Well. That title sure is a mouthful. But lucky for you, so is this dinner! I way over-shopped this week at the grocery store- per usual- and had a random assortment of veggies to cook up. In honor of fall rolling in full steam ahead, I picked up a spaghetti squash and a jar of pre-made pesto in hopes of meshing some summer and fall flavors. I’m ready for heartier meals but not quite ready for carb-induced pasta comas. A compromise! This Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Tomatoes was super delicious and a perfect, easy weeknight meal!
The best news? This makes the BOMB leftovers. Hot or cold!
Now, I know, I know, I should have made my own pesto. But to be honest, I knew I wasn’t going to have the energy to go through the effort on a weeknight. So here’s my trick, I bought one of those tiny (and expensive.. ugh) jars of pesto from the store and beefed it up! I added half a bag of spinach, a large bunch of fresh basil, and a clove of garlic. Not only did I get waayyyy more bang for my buck doing that (more than doubled the amount in the original jar) but I also cut back on the amount of sodium and fat per serving compared to the original sauce. Win-win!
Now the balsamic roasted tomatoes…. Holy cow. I’m debating making and entirely separate post just for these things. My local Giant Eagle had some huge, local, organic heirloom tomatoes so naturally I bought 2… With no plan for them. They’re super easy to make while the spaghetti squash comes cools down from the lava-hot stage I usually try to scrape them in.
So with a few pictures and a very long (but easy- I promise!) recipe, I present to you Pesto Spaghetti Squash!
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash, halved
- Olive oil or non-stick spray
- 1 jar pre-made pesto sauce
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1 garlic clove
- Parmesan cheese, for topping
- 2-4 large tomatoes
- 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven too 400°F
- Place squash, cut side up, on baking sheet and brush with oil or spray
- Bake squash for 35-40 minutes, until fork-tender
- Meanwhile, add jarred sauce to food processor with spinach, basil, and garlic and pulse until well-combined and finely chopped (you could skip this step and use just the jarred sauce or make your own completely from scratch)
- Prep tomatoes for roasting by cutting them into think slices, removing seeds, and draining them on a towel (poke hole in edge pieces to allow for draining during roasting)
- Space tomatoes evenly on a baking sheet lined with foil and greased parchment paper and drizzle with vinegar, oil, garlic, and salt & pepper
- When squash is finished, raise oven temp to 450°F and add tomatoes for 25-30 minute, watching carefully after 20 minutes
- To plate, scrape squash carefully into a bowl and toss with pesto sauce, top with parmesan cheese, roasted tomatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil
After years of playing with tofu, I’ve learned that pressing it to remove the tons of moisture it absorbs is so key. Now, I don’t have a fancy tofu press and have absolutely no problem! I just set the tofu on a stack of paper towels or a dish towel, cover them in another, set a cutting board on top, and then load it up with a heavy cast iron skillet or canned goods. So don’t skip out or shortcut this step! I promise it’s worth it!
