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!
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
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
