{Nutrition} Raw-or-Roasted Spaghetti Squash With Chickpeas and Greens

Substituting spaghetti squash for white flour pasta is a fantastic way to still enjoy your favorite pasta topping combinations while adding more fiber and nutrients and 86’ing the gluten! If you are still using regular (white flour) pasta as a staple in your diet, you may want to consider swapping it out for spaghetti squash (or with a quinoa or chick pea-based pasta) as it behaves very much like white sugar in your bloodstream – spiking insulin, which in turn signals the body to hang on to fat.

It’s time to kick the WHITE’s… sugar and flour… in breads, pastas, baked goods, soda, candy.. and soooo well hidden in pre-prepard foods and drinks (check out your ‘healthy’ bottled iced tea or sports drink… 20, 30, 40 gms of sugar?!)

This recipe boasts healthy fats (olive oil), vegetable protein (chickpeas, pepitas), 2 green vegetables and a ton of flavor! I cheated and purchased pre-spiralized raw spaghetti squash at Whole Foods (see packaging below) and had this prepared in about 15 mins. Roasting a spaghetti squash and ‘forking’ it into spaghetti strands would be delicious, as well – and you could serve it hot.

1.25 lbs of either Raw or Roasted Spaghetti Squash

2 Tbsp Virgin Olive Oil

2 tsp minced garlic

1 bunch (approx. 4 cups) Organic Broccoli Florets (steamed to just tender)

½ bunch Organic Curly Kale (lightly steamed and chopped, center stems removed)

1 15 oz can Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) – rinsed well and drained

1/3 cup chopped Sundried Tomatoes

¼ cup roasted Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Shake of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper, to taste

For roasted spaghetti squash: Preheat oven to 400 deg. Slice squash lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Place on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil, face up. Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil, the minced garlic and salt and pepper on each half and roast for about 50 mins or until tender. Once cooled enough to handle, use a fork and scrape each half lengthwise, creating spaghetti strands. Place in a large bowl.

If using raw, pre-spiralized squash: Dump into a large bowl and massage (with your fingers) in 1Tbsp olive oil, garlic and salt/pepper.

Add all other ingredients to the squash, finishing by tossing additional Tbsp of oil + lemon juice and additional seasoning, as desired.

Eat right away if it’s a hot dish… If you are preparing the raw version, allow it to sit for an hour or so at room temperature to bring out the flavors. I sprinkled mine with Nutritional Yeast… loaded with Vitamin B12 (often absent in a vegan diet) and mimics parmesan cheese on ‘pasta’, popcorn, salads and soups!