So, after making the infamous Cauliflower Crust Pizza on Sunday night, I ended up with some leftovers.  I had everything from cauliflower to cheese to basil to marinara.  (Sounds Italian, eh?) So, what to do?  Whaaaaat to do?

The only logical thing to do was to MAKE MORE FOOD!!!

During the winter, I always keep a spaghetti squash on the shelf or in the fridge.  It’s such a beautiful, easy veggie that mimics pasta so well.  If you have a carb or pasta craving – a spaghetti squash will do the trick, and I have so much fun trying new sauces to pair with it.

Now, I must say – I really went crazy with the alfredo sauce.  I added a bit of this and a little of that… Mine turned out very earthy.  I actually liked it a lot better ON the spaghetti, and I added chicken as well.  I mean, you can’t just expect to taste straight up alfredo sauce, but I have to say – it was pretty good. I found the original recipe (which I would LOVE to try but at the time I didn’t have the ingredients I needed) on Nutrition Stripped.   Again, I went very left field with it to utilize my leftovers, so you may want to check out the original recipe HERE.

Let’s chat about the traditional spaghetti for a moment…um, YUM.  I took the leftover Organic Vodka Sauce from Trader Joe’s and mixed it with some leftover tomato paste to sweeten the deal, and oh yes!!! After browning some turkey meat, I mixed that in with the sauce, then I added a couple of cherry tomatoes and topped with garlic salt, pepper and fresh basil.  I mean it’s AS good as spaghetti and much lighter.

So, here are the goods for you~

“Alfredo” Spaghetti Squash 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup pine nuts – soaked
• 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 head of cauliflower steamed
• 1/4 cup parmesan 
• 1 cup skim milk (more if needed)
• 2 packets nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, adjust to taste
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, adjust to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, for cooking
• 2 large cloves garlic, roasted or sautéed 
• Spaghetti squash

1. Cook spaghetti squash.  I like to cut mine in half, clean out then fill half with water and microwave 10-15 minutes until tender.  You can also bake it.
2. Soak pine nuts in water for at least 30 minutes or until softened. Discard water.
3. Steam the cauliflower until tender, by using a steamer basket in a large pot with 2-3 inches of water. An option to steam via microwave – I chose this.  Place in a bowl with a bit of water and microwave 3-4 minutes until tender.
4. In a medium hot skillet, add olive oil, garlic and sauté until tender. Do this while the cauliflower is steaming.
5. Add all ingredients into a high speed blender, start with the milk and cauliflower, gradually adding in ALL remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy. Adjust liquid by adding more almond milk if you prefer a thinner sauce.
6. After the squash has cooled a bit, scrape out the “noodles.”  Ladle the sauce on top of  the noodles, veggies, proteins, or grains to enjoy.
7. Garnish with fresh basil, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Add chicken if you’d like chicken alfredo!  Store the sauce in an airtight container for leftovers and then reheat. Enjoy!

Traditional Marinara Turkey Spaghetti Squash 

INGREDIENTS:

• Spaghetti squash
• Ground Turkey
• 1/2 cup (or more) Trader Joe’s Organic Vodka Sauce
• 3 tbs tomato paste
• Cherry tomatoes
• Basil
• Garlic salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook spaghetti squash.  I like to cut mine in half, clean out then fill half with water and microwave 10-15 minutes until tender.  You can also bake it.
2. Brown the turkey in a skillet with a bit of olive oil or spray the pan so it doesn’t stick.
3. While the turkey is browning, combine the vodka sauce and tomato paste and heat either in a skillet or in the microwave.
4. Once the squash is finished and cooled, scrape out the “noodles.”
5. Once the turkey has browned, combine the turkey with the noodles and pour sauce over.  Mix together well.
6. Top with fresh, sliced cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper and fresh basil.