Pesto Spaghetti Squash from the Happy Healthy Kitchen

Hello, my Happy + Healthy Tribe and HAPPY 2018! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday season filled with love, laughter, and lots of fun. And now, back to our regularly scheduled healthy routines! Just kidding, you guys know I’m all about balance If you follow me on social media, you know I was fully embracing self love and spending time with family and friends this holiday season, and not worrying so much about eating “perfect” and exercising a ton. That being said, I am excited to get back into my normal routine and incorporate some new healthy habits as well.

A few of you have asked me to share some recipes and in all honesty, I’m not exactly a ninja in the kitchen. My cooking is pretty basic, lots of repeats, but always mostly healthy. Some of my staples – smoothies, quinoa, certain veggie dishes – are things I can whip up in no time and I forget that lots of people are new to these foods and don’t know where to start. So today I’m sharing my process for making a simple spaghetti squash. I make it probably about once every two weeks, because while I will say it is easy to make, it’s quite time consuming.

I usually buy a small spaghetti squash, enough for one dinner for my boyfriend and I (there are certain things I don’t like to eat as leftovers and this is one of them, but don’t let me stop you! Certainly buy a larger squash and enjoy it tomorrow if you’d like). Step One: Make dash-like cuts along the outside of the squash, as if you were cutting it in half. Microwave for five minutes. This will make it much easier to cut in half for real. When removing from the microwave, use potholders – it gets VERY hot in there!

Step Two: Using your dashes as a guide, cut the squash into two equal parts. Use a fork to scrape out the seeds. I usually toss the seeds, but I have heard of people roasting them. Step Three: Drizzle olive oil over each half, and spread using a pastry brush to cover the entire surface. Sprinkle with the seasoning of your choice – mine vary depending on what I’m doing with my squash but in most cases I use Himalayan pink salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Step Four: Place the two halves face down on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, depending on the size of the squash.

Step Five: Once your squash is out of the oven, use a fork to separate the “spaghetti” from the skin. Once you’re about halfway there, start incorporating your fillings (I do this so they mix well with the spaghetti strands). In this particular recipe, I used about two tablespoons of basil pesto and shredded mozzarella cheese. Other favorites of mine include broccoli and cheese (I will usually steam the broccoli first), and roasted kale (I’ll put the kale in the oven with the squash about ten minutes before the timer goes off). It really depends on what I’m in the mood for, and what I have in my fridge. That’s it! The best part about this recipe is that there is no clean-up involved – you can eat it right out of the squash “bowl”!