Spaghetti Squash with Cheesy Marinara (Vegan)
Spaghetti Squash with Cheesy Marinara (Vegan) made all the members of my household drool. Seriously. I knew there would be skepticism at first sight, but mouth-watering, “MORE PLEASE!” hollers as soon as this was tasted and immediately scarfed down… annndd, I was right. The beauty of this meal, outside of the delish factor, is how incredibly easy and versatile it is. I made the adults spaghetti squash with shredded Miyokos vegan mozzarella, vegan meatballs (Trader Joe’s), and freshly chopped basil from my garden. I made my kiddo spaghetti squash with Quorn Chicken and parmesan cheese. The following day, I threw some left over olives I had from my Greek infused tofu scramble (recipe coming soon) in my bowl and my mouth melted just a teeny bit more. My point being, throw in whatever you’d like and it will still be awesome!
Many, many moons ago, my exe’s sister was in culinary school and taught us how to use spaghetti squash as pasta. I was hooked. As you all know, I’m a total f’in carb-whore, and my thighs really don’t appreciate that portion of my personality, so this discovery was pretty freakin’ fantastic to say the least. His sister also taught us a trick for cutting cilantro and parsley off the bunch. One day, when I actually have my YouTube channel that I’ve been talking about creating for over a year now, I’ll totally share that fabulous trick with you all. For the “one day…”
Anyway, enjoy the grub and the tunes! -FGG
Okay, so TOTALLY disappointing! My Yum Print Recipe card template isn’t working! Ugh… 🙁 I’ll post the recipe below without it. When I sort it out, I will revise this post with the recipe card.
30 minutes // Serves: 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
1 spaghetti squash
25 oz jar of garlic marinara (I used Cucina Antica)
2 C shredded vegan mozzarella (I used Miyokos or Follow Your Heart)
1/4 C fresh basil – chopped
Optional add-ons:
Vegan meatballs (I used Trader Joes)
Vegan chicken strips (try Gardein)
Vegan sausage (Gimme Lean OR Tofurky: Italian Sausage with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil)
Olives
Capers
Artichoke hearts
Spinach
Fresh Parsley
DIRECTIONS:
Cut the spaghetti squash in half – length wise and place in a large pot with boiling water, face down, for 25 minutes on medium high
While the squash is cooking, shred your mozzarella and chop your basil. Prepare any other ingredients you are using as well
When the squash is through cooking, scrape out the seeds with a fork or spoon. Next scrape each half of the squash with a fork. You should be able to scrape all the way to the shell leaving no “meat” left in the squash shells
Place the scraped squash back in the pot on low, and add the sauce, basil, and cheese. Stir well until the squash is thoroughly covered in sauce and the cheese has begun to melt
Add any other ingredients you are using and stir again
Remove from heat and serve immediately
Done!
Wine Pairings:
Red – Montepulciano d’Abruzzo OR Pinot Noir
White – Pinot Grigio OR a crisp Sauvignon Blanc
Creamy & Cheesy Pasta Bake (Vegan)
Creamy & Cheesy Pasta Bake (Vegan) is crazy delicious and easy! Yesterday, I was by myself for about 2 hours, a total rarity in life, and decided to take advantage of this randomly awesome moment and shoot some amazing eats! I drank red wine and danced around the kitchen listening to Billie Holiday. I truly did this. And, it felt sublimely amazing. “You Go to My Head” is one of my all time favorite tunes. I put it on repeat. 😉 I need more of these moments in life for sure! Not to say I don’t love my little guy to the freakin’ moon, but mama needs a break sometimes, too. Some me time. So, yesterday was suh-weet!
This recipe uses an arrabiata sauce (homemade recipe coming soon), and creamy vegan cheese sauce. You can buy a creamy vegan cheese OR you can make it yourself. If you’re looking for a recipe, I used mine from my Creamy Vegan Mac n’ Cheese recipe. I used Lisanatti Almond Mozzarella Cheese and shredded it for the top of the pasta bake. This is a simple but incredibly flavorful recipe!
Side Note: Upon reheating, I put the pasta in a sauce pan on medium, added a Tbl of Tofutti Cream Cheese, dash of garlic powder, flick of the wrist of olive oil, and crisped that baby up! A pasta that actually tasted just as good, if not better, reheated! One for the win! Mangia, my friends. 😉
- 1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
- Approximately 24 oz arrabiata sauce (can sub out for marinara) - a garlicky option is best
- Approximately 24 oz creamy vegan cheese (I used my recipe from my vegan mac n' cheese)
- Approximately 1 C shredded vegan mozzarella (I used Lisanatti)
- Fresh basil to taste (chopped) and for garnish
- Boil pasta and preheat oven to 350f
- On the bottom of an oven safe pan, smear both sauces and add spaghetti
- Top spaghetti with both sauces
- Continue this pattern until pasta has run out
- Top the pasta with more sauce, shredded vegan mozzarella, and fresh chopped basil
- Cover pasta with aluminum foil for 25 minutes. Remove foil for the last 5 minutes
- Enjoy!
- Sangiovese
