I posted this foodie pic of my homemade meal a few weeks ago, but a girlfriend of mine is asking for the recipe so I decided to repost with some gentle instruction.
When I was a poor college student trying to lose my Freshman 15, I cleared out my pantry of every single rice and pasta product and vowed to find some healthier substitutions.
I heard about the mysterious vegetable spaghetti squash (a squash with innards that resemble thin spaghetti noodles that can be baked or sauteed with a tomato sauce to mimic the real deal), but I had my doubts--and I guess I still do since I've never attempted cooking with one.
Instead of tackling the spaghetti squash, I stocked up on the more familiar yellow squash and zucchini at the grocery store.
At home, I wash the zucchini and squash while readying a large bowl and my vegetable peeler. Pat the vegetables dry, then go crazy with the peeler. I aim for long, narrow strips peeled from the squash and zucchini. Keep peeling until you get down to the core of the veggies. I usually put aside the cores and store them in the fridge to be chopped up and thrown into another dish later in the week (a perfect addition to stir fries).
Heat up a large nonstick pan. Once hot, add about a tablespoon of olive oil into the pan. Add your zucchini and squash "noodles" to the pan and saute until tender.
This is when you can go crazy with it.
In the dish pictured above, I added fresh spinach to the pan and let it wilt. I seasoned everything with a healthy dose of fresh ground pepper and sea salt, and threw in a dash of red chili flakes (love the heat!). Once the spinach had cooked down, I threw it all on the plate and topped it with fresh chopped tomatoes, basil and a handful of garbanzo beans. A drizzle of balsamic vinegar finished it all off.
Some other great ideas for your Squash Pasta:
- top with your favorite marinara sauce and freshly grated Pecorino cheese
- top with a simple white pasta sauce (think a healthier version of Mac & Cheese)
- mix in some pesto! and so easy to make homemade
- throw in some bacon...or prosciutto with peas.
Go wild! There is no wrong way to make this delicious, healthy alternative to your typical pasta dinner. Tell me what you come up with!
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