RecipeSpaghetti Squash Veggie Pizza
- Calories: 320
- Protein: 15 g
- Total Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 30 g
- Dietary Fiber: 7 g
- Total Sugar: 12 g
- Natural Sugar: 12 g
- Added Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 670 mg
Adding vegetables is the easiest way to pump up the nutrition of your favorite foods, and this recipe is veggies-on-veggies-on-veggies for a boatload of healthy deliciousness. The star of the show is the humble spaghetti squash—a magical squash packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and whose interior turns to noodle-like strands when cooked. Smothered with marinara sauce, cheese, and roasted veggies of your choice (leftovers are welcome!), you don’t want to miss the boat!
RECIPE NOTES
• You’ll find squash comes in a variety of sizes. You can choose whatever size you’d like, but I recommend trying to opt for the same sizes so they all cook at the same time. Smaller squash require less time in the oven; larger ones will require more time. If you find smaller squashes, check them closer to the 20-25 minute mark as you don’t want to overcook your squash—you’re looking for the perfect al dente “noodles.” If you use my microwave softening trick below, it’s important to reduce your cooking time by about 10 minutes in the oven. That’s because your squash has already been slightly cooked in the microwave, and sticking to the standard oven cooking time can result in overcooked, mushy squash.
• Cutting squash can be a little intimidating at first, but once you know a trick to simplify, you’ll become a slicing savant. All you have to do is microwave for about 3 minutes to soften it up, then cut, and it’s ready for the oven.
• I typically serve each person half a squash, which makes this recipe a breeze to scale up for larger groups. One squash will make two servings; two squashes will make four servings; and so on.
- Prep time
- Total Time
- • 1 spaghetti squash
- • 2 teaspoons olive oil
- • Salt and pepper
- • 2 cups chopped vegetables of choice (zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper, opinion, etc.)
- • ¾ to 1 cup marinara sauce
- • ½ cup part-skim shredded mozzarella
- • 2 to 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- • Optional red pepper flakes
Preheat oven to 400º.
Cook spaghetti squash
Microwave for about 3 minutes to slightly soften it up and make it easier to slice in half. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds (and discard) using a large spoon. Rub 1 to 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil on the inside flesh of each half and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Lay both halves on baking sheet with the cut side down. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until the skin is softened; (you may notice some slight browning; this is for a medium-sized squash–the time can vary depending on the size of your squash and the temperature of your oven).
While the squash cooks, prepare your vegetables. Place the chopped vegetables on a baking sheet in a single layer. Liberally mist the veggies with olive oil spray and sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the top. Feel free to add other preferred seasonings, if desired. Roast for about 25 minutes.
When the squash is ready, remove from oven and allow them to slightly cool. Then, flip them over so the cut side is facing up, shred the insides of the squash using a fork, “fluffing” the interior to create spaghetti-like strands. Keep the strands within the squash shell, as this will be your serving “bowl.”
Build the “pizzas”
Set oven to broil.
To each squash half (bowl), add ¼ cup of your favorite marinara sauce and mix into the strands. Divide and stir in the roasted vegetables . Then, cover with 2 tablespoons sauce and heaping ¼ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle on 1 to 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan and optional crushed red pepper flakes for heat or any other preferred seasonings. Place back in oven on the top rack and broil (watching closely so it doesn’t burn) for a minute or so until the cheese is melted with some charring.
Try this Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti Squash!
