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Spaghetti Squash with Skinny Garlic Butter

Spaghetti Squash with Skinny Garlic Butter
A wonderfully flavorful, super-rich tasting and healthy, side dish. I made it the other night and had to stop myself from eating all of it. It’s that good!! You’ll love how easy spaghetti squash is to cook. I like to bake the squash whole or cook in a crock-pot. I’ve included instructions for both ways. Each cup has 93 calories, 5 grams of fat and 2 Blue WW Freestyle SmartPoints, and 2 Green. Serve alongside chicken, beef, pork, or fish. Or, make it a vegetarian meal and top with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4
Calories 93kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 small spaghetti squash (about 4-5 pounds)
  • 3 tablespoons light butter or Smart Balance Light (gluten-free)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • To Cook in Oven: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pierce squash a few times with sharp knife (to let steam escape). Place squash on a baking pan lined with foil. Bake spaghetti squash for about 50 minutes, or until a sharp knife pierces easily through skin. Let squash cool for 10 minutes.
  • To Cook in Crock-pot: Place whole squash in crockpot. Add a little water and cook until tender, about 2-3 hours on HIGH or 5-6 hours on LOW, depending on its size.
  • Once cooked, cut squash in half, lengthwise. Use a fork to remove and discard seeds. Continue using a fork to scrape squash to get long strands. If the squash seems difficult to scrape, return squash to bake for an additional 10 minutes. Place spaghetti squash strands in a strainer to drain excess moisture. Thoroughly blot dry with paper towels, removing as much moisture as possible.
  • Heat a large, nonstick pan with butter and garlic, over medium-low heat. Heat for about 1 minute. Add spaghetti squash strands. Toss well. Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper. Continue to toss and cook until thoroughly heated. The spaghetti squash should have a slight crunch.

Notes

Makes 4 servings about 1 cup each.

Food Facts

This fabulous squash is still in the supermarkets. Like other hard-shelled winter squash, spaghetti squash is harvested in early fall and available through spring. The squash keeps for months stored in a cool place. 
Once cooked, spaghetti squash turns into thin, pasta-shaped strands of squash (hence, the name).

Healthy Benefits
A cup of spaghetti squash has only 42 calories and 0 SmartPoints. The same amount of regular cooked spaghetti has around 200 calories and 5 SmartPoints. Spaghetti squash is packed with fiber, plus loads of good-for-you vitamins.

Cooking Tips

Baking time really depends on how big your squash is-try to get the smallest one, especially if you’re only feeding 4 people. It’s ready if you can pierce the squash with a knife with little resistance.

WW Freestyle SmartPoints 2-Blue
WW SmartPoints 2-Green
WW Points Plus 3
SKINNY FACTS: for 1 cup
93 calories, 5g fat, 3g sat. fat, 11g chol, 1g prot, 13g carbs, 3g fiber, 189mg sod, 5g sugar
FACTS: for SmartPoints
38 calories, 3g sat. fat, 0g sugar, 0g protein

Skinny Facts

Serving: 1cupCalories: 93kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 189mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gBlue Smart Points: 2Green Smart Points: 2Plus Points: 3

If you make this recipe, let me know how you liked it. Leave me a comment below or give it a rating. Thanks so much. Happy Skinny Cooking!

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