springtime no-pasta pasta

It’s Foodie Friday! Each week I will post a recipe or a review of something we’ve eaten that we enjoy, or something we’ve experimented with, in hopes to inspire you in the kitchen!

This week I was able to get spaghetti squash in my grocery order, so I decided to throw together an easy no-pasta pasta dish for dinner. We love spaghetti squash! In fact, Emma enjoys it over regular pasta, and has since she started eating solids. *Mom win!* Enjoy this simple family recipe that screams springtime! It also happens to be gluten-free and lactose-free, and easily made vegetarian or vegan if those are considerations for you.

I have to tell you that recently, we have been getting mammoth spaghetti squash in our grocery order. The good news is that you can roast the gigantic veggie and have pasta for two dishes (that’s my plan today)! The bad news is you have to get creative with cutting the thing in half. For this job, I use a cleaver and a rubber mallet.

Once you wrangle the thing in half, get it on a sheet pan. We cover ours with foil because we’re lazy. Oh, don’t worry your squash probably won’t be perfectly in half. Anyway, flip your squash over and give it a spray with oil. I used avocado oil, but you can use olive if that’s what you like. Then, give it a good pinch of kosher salt and a few nice grinds of black pepper.

roasting your “pasta”

Next, throw that bad boy in a 400 degree oven for 40-50 minutes. If your squash is smaller, it might take 30-40 minutes. Mine took 50 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when its slightly brown and gives when you squeeze it (use a kitchen towel or oven mitt!). Take it out and let it sit a while to cool, it’s very hot! Once cool, use a fork to remove the flesh. It comes out looking just like spaghetti. I usually roast my squash ahead of time and store it in the fridge until I’m ready to use it.

When you’re ready to cook, grab the rest of your ingredients and get started! You’ll need smoked sausage (I used chicken and apple), onion, garlic, grape tomatoes, salt and pepper, Italian seasoning, baby spinach, and goat cheese. For exact amounts, read on or head to the recipe down below. Start by slicing your sausage. I sliced them kind of thin. I used chicken and apple because that’s what was in our freezer. It’s delicious and adds a little bit of sweetness. You can add whatever kind of sausage you like, or opt for a vegetarian option if you want. Aidells is gluten free and all of their flavors are delicious!

Saute the sausage in a large skillet set on medium high heat. There should be enough fat from the sausage, so you shouldn’t have to add any additional. If you need a little more fat for cooking, you can add a spritz of oil. Cook the sausage until it starts to brown. Then add your chopped onion and garlic. You may need to turn your heat down to medium here, to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn.

Once the onion and garlic have a few minutes to cook and the onion starts to soften, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning. Let the tomatoes cook down for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. This will allow the them to release their juices and start to create your sauce.

Once the tomatoes have cooked down, add your spaghetti squash and turn to mix with a pair of tongs. These will help to break up the spaghetti squash so it is more evenly distributed in the pan. Allow the spaghetti squash to warm through.

When the spaghetti squash has warmed through, turn off the heat and add a few handfuls of baby spinach. The heat from the pan should help the spinach to wilt, but you may need to turn your pan to low to wilt the spinach to your liking.

Serve in large pasta bowls (the kids will love eating out of a big bowl!) and top with a few crumbles of goat cheese. This adds a nice tang to the dish as well as adds a nice bit of creaminess. Enjoy!

Make ahead tips!

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You can definitely prep ahead of time for this dish! We use these containers for meal prep and we love them!

• Roast the spaghetti squash, remove the flesh, store in the fridge.
• Halve the tomatoes, store in the fridge.
• Chop the onion, store in the fridge.