Here’s a produce pick I’ve been using for a about a year now but it warrants its own post.
I was VERY hesitant to try the spaghetti squash at first. Probably because I didn’t see a need for it, I mean just eat spaghetti, right? But once I took the leap, boy was I hooked! The key is NOT to think of it as a substitution for spaghetti. I mean it has the same name, same texture (sort of) and the same shape but it has it’s own purpose.
Spaghetti Squash is by far my favorite food “bulker”. One cup of this stuff has only about 40 calories, with 2 g of fiber. It’s great under chili adding a lot of texture. For me, it completes a meal by adding another veggie for more nutrients and bulk with barely any additional calories. It really helps fill you up!
The squash is easy to use. You can either bake it in a 375-degree oven whole for an hour or pop it in the microwave for about 10-12 minutes (about 2 minutes a pound). Either way make sure you pierce the skin. Once it’s cooked, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds then, using a fork, scrap out the string like flesh.
I’ve used spaghetti squash in some older recipes like Zucchini and Spaghetti Squash “ Lasagna ” and Vegetarian Chili over Spaghetti Squash. Yesterday I used it to make Simple Spaghetti Squash with Garlic, Tomato and Baby Spinach and now I have cold leftovers in the fridge I can sprinkle on salads or even add to some canned soups.
If you haven’t tried this awesome squash give it a shot. It’s worth a try. You never know you can get hooked like me!
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
Useful links...
9 Responses to Spaghetti Squash
Leave a Reply
BlogToLose
What's Cooking in my kitchen?
-
Finally my first Farro idea! I have to say, I love this stuff! It's chewy and yummy and, well, fun! I tossed it with what I could find in my pantry and it made a wonderfully satisfying lunch. Filling but not heavy, tasty and quite nutrient dense. According to NutritionData.com this [...] -
I've seen it mentioned in a few of my clean eating and healthy cook books but honestly, I never even thought of Farro as an option for me. I refuse to shop at specialty stores and I try to use only common products that I can keep in stock and purchase from a typical grocery [...] -
I've never had a tuna melt. Is that weird? I guess that's what happens when you grow up not liking mayonnaise. I never ate tuna salad or egg salad or chicken salad. Honestly, they always kind of grossed me out. Then I realized.. hey.. why does tuna salad have [...] -
I have no idea where this idea came from. I was hungry. It was lunch. I had Brussels Sprouts. That was all the catalyst I needed.:) I decided to use a slice of real bacon to add flavor and little fat that would help sauté the sprouts. I'm trying [...] -
WOW was this good. I mean seriously good. It's not vegetarian so don't start throwing stones. I'm calling it a Garden Vegetable Burger because I use the new Laughing Cow Smooth Sensations Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread. It was this recipe on Allrecipes.com that inspired [...] -
I drink water 99.9% of the time but every so often it just doesn't cut it. I want something else. Something more. Something slightly sweet. Today was one of those days. I decided to make a refreshing drink based on the famous Arnold Palmer, half lemonade and half iced [...] -
The other day I made a whole chicken on the grill in pieces. It was delicious! Just a little BBQ sauce and an open flame is all I need to make The Husband happy in the dinner department. I also picked up a few ears of corn from the grocery store. They aren't in season [...] -
Let me explain so you don't think I'm making a chili recipe and just put it on pizza. I'm calling this vegetarian Chili Pizza because chili is what inspired flavors. I think I told you. Little Bean is really into, well, BEANS! We go through a can about every 2 days. Yesterday [...] -
I've confessed my inability to follow recipes here on GreenLiteBites many, many times. I don't know why it's so hard for me. I can barely follow some of my own and I wrote the darn things! I think most of my problem stems from not having all the ingredients listed and, [...] -
Leftover brown rice and leftover sauce meet in this quick lunch idea inspired by my favorite food of all time: Pizza. I swear I can turn anything into a pizza concoction. Have you seen all my pizza ideas? I've used everything from pumpkin to zucchini, polenta to wontons. Nothing is off [...] -
This isn't a recipe just an idea I had to share. I can't believe how good it was! I've never had grilled pineapple. Can you believe it? I just never really had the desire to grill it before. When you love something raw sometimes it doesn't occur to you to cook it. [...] -
I whipped this up for lunch on a whim today because, well, I have a baby who's obsessed with three things… Cheese, Beans, and Avocado. No, really. Look... It's my go to meal for him so I find myself with beans and avocado readily available. [...] -
You know that tradition 7 Layer Mexican Dip? The one with the cream cheese, guacamole, salsa, lettuce, cheese, green onion and olives? Yea. That's the one. Well I had a craving for it the other day. Well, not exactly for it as I can never make anything the way it's suppose [...] -
If you go through the archives of GreenLiteBites I have about 5 total beef recipes. Five. Compare that to the 80+ I have tagged with chicken/turkey there's a clear winner in the meat department on my blog and in my home. I don't have a beef with beef (omg The Husband [...] -
I'm a kitchen sink smoothie maker. Whatever I have on hand goes in the blender and viola! A quick breakfast or a healthy snack. Last year I posted an "Elastic Approach" to how I make smoothies but I still like to share specific combinations that worked really well. This was one [...] -
The other night it was just the kids and I home for dinner and I decided to make what I wanted to make no holds barred. Without The Husband home it's much easier for some reason. Hmmm wonder why? Ok, not here to husband bash.. really.. I'm not! I'm here [...] -
*sigh* I was really hoping to share an awesome turkey burger idea. I had grand plans for my leftover ground turkey. The results was alright but they could have been so much better. I added diced pineapple, red pepper, green pepper, oats and soy sauce to the meat and formed 2 patties. In hindsight I [...] -
I made this on a total whim yesterday having no idea if it would work. To my surprise it did AND the husband actually said he liked it... UNSOLICITED! Here's the story. I had only 4 tilapia fillets defrosted for dinner. I knew it wasn't going to be enough for us [...] -
This is a slight reboot of a recipe I posted last year simply called Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili. Staying true to my use-what-I-have-on-hand roots I, well, used what I had on hand and made a similar dish with a spicy twist. Topping the result with avocado added a cool creaminess that [...] -
Did you hear? The Laughing Cow recently launched Smooth Sensations a line of 5 cream cheese spreads. There's Classic Cream, Classic Cream Light, Strawberries & Cream, Garden Vegetable and my favorite… Cinnamon. It's a sweet wedge of creamy goodness! Today I decided to use my new favorite flavor [...] -
Confession time, I recorded a 30 minute video making this with both kids (partally) 2 nights ago. I miss videos. I really do but they seem so much more difficult with 2 children. I'm also having technical difficulties with my video recording and audio syncing making it VERY time consuming to edit. [...] -
A couple of years ago I shared a modified version of Sloppy Joe's I made for a party. Everyone loved it but I've been wanting to try to make something similar for the family on a smaller scale and without the pre-made canned Manwich sauce. I don't particularly have any issues [...] -
Yesterday I was dreaming about a salad. Not just any salad, but a chickpea filled, cucumber, and red onion salad with a fun, tangy dressing. Unfortunately, I had no cucumber or red onion. Well, that's a lie. I had a half of cucumber but it was a mushy mess and [...] -
Dinner meals are getting harder and harder for me to share lately. I've gone back to just whipping things up without really measuring anything (this meal was going to be one of those until I realized I still had enough light to take some photos.) I've also instituted a few brainless meal nights [...] -
Three years ago I posted a video called "Makin' Hard Boiled Eggs" where I shared my system for, well... making hard boiled eggs. Genius name, I know. I'm smart like that. Anyway, since then I've gotten tons of feedback and comments thanking me but all the information is locked in a long winded 10 minute [...]
"@MrsSScott9 We can do it! I'll be here if you want to chat instead of snack. :)— RoniNoone
About Roni
Roni started this blog in '05 to journal her weight loss. 70lbs later, she's committed to living a conscious, healthy life and hopes to inspire others along the way. Read more on the about page.Like the new look of Roni’s Weigh?
Check out PageLines WordPress Themes
. Roni's Weigh is built on premium theme PlatformPro.
Spaghetti squash is probably my favorite vegetable these days after butternut squash.
I love it with Lean Cuisine’s Santa Fe Rice and Beans on top! Super filling and so cheesy/gooey. YUM!
for a quick lunch I either put a smart ones chicken santa fe or a bowl of bocca chili. Yours looks really good!
I love spagehetti squash! A friend of mine gave me a recipe from a very old WW cookbook, it’s a fall favorite here and I’ve calculated it at 5 pts/serving using 93% lean beef (let me know if you think it’s different):
Baked Spaghetti Sqaush:
1 spaghetti squash
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. fresh black pepper
2 oz. part skim mozzarella cheese
2 tsp.olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes w/basil
chopped parsley
In large skillet, cook onion, pepper, garlic in oil until onion is translucent. Add beef, cook until done & crumbly. Spray 9×13 pan and mix squash, seasoning, diced tomatoes and cooked beef & veggies, spread evenly through pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then sprinkle top with cheese and bake additional 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. This is a large meal, it makes about 6 servings.
Thank you so much for posting pictures and how you make this work…I had heard about it but could never quite figure out how to make it and then how on earth it would be like spaghetti. I see that now! Thanks! I will be making that with your pasta sauce!
Tanya from Ontario, Canada
I have never heard about this, but it looks delicious. What do you do with the rest of the squash? Can you cut it up and add it to a vege. blend or is it kinda done for after cooking and gutting it, lol?
Sarah – You can do a lot with it. I save the leftovers and top them with sauce. You can put them it in a salad. I’m even working on a squash cake recipe!
I finally got around to trying this tonight with the WW hearty turkey chili recipe. This did wonders to bulk it up and make it feel like I was eating so much more than I actually was. Thank you for the instructional on how to cook/prepare it. I would’ve had no idea.
Roni,
Here’s a link to a spagetti squash cake
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=224627
[...] On the plus side, we had spaghetti squash with it. Thanks to Roni for the help on twitter and her blog. We’ve tried it before in the microwave, but it ended up still crunchy, and in the oven, [...]