It’s squash season! Though I’ve been having a ball with butternut squash along with everyone else (the proof is in this soup), I’ve also been enjoying some quality time with our beloved spaghetti squash.
I truly admire people who can successfully do that whole low-carb diet thing. Any carb-less day in my world ends with me squatting into a dark corner in my kitchen and bingeing on buttered toast. I just can’t. My husband is the same; there is actually a photo of him somewhere as a small child gnawing on a baguette in his underpants.
If you snuck into my kitchen on a lazy Sunday afternoon, you’d see that nothing has changed.
Despite my love for carbs, I’m great with that whole moderation thing and I keep’em to a healthy limit. I’m lucky enough to *lovelovelove* vegetables and the fact that there are so many ways to get creative with them is huge for me — because I get bored quickly.
The last time I played around with spaghetti squash, I ended up with this swoon-worthy Tex Mex Spaghetti Squash. Imagine eating nacho toppings out of a bowl… minus the self-loathing.
This time around, I changed things up and brought some Italian flare to the squash by stirring in some pesto + tomato sauce. The addition of baby bella mushrooms brings a heartiness that makes half of the spaghetti squash to be a full meal itself. Feel free to add in some roasted red peppers or eggplant — do your thing.
Oh yeah, and sprinkle some mozzarella on there, will ya? Everyone deserves some melty goodness in their lives.
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Easy Pesto + Mushroom Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
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Pesto + Mushroom Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
- lbs spaghetti squash approx. 2.5
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 5.5 oz baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan or pecorino romano
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Optional garnishes:
- Shredded mozzarella
- Fresh basil
Instructions
Cooking the squash:
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
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Lightly oil a baking sheet.
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Carefully slice the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.
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Drizzle each half with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper, to taste.
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Place squash, open-side down, onto the prepared baking dish.
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Roast in the oven until tender, about 30 minutes. (While the squash roasts, you can prepare the filling to save time.)
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Remove squash from oven and let rest until cool enough to handle, or handle it while wearing oven mitts.
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Scrape the flesh with a fork to create strands.
Filling:
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Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet.
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add the garlic and onions and simmer until garlic is fragrant, approx. 2 minutes. Stir often to prevent the garlic from browning.
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Add the mushrooms and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.
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Dump the spaghetti squash strands into the skillet.
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Add the pesto, tomato sauce and shredded parm.
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Stir to coat the squash.
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Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Evenly redistribute the squash mixture into each squash bowl.
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If topping with mozzarella, do so, and give the squash broil until mozzarella melts (see notes).
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Garnish with fresh basil and serve.
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