Spaghetti squash with chicken meatballs and Romesco sauce (Vegan and GF option)

On my quest to continue on my clean eating journey, I've been experimenting on textures and flavor combinations to liven up my healthy meals. My personal opinion is that the more flavor you are able to infuse into your healthy food, the less likely you are to cheat. 

Let's all be honest for a minute.. pasta is AmAzing! There is nothing better than a carb binge with more carbs on the side in the form of a piece of artisan bread slathered in garlic butter and toasted until golden brown. Mmm... oh ok sorry.. let me take a sip of my kale protein shake and get back on track... 

Spaghetti squash has  never been my favorite, unless it was covered in butter and cinnamon sugar. That was the case until I tried it with some left over Romesco sauce I had. Who knew all that was missing was a savory flavor combination for me to fall in love with this squash?! Adding the chicken meatballs is just another bonus to trick your brain into thinking you're having a Spaghetti night and not a nutritious, low carb and low calorie meal.

I've added notes below on making this dish Vegan and Gluten Free, so it truly works for everyone. Try it out, you'll be surprised on how good it truly is. I recently took some left overs to my office and let a few of my co-workers try it. Even the fast food loving, veggie hating non-dieters thought it was delicious.


ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH CHICKEN MEATBALLS & ROMESCO SAUCE

Ingredients:

1 medium sized spaghetti squash, washed and cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups of Romesco Sauce
1 batch of Chicken Meatballs
1 handful of fresh Italian parsley, minced
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions for the squash:

·      Preheat the oven to 400°F: Preheat the oven while you prep the squash.

• Slice the squash in half: Use a chef's knife to cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise from stem to tail. Spaghetti squash are really tough and hard, so be cautious when cutting.
• Scoop out the seeds: Use a large spoon to scrape out the seeds and stringy bits of flesh from inside the squash. Discard the seeds 
• Place the squash in a foil lined baking dish: Choose a size large enough to fit both sides of the squash, cut side down. 
• Bake for 30 to 45 minutes: Smaller squash will cook more quickly than larger squash. Check the squash after 30 minutes to gauge cooking.
• The squash is done when tender: The squash is ready when you can easily pierce a fork through the flesh all the way to the peel. The flesh will also separate easily into spaghetti-like strands. You can also taste it right now — if the noodles are still a bit crunchy for your taste, put the squash back in the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Scrape out the squash: Use a fork to gently pull the squash flesh from the peel and to separate the flesh into strands. The strands wrap around the squash horizontally — rake your fork in the same direction as the strands to make the longest "noodles."
• Serve the squash: Serve the squash immediately, tossed with a little butter or olive oil. Spaghetti squash will also keep refrigerated for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months.

You can freeze the meatballs in portioned sized freezer bags to make future dinners a snap.

*To make this recipe Vegan, substitute the chicken meatballs for Morning Star Farms veggie meatballs and the cheese with this vegan parmesan cheese recipe from The Minimalist Baker.

*To make the recipe gluten free, substitute the breadcrumbs with 1/2 cup finely crushed Corn Flakes cereal and 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning.