Craving that spaghetti for dinner but don’t want those pasta carbs? Switch to spaghetti squash! Tastes just like pasta…no joke! I was skeptical at first, but after my first attempt I feel in love! What a great substitute for pasta! Check out my spaghetti squash and marinara recipe!

Prep Time: 1 Hour 25 min

Cook Time: 55 min- 1 hour

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• Half a small white onion, chopped
• 1 tbl of tomato paste
• 1 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)
• Half a tomato, chopped
• Bundle of fresh basil
• 1 handful of spinach
• 1 handful of kale
• 1/2 cup of mushrooms, chopped (optional)
• Almond cheese (optional)
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 1 tsp of dried basil
• 1 tsp of pepper
• Dash of salt
• olive oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 35oF. Take the spaghetti squash and cut it in half (use a large, sharp knife). Scoop out the seeds and toss them out. Take a baking dish and drizzle olive oil and some salt and pepper onto the pan. Fill the pan with a thin layer of water. Take the spaghetti squash halves and place them face down onto the baking dish (hard side up). Bake in oven for 50-55 minutes.
2. In a medium saucepan, on medium heat, drizzle some olive oil on the bottom. Once hot, add the chopped onion into the pan. Stir for about 3-5 minutes. Take the chopped, rinsed mushrooms and add to the pan. Stir for about 2 more minutes. Then add in the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
3. Lower the heat to low and add the can of diced tomatoes, the tomato paste and the fresh tomato into the pan. Stir for about 5 minutes.
4. Then take all the greens, spinach, kale and part of the fresh basil and toss into the pan. These greens will cook within the sauce, giving you an extra boost of veggies (trick learned by my Tia). Let this cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Add the dried spices to the sauce, cover and stir occasionally. The sauce should thicken up nicely. If it is too watery, add another tablespoon of tomato paste and/or veggies to the mix.
6. Remove the spaghetti squash from the oven. Flip the squash over and let it sit for 2-4 minutes to cool off. Take a fork and spoon out the squash into a bowl. Add the tomato sauce to the squash. Sprinkle some dairy-free cheese over the hot sauce (I use almond cheese). Cut up a fresh basil leaf and place over the cheese.
7. Take a seat, say a prayer and enjoy! This recipe gives me about 4-6 portions.