Are you looking for a recipe that’s big on flavor and light on calories? This shrimp and spaghetti squash is topped with a garlic white wine sauce and served with cherry tomatoes. If you’ve never tried spaghetti squash in place of pasta, you’re in for a real treat. It’s a popular way to maximize calories and cut down on carbs.
What are the benefits of eating spaghetti squash?
I love making delicious recipes, but they’re not always the most nutritious. This recipe is great for before or after the holidays since many of us will be will be stuffing our faces. I don’t know about you but I always like to follow up a big meal with something healthy and this is just that.
Below are only a few ways in which spaghetti squash are beneficial to your health.
- Low calorie
- High in vitamin A and C
- High in fiber
- Contains Beta-carotene which is an antioxidant
- Aids in digestion
- Promotes healthier blood sugar levels
How to prepare spaghetti squash?
Spaghetti squash is a winter vegetable that is only available in the cooler months. If you’ve never prepared spaghetti it might seem a little intimidating but don’t let that stop you from taking advantage of this delicious and nutritious squash.
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. With a large knife slice the spaghetti squash in half across the middle. You can either cut in half at the ends of the squash or directly down the middle while the squash is laying on its side. I have done it both ways and both ways work great so don’t let this part stress you out.
Now we need to clean the squash and scoop out all of the seeds. You can certainly throw these out, however, the seeds are very nutritious as well and can be roasted in the oven with some spices. If you don’t care to do this, they can just be thrown out.
It’s time to cook the spaghetti squash. Fill a baking pan with a 1/2 inch of water and place the squash sliced side down on the pan. Place in a preheated oven carefully and bake for 30 minutes.
After thirty minutes you want to check to see if the squash is cooked enough. Like noodles, some people like theirs soft and others like theirs cooked al dente. I personally like mine a little on the al dente side with a bit of crunch so thirty minutes is good for me. However, if you prefer a softer noodle place back in the oven for an extra 10 minutes until you reach your desired texture.
When the squash is done use a fork to separate the strands from inside and add the cooked strands to a bowl. One way I like doing this is by inserting my fork and twisting it around. Doing this easily gathers the strands around my fork and pulls them away from the rind.
Making the garlic white wine sauce
This sauce is what brings everything together. We start by sautéing the onion and garlic. Once those are cooked and fragrant we add the cherry tomatoes, white wine, chicken broth and lemon juice to deglaze the pan. We keep the heat on medium to bring the mixture to a light simmer and to reduce it a little which typically takes 5-7 minutes.
Next, we want to make the sauce a little less runny and more thick so it sticks to our spaghetti squash noodles. To do this we combine 2 tablespoons of water with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to create a slurry. We then add this to the sauce and stir to thicken.
Once the sauce is thickened we add the shrimp and cook until they’re firm and pink. Once cooked we need to remove the sauce from the heat and stir in our delicious spaghetti squash noodles until the sauce coats all of the strands. To serve, we add red pepper flake, more grated parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and extra lemon juice.
How to store the shrimp and spaghetti squash
This yummy and healthy dish can keep in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. It is better eaten the day of but I have meal prepped this and it does work great. If you’re making this the day after just be sure to give it a good stir to catch any juice that may have run off.
As always, I can’t wait for you to try this. If you’re looking for healthier alternatives to traditional pasta I really hope you give spaghetti squash a try. It’s tasty, delicious, and good for you. Enjoy!
Shrimp and Spaghetti Squash with a Garlic White Wine Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 onion sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 lb shrimp - tail on
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 lemon squeezed
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1 tablespoon chicken broth
- parsley
- red pepper flake
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a baking pan fill it with 1/2 inch of water, slice the spaghetti squash in half across the middle and scoop out the seeds and filling. Place sliced side down and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes check to see if the squash is cooked to your desired tenderness. To do this, use a fork to taste a strand and see if it’s cooked to your desired tenderness. If not, place in the oven for 5-10 more minutes.
- When the spaghetti squash is done cooking use a fork to pull out the strands and set in a separate bowl to the side. (You can also twist your fork inside the squash to obtain more of the strands) Discard the spaghetti squash rind.
- In a skillet add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sliced onion, heat over medium heat and cook until the onion starts to become soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two
- Add the cherry tomatoes, white wine, chicken broth, and lemon juice to deglaze the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 5-7 minutes until reduced. Add 2 tablespoons of water to a small dish and stir in the corn starch until combined. Add the slurry to the sauce and stir until thickened.
- Once reduced and thickened, add the shrimp and cook on both sides until pink, around 3-5 minutes.
Leave a Reply