That’s Amore! Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Basil Sauce

Not many dishes are quite as romantic as spaghetti! The Italians know romance – right?! To help keep you satisfied but not have that bloated feeling many of us experience after a pasta dish try swapping spaghetti squash for pasta!

This is a great way to cut back on carbs and calories in this saucy vegan dinner. Here, we have tossed the squash with a simple fresh tomato sauce. Jazz up the sauce with crushed red pepper flakes, Kalamata olives and/or capers, if you like.

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium spaghetti squash (4-5 pounds), cut in half, seeds removed
2. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3. ⅔ cup chopped onion
4. 4 garlic cloves, minced
5. 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, diced (about 4 cups; save juices)
6. ¼ cup vermouth, dry red wine or dry white wine
7. ½ teaspoon ground pepper
8. ¼ teaspoon salt
9. 8-10 fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place spaghetti squash halves, flesh side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and continue cooking until golden, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices. Increase heat to medium-high. Add vermouth (or wine) and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to breakdown, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in pepper and salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover.
• When the spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape the flesh from the shell and add it to the tomato sauce. Stir in basil.

Serving size: 2 cups

Per serving: 268 calories; 12 g fat(2 g sat); 8 g fiber; 37 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 68 mcg folate; 0 cholesterol; 17 g sugars; 0 g added sugars; 2,368 IU vitamin A; 47 mg vitamin C; 115 mg calcium; 2 mg iron; 322 mg sodium; 1,028 mg potassium

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (78% daily value), Vitamin A (47% dv)