in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Obviously I'm obsessed with spaghetti squash. I came up with this recipe on my own, because I was limited on what I had and needed to use some things up. I had half a bag of sweet mini peppers, half an onion, and a spaghetti squash. I was going to combine that and make the skinny alfredo sauce (from Skinny Spaghetti Squash Alfredo), but I know Will prefers tomato-based sauces, while of course I love creamy sauces. I compromised and mixed the skinny alfredo with some marinara to make a delicious creamy tomato sauce! I love the flavor the peppers gave to the dish. Winner!

1 large spaghetti squash, baked/shredded (See Spaghetti Squash Mac & Cheese to see how I prepare my spaghetti squash)
1/2 large onion, minced
1 1/2 c diced sweet mini peppers (about 14 peppers)
olive oil spray

1 tbsp light butter
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 c skim milk 
1 wedge Laughing Cow cheese (I used Garlic & Herb)
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt/pepper, each
1/2 c marinara sauce
crushed red pepper flakes, fresh parsley, green onions (optional, for garnish)

Place cooked & shredded spaghetti squash in a large bowl. Spray a skillet with olive oil spray and heat over med-high. Cook onions and peppers for a few minutes until slightly soft. Add to bowl with spaghetti squash.

Now prepare your sauce. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a sauce pan over med-high heat. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add flour and mix with a whisk. Slowly add the milk next, while stirring with whisk. The chunks of flour/butter will melt. 

Once the milk is warm, add the wedge of Laughing Cow cheese. Continue stirring and let the cheese melt. Heat the sauce until boiling, but stir the entire time. Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese. Next add the marinara sauce. Stir well, then pour into the bowl with the spaghetti squash & peppers. Mix it all together and pour into a greased 9x13" dish. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 min. Enjoy!!

I made the Roasted Parmesan Green Beans to go with this.

Cheesy Spaghetti Squash & Zucchini Tomato Bake

I just threw this together myself - didn't have a recipe... but it's pretty simple, and pretty DELICIOUS! After our amazing Thanksgiving feasts yesterday, I felt like I definitely needed a veggie dinner tonight. I had two zucchini I needed to use, plus some tomatoes, and a spaghetti squash... so I just combined it into something that turned out very, very tasty! Will thought this was awesome too. He thinks it should be in regular rotation.

1 large spaghetti squash
2 large zucchini (made into noodles using mandolin, or you could just cut it in chunks too)
3 tomatoes, sliced
1 c (or more) marinara sauce
1/2 c shredded part-skim mozzarella
1/2 c (plus a little extra) shredded Parm

Bake and prepare your spaghetti squash. To see how I do mine, see the recipe for the "Mac & Cheese" Spaghetti Squash.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine zucchini noodles and spaghetti squash strands in a large bowl. Stir in marinara sauce. In a sprayed 9x13" baking dish, layer tomato slices (I used six), then sprinkle shredded Parmesan over tomatoes. Pour spaghetti squash & zucchini noodles with marina over tomatoes. Layer with six more tomato slices. Sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese around the tomatoes, and then some Parmesan cheese on top of each tomato. Bake for 15 min, then broil on high for a couple minutes to brown the cheese. Enjoy!!

Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin

Oh my - delicious. I have seen this on Pinterest for a while - claiming that it's like hash brown casserole (a favorite of mine). I tried it. It's amazing and I enjoyed leftovers for lunch today even more! YUM.

1 medium spaghetti squash
1 tbsp light butter
1 small yellow onion, cut in half and very thinly sliced
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp fresh thyme
½ c light sour cream
½ c red-fat shredded cheddar cheese

This is how I always prepare my squash: Poke holes in squash with a fork and place it on a baking sheet. Bake for about an hour at 375 degrees. Let it cool off and then slice it down the middle. Remove the seeds and things from the middle. Then just use a fork to shred the strands of squash out. Lately I've been baking and prepping my squash the day before I need it. That way it's all shredded in a big bowl in the fridge ready to go. 

In a skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onions, red pepper and thyme and cook until the onions are slightly brown in color. Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Combine the shredded squash, onions, sour cream and half the cheese together and mix well.  Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish and top with remaining cheese.

Place in oven at 375º for 20 minutes until golden brown on top. 

Original recipe found here.

We had red wine & garlic mushrooms and roasted broccoli with this! I love how the broccoli gets crispy when roasted. 

"Mac & Cheese" Spaghetti Squash

OMG. How do I adequately describe this? I just can't... you have to try it to fully understand. So creamy, cheesy, gooey, and delicious. ONLY 270 calories for the entire recipe!!

So I followed this recipe, and it's a single serving recipe which is great since Will is out of town. But I wanted just a little more sauce (because I felt like I had 2 c of squash instead of 1 1/2 c it calls for, and I was going to add veggies.) So I recalculated the calories the way I made it and it came to 270 cal. A little bit bit of a bigger serving and a little cheesier for only 50 calories more. The original recipe has 220 for the whole recipe. I also used the cheddar/mozzarella because I did not have a Mexican blend.

Of course this could also be split in half for sides for two people. I just ate all of mine and I am very full. So it's good and filling. :) A big ol' bowl of spaghetti (squash) and cheesy goodness. Can't go wrong.

Below I am posting the recipe for how I made mine.

2 c spaghetti squash
1 tbsp flour
salt/pepper
1/2 c skim milk
1/4 c fat-free shredded cheddar
1/4 c part-skim shredded mozzarella
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 small green bell pepper, diced
1/2 tomato, diced
1 tbsp Parmesan cheese

This is how I always cook my spaghetti squash: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Poke squash with a fork all over. Place in a baking dish (whole) on its side. Bake for 1 hr. Remove. Let cool, then cut in half. Scoop out the middle part and the seeds. Use a fork to "shred" the squash. I think it's the easiest way.

Ok, now that we have cooked squash... Preheat oven to 350. Spray a small casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, whisk together flour and salt & pepper. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Cook and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted and smooth.

In a bowl, stir the cheese sauce into the cooked spaghetti squash until well combined. Add some of the tomatoes and green onion, and all of the peppers. Mix well. Spread in prepared casserole dish.

Sprinkle with the remaining green onions, tomatoes,  and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. Then enjoy because it's amazing!!!

Original recipe found here.

"Skinny" Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Oh wow, now THIS is the best way to eat spaghetti squash! I had this for lunch today and it is so good. This could also be a side, but I like to use it as a meatless main dish.

1 medium-sized spaghetti squash
1 tbsp butter
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 c milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1 tbsp 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 tbsp extra for topping
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
crushed red pepper flakes and fresh parsley, for optional garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking dish with foil and stab spaghetti squash all over with a fork. Place in dish and bake for 1 hour. Let cool 10-20 min. Using a large knife, cut spaghetti squash in half and let cool. After it cools a little, spoon out the seeds and strands in the middle.

For the sauce, melt butter in a small pot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour, cooking for another minute while stirring. Whisk in milk until no lumps remain. Once hot, add cream cheese and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat. Stir in Parmesan, salt and pepper.

Spoon sauce equally into each spaghetti squash half. Gently pull up the spaghetti strands to coat as much as possible with the sauce. Top with extra Parmesan and place under the broiler of your oven for 2-3 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Top each half with a pinch of red pepper flakes and fresh chopped parsley, if desired. Serve hot.

Original recipe found here.

Herbed Spaghetti Squash

This was my first time to try spaghetti squash and it was AMAZING!!!

After researching how to cook a spaghetti squash, I found you can either cut it in half before you cook it (which is super hard to do), or you can cook it whole, but it will just take longer.

I opted to stab my squash all over with a fork and bake it whole for 1 hour. I let it cool about 30 minutes and then easily cut it right in half! I let it cool a little while longer, then scraped out the middle part. Then I got a fork and just shredded it right up. It's crazy how it comes off in those spaghetti-like pieces! It's a ton too! I followed the directions here for baking a spaghetti squash.

I found this recipe from Emeril (Food Network) and it is so good! Once you've baked and shredded your squash, you're pretty much good to go and you just have to combine everything below in a large pan.

1 spaghetti squash, about 2 1/4 pounds
2 1/2 tbsp butter (I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
2 1/2 tbsp finely chopped mixed soft herbs (I used basil, parsley, and chives)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Let butter melt in pan over medium heat, add spaghetti squash, and all your herbs and spices. I let it cook/heat for 5-10 minutes.