A simple appetizer or side dish with pesto spaghetti squash, almonds and arugula. Easy to make and healthy – gluten free and vegan!
I first made spaghetti squash last year but have always been intrigued by this fascinating vegetable.
Though on the outside it resembles the other squash members on the inside it is entirely different. After baking the squash you simply shred the inside strands with a fork. Almost like with pulled pork, but veggie friendly of course. It really starts to look like spaghetti! I mean is this amazing or what. I feel like this is a vegetable that is simply playing tricks on us.
The activity itself of shredded the spaghetti squash is quite fun. How often do you get to do that in the kitchen you know? I mean can you name any other vegetable that is like spaghetti squash? I find it be quite an anomaly in the veggie family.
There are tons of different recipes for spaghetti squash – most of them using it as a substitute for pasta and I wanted to do just the same.
Since pesto is clearly my favorite sauce of all time it was only natural for me to make pesto spaghetti squash. Yep instead of pesto pasta we’ve got pesto spaghetti squash tonight!
This is perfect as a dinner appetizer or side dish. One roasted spaghetti squash will feed 6 and you just need to toss it with some pesto, layer on top of arugula and sprinkle with some pan toasted sliced almonds. The pan toasted almonds really give this pesto spaghetti squash a nice crunch. You could use toasted pine nuts here too – those would be delicious as well. In place of arugula you could use regular spinach, but I like the sharp bite that arugula has.
One key is to make sure not to overcook the spaghetti squash — it will come out super mushy. You want this al dente – just as you would with regular pasta so make sure to keep an eye on it in the oven!
Simple, sophisticated, interesting and most importantly healthy.
Gluten free and vegan pesto spaghetti squash. Make sure to make my batch of vegan basil pesto from scratch while the spaghetti squash is roasting! Home made is way better than store bought – trust me!
Seriously yum.
Let me know what you think of this pesto spaghetti squash in the comments below!
A simple appetizer or side dish with pesto spaghetti squash, almonds and arugula. Easy to make and healthy - gluten free and vegan!
- 1 spaghetti squash halved and seeds scraped out
- 3-4 tablespoons vegan pesto
- 1/4-1/2 cup sliced almonds
- several handfuls arugula
- salt pepper to taste
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Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cut spaghetti squash cut side down in a casserole dish and fill 1/4 inch up with water.
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Bake for 30-45 minutes, checking on it every 15 minutes to see if it is soft and cooked through.
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Heat pan over medium heat and lightly toast the sliced almonds (without any oil) until lightly browned)
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To serve: just before serving mix spaghetti squash with pesto, salt and pepper. Layer arugula on each plate and top with spaghetti squash and sprinkle with almonds.
Rachel says
I would love to try making this!