Cheesy Veggie Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash may seem daunting at first, but always ends up being one of the easiest meals to prepare. There's barely any prep involved, and the oven does most of the work.

The squash I used here had been sitting in our basement for a year.. An entire year! And it was perfectly fine. This recipe was a bit of an experiment to see if the squash was still edible (it was). Now I don't suggest eating year-old squash, but the garden last year went a bit out of control and produced hundreds of them.

After you cut open the squash, rub it with olive oil & sprinkle some salt and pepper on it. Pop it in the oven with the skin facing up and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. I cooked this one for 50 minutes and it was perfect. Once the squash goes into the oven, chop up some veggies and stir fry them until nice and tender.

When the squash comes out of the oven you will know it is finished if it looks like the 2 pictures above. Scrape a fork along the sides and if the squash looks stringy and comes loose easily, it's perfect.

After you've scraped the squash, pour the stir-fried veggies into each half and gently mix with a fork. It doesn't have to be perfect; I left most of the veggies on top and only mixed slightly. Grate some vegan soy cheese on top and pop it in the oven on broil for another 3-5 minutes.

Yummy! Easy and satisfying. Spaghetti squash is incredibly low in calories, has tons of antioxidants (including beta-carotene which aids in eye-health), and is loaded with dietary fibre. It also has Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids which helps keep your brain sharp and inflammation low. Do your body and your mind a favour and dig in to this amazing squash! Visit this website if you would like to read more about the benefits of spaghetti squash.

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*serves 2 as a main dish; serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

1 large spaghetti squash

1 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

2 tbsp coconut oil

5 cremini mushrooms, sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 cup white onion, diced

6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 medium head of broccoli, chopped into florets

1/4 cup fresh parsley + some for garnish

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 cup grated vegan mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 C.

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to carve the guts out, rub 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on each side. Place the squash face-down on the prepared baking sheet (skin-up), and bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour. 

You will know the squash is finished when a fork is scraped along the sides and the squash is stringy and comes loose easily. 

While the squash is baking, prepare your vegetables. Heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes until onions are translucent. Add the broccoli and tomatoes and sauté for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and wait for the spaghetti squash.

Once the spaghetti squash is cooked, remove from oven and flip the squash over. USE CAUTION! Steam that is trapped under the squash will burn your hand if you're not careful. Scrape the sides of the squash with a fork until the strings are loose. Pour the sautéed vegetables into each half of the squash and gently mix with a fork. Sprinkle the nutritional yeast and the fresh parsley on top, and finish with the grated vegan cheese.

Change the setting on your oven to broil at 500 C and bake the spaghetti squash for an additional 3-4 minutes, until the cheese is melty and starting to brown. Remove from oven and wait for a couple minutes until the squash has cooled to serve. Serve with additional fresh parsley on top and enjoy!