Garden Fresh Spaghetti Squash Pasta + Roasted Squash Seeds (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free)

As I was updating my recipe page the other day I realized I post a lot of desserts and breakfast foods. So I thought I'd switch it up and share a recipe for an actual meal (radical concept I know). There's been much talk lately about spaghetti squash and while I love me some gourds, I had never tried spaghetti squash- no time like the present right? (Especially when presently, it's on sale for 99 cents a pound!)

For those who don't know, this is a spaghetti squash.

And this is what spaghetti squash looks like once it's been cooked and the seeds have been scraped out. 

(It's like those old health videos- "this is your brain, this is your brain on drugs" ...anyone? no? okay, just me then).

So how does a bowl chock full vegetables disguised as pasta sound? Good? Great. Let's get started then.

You're going to want to use the freshest ingredients possible for this recipe. I would definitely suggest fresh herbs rather than dried. Fortunately, on Saturday I finally planted my little herb garden (keeping my fingers crossed that we've seen the last of the snow). This recipe will be excellent later in the season when you can use garden fresh tomatoes and other veggies as well. I haven't tried growing those yet, we'll see if I can keep these herbs alive first.

Isn't it cute? (I also have some mint growing in my bedroom- stay tuned for a mint chocolate chip cookie recipe!) We've already made great use out of these herbs, the plants looked significantly more trimmed back than they do in this picture. It's wonderful when the wind blows and our kitchen suddenly smells of heavenly herbs! Who needs air fresheners when you've got that?

Anyway, I'm getting distracted. Before I share the recipe, let me at first warn you and say, not much was measured out, it's definitely a play-around-til-you've-got-the-flavor-you-want kind of recipe. But you can see in one of the above pictures how much of each herb I used. Since the herbs are fresh, you won't need much.

Garden Fresh Spaghetti Squash Pasta

• 1 Small-ish Spaghetti Squash
• 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
• 4 Large Basil Leaves
• 6-8 Rosemary Needles
• Small Handful of Flat Leaf Parsley 
• 1/3 Cup Chopped Zucchini
• Handful of Kale
• 1 Tomato (I used Roma)
• 1 Clove of Garlic
• Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to Taste

*Keep in mind all measurements are approximate.

Makes 2-3 Servings.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take a knife and carefully stab the spaghetti squash several times to ensure it doesn't explode. Place the squash on a pan lined with aluminum foil. While waiting for the oven to heat, drizzle the olive oil and red wine vinegar in a medium sized bowl. Finely chop the garlic and herbs and add them to the bowl, mix well and set aside and allow the flavors to blend. Place the spaghetti squash in the oven for 1 hour. Go relax. (I went outside and read a book in the sun). 

After an hour, take the squash out of the oven and set aside. While the squash is cooling off, chop your zucchini, kale and tomato, add them to the bowl with the herbs and oil, add the salt and pepper. Now the squash should be cooled enough to handle. Taking a sharp knife, cut around the squash length-wise, open the squash and lay the two pieces on the pan. using a spoon (and you may need a knife as well), remove the seeds, but don't throw them away, you can just set the whole mess aside in a bowl. Once all the seeds are removed, take a fork and scrap the inside of the squash length-wise to create the noddles. Place the "pasta" in the bowl with the other ingredients, once all the squash has been added, mix the pasta gently to fully incorporate the ingredients in each bite. Serve with a smile and enjoy!

**Feel free to mix in pine nuts, walnuts, goat cheese, switch spinach for the kale, other vegetables you have around or whatever strikes your fancy. Or for a slightly different flavor, roast the tomato, garlic and zucchini before adding it to the dish.

Now, remember those seeds I told you to save? 

Yeah, we're gonna need those. 

Why waste the seeds when you can get dinner and dessert all from one gourd? This is a great project to give to your kids if you don't feel like getting your hands messy if you want to get them involved in the kitchen. I like sweet and spicy flavors so that's what I did for this recipe, but feel free to use the flavors you like. You can do a simple salt and pepper or a sweet honey and cinnamon, whatever makes you happy.

Sweet & Spicy Roasted Spaghetti Squash Seeds

• 1 Teaspoon Coconut Oil
• 2 Teaspoons Honey (Pure Maple Syrup or Brown Rice Syrup work as well)
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• A Couple Pinches of Cayenne Pepper (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
• Small Handful of Dark Chocolate Chips (optional)

Reheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the seeds from any stringy pulp, place in a collander and rinse thoroughly. Dry seeds on a clean dish towel. In a bowl, place the coconut oil and honey, add the seeds and mix to coat the seeds. Add the salt and cayenne pepper. Place the seeds on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or a silpat. Roast in the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes or until toasted. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Place seeds in a bowl and add the chocolate chips if desired. And now you have your after dinner movie snack. Enjoy and try to share.

***These seeds would also be great to add to homemade trail mix!

Have you tried spaghetti squash?

What's your favorite recipe?