Spicy Lemon Caper Spaghetti Squash

Happy Firefighter Friday!

I know many of you are wondering where you can purchase artwork similar to the above, but, alas, it is unavailable. 🙂

For those of you unfamiliar with it, spaghetti squash is (obviously) a type of squash that, when cooked, yields a stringy flesh that can double as pasta.

Whether you top it with marinara or alfredo sauce, or even a simple combination of butter and parmesan, spaghetti squash is a great low carb way to get your noodle fix! The 'noodles' are virtually tasteless, which is great because they soak up whatever sauce you top them with.

Most days, I actually prefer the yellow gourd to regular pasta.

The way I cook a spaghetti squash is simple....

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Once it is heated, put the whole spaghetti squash into the oven, uncut. Bake it for 40-45 minutes (until it is easily pierced with a fork), remove, cool, and cut in half, diagonally. Using a spoon, remove the seeds. Then, with a fork, scrape the flesh under the seeds and watch as noodles magically appear.

I like to wait to cut it until after it bakes, because it is near impossible for me to do so beforehand.

I absolutely love to top them with this lemon caper sauce, which is super easy, quick, and versatile, depending on your vegetable preferences.

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Spicy Lemon Caper Spaghetti Squash (GF, Vegan)

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 246kcal

Author: Lauren Goslin

Ingredients

• ½ cooked spaghetti squash
• 2 T. butter or olive oil
• ⅓ c. onion minced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 zucchini chopped
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms chopped
• 1 c. loosely packed kale chopped
• ½ t. salt
• 1/8-1/4 t. red pepper flakes
• 2-3 T. lemon juice
• 3 T. capers drained
• 1 c. cherry tomatoes
• ¼ c. fresh parsley chopped
• ¼ c. fresh basil chopped
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Heat the oil or butter in a skillet.
• Add onion and garlic and saute both for about 2-3 minutes.
• Add zucchini, mushrooms, salt and pepper flakes; cook until the water from both has mostly evaporated (about 5-8 minutes).
• Add in lemon juice and zest, capers, and tomatoes.
• Let cook for another 5 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down a bit.
• Stir in the kale and cook just until wilted.
• Season, top with parsley and basil, and serve!

Notes

Nutrition facts are based on using two cups of spaghetti squash and olive oil. WW points (new system): 7

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 8.2g | Fat: 15.7g | Saturated Fat: 2.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13.3g | Sodium: 1025mg | Fiber: 4.9g | Sugar: 7g

This would be great topped with any type of hard cheese like parmesan.

It is a convenient, healthy meal that is delicious and surprisingly filling! The most difficult part is cooking the squash, but with the method I've described, I hope it takes on a new degree of simplicity for you.

Have you ever tried spaghetti squash?