03.06.12
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Hi friends! Before we begin, I must announce the SUPER lucky winner of the Ted Allen cookbook! A huge huge HUGE thank you again to Robert Mondavi Private Selection for hosting this giveaway 🙂 Look forward to working with you more in the future!
And now! The winner!
aka, Mary Beth! Whose favorite ingredient is hot sauce! Sounds a bit like my hubby 🙂 Email me, Mary Beth, at realistic.nutritionist@gmail.com to claim your prize!
Now, onto some seriously delicious food! But first I have to share this photo of Oscar. I was prepping in the kitchen yesterday and he just sat and watched me with histonguehanging out. Honestly just the cutest. Plus, I’m sad b/c he has to get his routine shots today. So please, shoot this furbaby mothersomereassuring thoughts, mmk?
He looks like a little e-wok doesn’t he? Oh that face! I could easily gush about him for the rest of my life, but I must restrain so I can talk about THIS. THIS-A BEAUTIFUL THING RIGHT A HERE. (I sometimes talk with an Italian accent. And a British one. Don’t judge me.)
Or better known, in it’s scientific term, as a big ol’ pile of awesome. Or, in lamens terms, spaghetti squash roasted to perfection, paired with sauteed asparagus, mushrooms and onions. Then! It’s garnished with a dollop of this stuff.
Homemade pesto! MMMMM! I’ve never been a huge pesto person. I mean, it’s good but I’m never like “Oh man. I just wish I had a spoonful of pesto!” Well, friends, that was before I made a batch of it at home. This stuff? Tastes like happiness. I would drink it through a straw if everyone around me wouldn’t disown me and put me in a straight jacket. It’s good. Plus, paired with this dish? It’s outstanding.
The pesto adds creaminess while the asparagus lends a superior crunch. If I closed my eyes, I wouldn’t know I was eating a vegetable. That is probably one of my favorite things about spaghetti squash. It’s such a FABULOUSalternativeto pasta.
Even though the flavor is awesome, what makes me the most giddy about this dish is the simple fact that it has less than 6 points per 1 cup serving. 6 POINTS! Now that is a cause for celebration.
NOTE: You only need like 1 – 2 tablespoons of pesto to get that flavor. The more you add, the more fat and calories you add to the dish.
Spaghetti Squash with Veggies and Homemade Pesto
Serves 4 [pesto makes 1 cup]
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
For the pesto:
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated, if possible)
- 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Dashes of salt and pepper
For the dish:
- 1 medium spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
- 3/4 pound asparagus, cut into thirds
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Dashes of salt and pepper
Directions:
- To prepare the pesto, place walnuts, oil and basil leaves into a blender or food processor. Pulse on low until creamed. Add in cheese, lemon juice and garlic cloves and continue to pulse until mixture is creamy and mixed. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill in the fridge.
- To prepare the dish, preheat the oven to 375F. Place the squash flesh side down in a jelly roll pan. Fill the pan with 1/2 inch water. Bake squash for at least 35 – 40 minutes, or until you can easily pull the “noodles” out with a fork. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- While squash bakes, prepare veggies. Heat olive oil in a medium pan over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until just translucent, about 3 minutes. Add in mushrooms and asparagus and cook until asparagus is soft, about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.
- Once squash has cooled, carefully pull the flesh from the squash using a fork [this will give you the noodles]. Place in a bowl. Add in veggies and mix up with a tong. Add 1 – 2 tablespoons of pesto, stir and enjoy!
Nutritional information per 1 cup:
Calories: 199
Fat: 8.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 14 grams
Fiber: 2 grams
Protein: 2.4 grams
Weight Watchers Points Plus Points: 4
Leave a Comment | 29 Comments
PIN IT!
Claire
Categories:Eat Skinny Be Skinny Recipes, Food Photography, Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Tags:easy recipe, featured, homemade pesto recipe, low fat recipe, spaghetti squash recipes, Weight Watchers recipe. gluten-free
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Comments
Posted by Erin on
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
This looks really good! I have been wanting to try spaghetti squash as an alternative to pasta for awhile, but I am not sure I could get it past my family. Scared!!
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Posted by Jen on
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
The pictures are just gorgeous - so light and fresh!
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Posted by Soni on
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
Gorgeous, light and so fresh!Love your recipe and the choice of veggies in there!Oscar is super cute too :)
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Posted by Kiri W. on
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
Oooooh! I, for one, have always been a pesto person, so this is amazingly awesome to me :) Looks like an amazing pile of awesome indeed!
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Posted by Sarah on
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
I've still never had spaghetti squash, and I am so tired of reading delicious looking recipes with equally delicious looking pictures and not having any! I need to get some, asap!
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Posted by Emily @ Life on Food on
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
This looks absolutely amazing. I made spaghetti squash once and butchered it. I should really try it again, especially with this recipe. Pesto and asparagus...two of my favorites.
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Posted by amy donovan on
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
looks awesome! i love spaghetti squash but haven't tried it with pesto yet - smart idea!
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Posted by MaryBeth on
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
I'm so excited! Thank you! :)
And that recipe looks out of this world!
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Posted by Anita at Hungry Couple on
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
Yum! And I love your furry baby, too. Does he mind getting his shots because mine doesn't seem to care as long as there are enough people around for her to lick and jump on :) Spaghetti squash always reminds of a roommate I had years ago who made spaghetti squash alfredo that made you forget it wasn't pasta. Never been able to replicate it...
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Posted by Eliotseats on
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
Pesto makes EVERYTHING better! Even squash! :)
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Posted by Julia on
Wednesday, March 7th, 2012
Mmm, this looks divine! I've never tried pesto before, but I think I'm gonna have to give it a shot :) and your dog is so cute!!
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Posted by Erin (Travel Eat Repeat) on
Wednesday, March 7th, 2012
Spaghetti squash is such a fall farmers market favorite but I haven't made one in months. I might have to "cheat' and pick one up at the grocery store, because this recipe looks delicious. It's funny -- I never make pasta (the same 2 boxes of pasta have come along on my last 2 moves) yet I love pasta-like dishes.
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Posted by Ravienomnoms on
Wednesday, March 7th, 2012
That looks wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing it. I always love to see new spins on the classics
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Posted by Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. on
Wednesday, March 7th, 2012
This looks so delicious and I love the bright green color! And you can never go wrong with pesto!
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Posted by Ally on
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
Wow, such great recipes! That pesto recipe sounds perfect, I'd love to try & make my own! The spaghetti squash dish sounds so fresh & yummy.
xo
http://allykayler.blogspot.com/Reply
Posted by Corina on
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
I've never tried spaghettti squash but it looks like a great healthy meal.
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Posted by Samantha Haddow on
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
I adore spaghetti squash but usually end up serving it with a bit of garlic and oil or a splash of tomato sauce. Thank you for the inspiration!
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Posted by Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen on
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
This looks so de-lish....I love spaghetti squash!! Congrats on the Top 9!!
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Posted by Meagan @ Scarletta Bakes on
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
Zee spaghetti sauce looks amazzzzing and zee ewok puppy eeez adorable!! (that's me talking in my French accent - no judgement here.)
Fantastic recipe, Claire! You had me at pesto!! :)
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Posted by Geraldine Saucier on
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
I love spaghetti squash. I need to try your recipe with pesto. I usually just have mine with marinara sauce. Thank for a great post:)
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Posted by Grubarazzi on
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
Mmm. This looks delicious. Love the carb count on this dish. You could even up the protein a bit by adding some grilled chicken...I need to go to the store immediately.
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Posted by MK on
Monday, March 19th, 2012
Made this tonight with a few tweaks...it was great! For the spaghetti squash...I find that it's so much easier to cut by just baking it whole and not slicing it first...I pierce it all over with a knife and put it on a baking sheet for 80 minutes at 375...rotating it once halfway through. Let it cool, slice down the middle, and proceed like normal! :)
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Posted by Jen E on
Wednesday, September 5th, 2012
This is yummy! -- but I used HALF the olive oil, and added a little salt and pepper to the pesto. Also, I used yellow beans (just blanched) instead of asparagus -it's what was in my CSA box :) Thanks!
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Posted by Julie on
Thursday, January 24th, 2013
I searched the web for a pesto spaghetti squash recipe and found your blog. So glad I did! This dish is delicious! I'll definitely make this again! I added a clove of garlic, a few sun dried tomatoes, and shrimp. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Posted by Penny on
Tuesday, February 26th, 2013
I am going back on the South Beach Diet and decided to look on the internet for a spaghetti squash recipe that had the veggies I had on hand tonight. So glad your's popped up first. I pretty much did your recipe with the pesto altho I used a scallion instead of a onion. Looking forward to making it again! Thanks
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Posted by Rose Martine on
Friday, October 18th, 2019
"Simple recipe. Very tasty. The whole family loves it. Added pesto to one. Delish!
"
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