Swapping regular noodles for spaghetti squash, this healthified pasta is a 10/10 meal for the fall! This vodka sauce sin vodka is INCREDIBLE!
SERVING SIZE: 2-4 (DEPENDS on your squash size!)
THE RECIPE:
First, preheat your oven to 375°F. Then, microwave the spaghetti squash for 1 minute. This is optional, but it softens the squash to make cutting it easier. Cut the squash in half lengthwise then scoop out the seeds.
Place the scooped-out squash halves on baking sheet, spray with cooking spray or coat lightly with olive oil, and bake for 1 hour until tender and easily pierced with a fork.
While the squash bakes, it’s time to make the sauce. To prep your ingredients for the sauce, dice the onion, mince the garlic, and then cut your tomatoes in half.
Then, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the tomatoes in the pan cut-side down and cover with a lid for 15-20 minutes. Covering the tomatoes helps the tomato skin peel off soo easy.
After 15-20 minutes, gently peel the skin off each tomato with a fork. Then, crush the tomatoes with a fork directly in the pan, you can just mash them up!
Stir in the diced onion and garlic, cooking for about 5 minutes until fragrant and slightly thickened into a paste-like texture. While the sauce simmers, chop up some fresh basil and spinach.
Add your chopped basil, salt, and pepper. Then pour in heavy cream and tiny bit of water since we aren’t using pasta water here! Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer.
Once the squash is done, use a fork to shred the squash into “spaghetti”. Then, toss the chopped spinach into the sauce (I used about 2 cups) with a little more water to thin the sauce and cook the spinach. Once the spinach is cooked into the sauce, toss your shredded spaghetti squash into the saucepan until fully coated.
Depending on how big your squash is, you might not have to use all of it! It’s always better to add less squash into the pan first to make sure you have enough sauce.
Top with more fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese. Serve warm and enjoy! This is SOOO good!
Vodka Sauce Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash halved and seeds removed
- 1 lb tomatoes (or 8-10 small to medium tomatoes, I used compari tomatoes)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup diced onions
- 6-8 cloves garlic finely diced or minced
- 1/4 cup packed diced basil
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup water (I like to use water to thin out the sauce and make it go further)
- 2 cups packed spinach roughly chopped
- grated parmesan to top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Microwave the squash for 1 minute to soften it slightly for cutting. Slice it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
- Place the squash halves on baking sheet and bake for 1 hour until tender and easily pierced with a fork.
- While the squash bakes, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, cover, and cook for 15–20 minutes, until the skins start to loosen. Gently remove the skins with a fork and crush the tomatoes directly in the pan.
- Stir in the onion and garlic, cooking for about 5 minutes until fragrant and slightly thickened into a paste-like texture.
- Add basil, salt, and pepper, then pour in the cream and water. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Let it reduce for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Toss in the spinach and add a splash more water. Stir until the spinach is wilted and the sauce is creamy.
- Once the squash is done, use a fork to shred it into spaghetti. Add the squash (you may not need all of it if it’s large – I used about 3/4 of mine) into the skillet and toss to coat evenly with the sauce.
- Top with more fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese. Serve warm and enjoy! This is sooo good!
