Spaghetti Squash with Skinny Alfredo Sauce

Originally posted on June 11, 2013

Hey everyone!

So I have been eyeballing the spaghetti squash in my local grocery store for awhile now, and decided that now was the time to go ahead and give it a go - I'm glad I did!  I am a HUGE pasta lover, but unfortunately, so is my waistline.  :-)  This recipe allowed me to still have a hearty pasta dinner, but without the calories and heavy feeling afterwards - a win-win situation!!

Also, my favorite pasta sauce is Alfredo - but again, it is normally LOADED with butter and cream - however, this recipe was much lighter and healthier and used only 1 tablespoon of butter and no heavy cream!

Enjoy, and please let me know if you try this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium to large sized spaghetti squash
• 1 tablespoon light butter
•  3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
• 1 tablespoon fat free cream cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Dash black pepper & salt
• Optional Garnishes: extra Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and/or crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Squash

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut spaghetti squash in half using a large sharp knife and scoop out the seeds.  Place cut side down in a baking dish with about 1/2 inch of water inside.

3. Bake until tender, about an hour.

4. Allow to cool and then use a fork to gently scrape the strands into the center.  This is where you should see the squash begin to separate and look more like a traditional pasta noodle.

Alfredo Sauce

1. Melt butter in a small pot over medium-low heat.  Once melted, add minced garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes.

2. Whisk in flour and milk, stirring until no lumps remain.

3. Add cream cheese and stir until smooth; remove from heat.

4. Stir in Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Spoon the desired amount of sauce into each cooked half of the squash, gently pulling up the strands with a fork to coat as much as possible.

6. Top with extra Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and chopped fresh parsley and broil for 2-3 minutes if desired.

Tips

• An alternate way of baking the spaghetti squash is to poke a few deep holes into the whole squash with a knife and bake the entire squash for an hour.  Remove the whole squash from the oven and let rest for 10 to 20 minutes before slicing in half with a large serrated knife and scooping out the seeds.  Make sure that your holes are deep enough to that the steam can be released, or you could have an exploding squash on your hands!!
• If you do not want to eat the spaghetti out of the shell you can scrape the pasta onto a plate for an easier presentation.

Recipe Inspirations:

• http://fooddoodles.com/2013/01/10/skinny-spaghetti-squash-alfredo/
• http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2013/03/skinny-spaghetti-squash-alfredo.html

-Britt