Do I have any pasta lovers out there?
If you’re anything like me, you’re screaming, “Me! Me! I am! Me! Me!”
I’m in love with pasta. It, however, does not love me back. This is evidenced by the direct correlation with the amount of pasta I eat, to the number that shows up when I step on my scale.
Recently I decided to censor pasta’s “mean girl” tendencies and mockery of my waistline. That’s right, I found an alternative!
Spaghetti squash!
I mean come on, it’s right there in the name: “Spaghetti.”
1 cup of spaghetti squash has 42 calories. This is nothing compared to 1 cup of cooked pasta: 221 calories. It also has only 10g carbs per cup. Pasta weighs in at 42g!
Now, I know this is not a revelation of any kind. Many people use veggies in place of pasta. I even wrote a zoodle post last year. So why am I harping on it? This sauce is to die for! It tastes so ridiculously amazing you would never guess 1 serving clocks in at < 100 calories! When I first made this sauce (because you guys know I have to try each recipe a dozen or so times before I get it right!), I used parmesan cheese.
Sometimes I get lazy and think “Oh, lemme just add cheese because it makes everything taste better. Although this is true, sometimes you can find alternatives that are a little healthier. I had an epiphany—Greek Yogurt!!! If you want to stick with the cheese that’s fine (it tastes great too). It only adds another 50 or so calories and a few more grams of fat per serving. But surprisingly, the yogurt CAN take its place!
Yields: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Oven Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1 tsp salt
4 cloves garlic, minced and worked into a paste (see method below)
1 tbsp olive oil
6 cups baby spinach (8 oz bag)
2/3 cup fat free half and half
3 tbsp fat free cream cheese
¼ cup fat free Greek yogurt
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Cut squash in ½, lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds.
3. Spray flesh side of squash with nonstick spray and place skin side up on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 X ~40 minutes (or until a fork can easily pierce through the skin).
4. Meanwhile, mince garlic. Place ~1 tsp salt on cutting board. Holding the blunt side of your knife with both hands and at a 45-degree angle drag the sharp side across the garlic into the salt. Run the knife back and forth over the salt. This will create a paste.
5. Heat olive oil and garlic paste in a pan.
6. Once hot, add spinach and cook covered until spinach is wilted ~2-3 minutes.
7. Add half and half, cream cheese, and yogurt. Stirring over low/medium heat until melted and sauce is thick and creamy.
8. When spaghetti squash is done and cool enough to handle, run a fork through the flesh scraping it away from the skin to create the “spaghetti.” Place spaghetti strands back into skins.
9. Decrease oven temp to 350.
10. Add sauce to squash “boats” and mix to incorporate into the “spaghetti.” Bake at 350 X ~5 minutes to reheat.
The Cook’s 2 Cents:
· If you do decide to add cheese in place of the yogurt, increase the amount of cream cheese to 6 tbsp instead of 3 tbsp.
· If you don’t like the squash “boat” idea, you can alternatively reheat on the stove, simply by adding the “spaghetti” to the pan with the sauce until its thoroughly reheated and combined.
Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: ½ boat
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Calories: 99 Fat: 4g Sodium: 763mg Carbs: 10g Fiber: 1g Sugars: 4g Protein: 6g
