Spaghetti Squash with Pesto

For January the theme is Quick and Easy Healthy Meals and I made a fake out spaghetti that even my boys loved. We are adding this Spaghetti Squash meal to our list of recipes we would love to eat once a week.

This was my very first time making spaghetti squash and homemade pesto so it was a fun learning situation. Now I can finally understand why pesto is green and now it doesn’t quite look so unappetizing to me. It also helped my boys to watch it in the blender turn green. Hint: If your child has trouble with green food that tends to resemble baby poop, just add the pesto on top and don’t mix it in.

If you are looking for a way to reduce the amount of carbs in your diet, this is one recipe that will help.

For those who have food allergies, this recipe is gluten free and dairy free if you do not add in the cheese, which is totally optional.

Spaghetti Squash with Pesto (Homemade)

Ingredients:

• 1 squash
• 2 cups basil leaves
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Cut squash into half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Lay face down on a baking sheet lined with foil (optional) and place in oven for 1 hour.
2. While squash is cooking, prep the pesto. Toast the pine nuts in a skillet until they are just browned. Be careful to not overdo it or you can burn the nuts.
3. Finely chop toasted pine nuts in blender then add basil leaves and minced garlic. Add Extra Virgin Olive Oil a little bit a time until you get to desired consistency.
4. When squash is fully cooked, remove from oven and use a fork to scrape out the squash. This creates a spaghetti like look.
5. Add pesto and freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste (optional).

Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

The Verdict

• Seven year old son: Two thumbs up.
• Ten year old son: Two thumbs up.
• My husband: Two thumbs up.
• Me: Two thumbs up. This meal is great as leftovers since we used only half of the squash and left in the refrigerator. Just a few minutes on the stove with the pesto made it taste nothing like leftovers.

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