My vegetarian journey has been exciting. I’m constantly trying new foods and experimenting with different recipes and ideas. One of my coworkers came to the office with her lunch from home. I saw what look like a cantaloupe topped with fresh Mozzarella, spinach, and pasta sauce. I asked and she said spaghetti squash. I actually never really had this particular squash before. I had a spoonful and was in love. I came home grabbed the ingredients and cooked it up myself. Absolutely delicious. I think spaghetti squash is super cool. Nowadays I look up exactly what I’m eating to find out the health benefits and ideas on ways to cook it. I went ahead and roasted it with garlic and then added the toppings.

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Ingredients:

2 spaghetti squash
1 garlic bulb
Fresh Mozzarella
1 package frozen spinach
Pasta sauce
Olive Oil

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash in half. Carve out seeds. Stick garlic cloves inside and turn over face down on baking dish greased with olive oil. Poke holes in back of spaghetti squash. Let roast 45 minutes in the oven.

2. In frying pan sauté frozen spinach. Season to taste. Set aside. Slice mozzarella.

3. Remove spaghetti squash and turn face up. With fork fluff spaghetti squash. The inside forms into small spaghetti like noodles. Add pasta sauce, spinach, and top with mozzarella. Bake additional 10 minutes. May broil for last 2 minutes to melt cheese.

5 Spaghetti Squash Health Benefits:

1. If you’re looking to restrict your caloric intake, eating spaghetti squash will help fill up your plate without adding lots of calories. Each cup of the cooked squash contains only 42 calories – 2 percent of the daily calorie intake on a 1,500-calorie diet, or 1.5 percent of a 2,000-calorie diet.

2. Spaghetti squash serves as a source of beneficial carbohydrates. Each cup of cooked squash contains approximately 10 grams of total carbohydrates, including 2.2 grams of fiber.

3. Consuming spaghetti squash also boosts your intake of essential vitamins and minerals. One cup of squash contains 170 international units of vitamin A, which is almost 6 percent of the recommended daily intake for men and 7 percent of the recommended intake for women, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.

4. Like many other fruits and vegetables, spaghetti squash offers numerous benefits, including antioxidants and other important nutrients to keep your entire body healthy. Some of its key nutrients include Vitamin A (to keep your eyes and skin healthy and protect against infections) and Vitamin C (to help heal cuts and wounds and keep your teeth and gums healthy).

5. You’ll get 3 percent of the recommended daily intake of calcium from 1 cup of cooked spaghetti squash, which is three times more than pasta.
Enjoy!