I loved this “pasta” dish. It came together pretty quickly since I already had roasted spaghetti squash in my fridge just waiting to be transformed into something special. With its mild flavor, spaghetti squash is a great foundation for your favorite flavors and veggies. Plus, it’s a great way to have pasta…without the simple carbs! A cooked squash that looks and feels like noodles? Nature is amazing. These squash noodles are also a great source of antioxidants, vitamin A, C, folate, calcium and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. This means you can have your bowl of pasta while enjoying all its health benefits like protecting your body from oxidative stress and reducing inflammation. Um, yes please!!
I’m a huge fan of veggie trays on busy days. They basically allow me to throw whatever veggies I have in the fridge on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven. You have to finesse the timing a bit depending on the oven temperature. Here I roast broccoli and cauliflower and add the tomatoes and chickpeas later. I would normally roast tomatoes at a lower temperature for a longer time period, but to make things quick and easy on a weekday (with minimal cleaning), you just have to go with it! Have faith and throw it all on one tray…
Veggie Tray Spaghetti Squash
This turns into an easy weekday meal if you roast a spaghetti squash on Sunday. While not labor intensive, it takes a long time in the oven, so a great thing to do while chillin' at home on a Sunday evening!
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 1 head broccoli cut into florets
- 1/2 head cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 15-oz organic & BPA-free can chickpeas drained and patted dry
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil divided
- 1 tsp sea salt divided
- 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
- 1/3 cup parsley chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- zest of 1 lemon
- 3 small lemons juiced
- 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
Instructions
spaghetti squash
-
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
-
Using a sharp chef's knife, cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out seeds. Place on a baking sheet. Drizzle 1 Tbsp avocado oil on top and season with a dash of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. If it's super hard to cut into your squash, bake the squash whole for around 15-20 minutes first to allow it to soften a little. Then try to cut into it (be careful - hot!). Don't forget to scoop out seeds before putting it back into the oven. Roast for 1 hour.
-
When spaghetti squash is finished cooking, scrape the insides with a fork to make "spaghetti". Scoop squash spaghetti and put into a food container. This is great one to cook ahead!
veggie tray
-
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
-
On a baking sheet, put broccoli and cauliflower. Drizzle 2 Tbsp avocado oil on top and 1/4 tsp sea salt. Toss to coat veggies. Roast for 15 minutes.
-
Add chickpeas and cherry tomatoes to baking tray. Keeping them separate (rather than mixing them together) will help the chickpeas crisp up. Sprinkle another 1/4 tsp sea salt on top of chickpeas and tomatoes. I also added about a 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and a squeeze of lemon juice to the chickpeas (optional). Return to oven and roast for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
lemon garlic sauce
-
To make sauce, combine parsley, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, 1/2 tsp sea salt and fresh pepper.
assembling
-
To assemble pasta, put roasted spaghetti squash, chickpeas and veggies in a large bowl. Pour lemon garlic sauce on top and toss well. Top with toasted pine nuts. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed.
Recipe Notes
To toast pine nuts, bake at 350 degrees F for about 5 minutes shaking pan halfway through cooking time. You can also toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat on the stove.