Color your plate with this bright and beautiful entrée!
Spaghetti squash is a great way to sneak more vegetables in to your meal without sacrificing flavor. While it isn’t quite pasta, appropriately dressed up, you will not even miss the grain alternative. To make the squash nice and savory, I first sauté it with sage and garlic, then top it off with this creamy purple alfredo style sauce for a feast to both the eyes and taste buds ;) Feel free to simplify this recipe by skipping the ramekin step and serving it like spaghetti, it's still delicious!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Spaghetti Squash
1 Large Spaghetti Squash, cooked
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Leaves fresh sage, thinly sliced
1 Garlic clove, crushed
½-1 Teaspoon salt (depending on size of squash)
Purple Sweet Potato Sauce
1 Large purple sweet potato (or 2 small), peeled and sliced into ½ inch rounds
1 Medium sweet onion, quartered
1 Large clove garlic
1 Cup unsweetened plain almond milk
2 Tablespoons almond butter
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
3/4 Teaspoon salt
1/8 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
Juice from 1 lemon
Garnish
Hemp hearts
Fresh parsley
Red chili flakes
Directions:
Spaghetti Squash
Cook the spaghetti squash either by slicing in half and roasting in the oven at 400 degrees for about 60 minutes, or by placing the whole squash in an instant pot and pressuring cooking on high for 14 minutes.
Once cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape out the “spaghetti” and set aside.
In a sauté pan, fry the sliced sage leaves and crushed garlic in the oil for about 1 minute. Add the salt and squash and stir. If you want to make this recipe simpler, then the squash can be served now as spaghetti.
If you plan to make the nests, then preheat the oven to 400 and oil some ramekins (the number will vary depending on the size of spaghetti squash). Divide the squash evenly between the ramekins and make an indentation in the center to fill with sauce later. Place the ramekins on a baking tray and cook for 30-45 minutes, and then finish on broil for 5 minutes to crisp the tops. Once cool enough to handle, flip the nests out of the ramekins, turning them right side up again to fill with sauce.
Purple Sweet Potato Sauce
While the squash is baking, steam the sweet potato slices and quartered onion until soft. I placed them on the trivet of my instant pot, poured 1 cup water in the bottom, and cooked on high pressure for 4 minutes, releasing the pressure manually.
Place the steamed sweet potato and onion, along with the rest of the ingredients for the sauce in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Adjust salt as needed. The sauce is ready to be served as is, but if squash isn’t ready, keep the sauce warm in a saucepan at low heat.
Once ready to serve, fill the center of each nest with sauce, feel free to add more as desired, and garnish with hemp hearts, fresh parsley, and a shake or two of red pepper flakes.
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