You Need to Make this ASAP

You know what they say…abs are made in the kitchen, and if one of your New Year’s goals was to get those abs…then listen up – or rather, read closely!

You guys – this is hands down my favorite meal to make and it is essentially guilt free! I started making this when I was trying to really focus on my eating before our wedding and I have loved it ever since! There are so many flavors, it’s healthy, filling, and it makes multiple servings so it’s great if you have a family or you can easily get two more lunches out of it!

If you haven’t tried Spaghetti Squash yet…make it happen in 2019! It is THE BEST! I eat it all the time and it totally feels like I am eating pasta. Just throw some marinara meat sauce and you’re good to go! But what I am going to share with you today is my favorite way to make spaghetti squash and it is packed with protein and other vegetables…plus my absolute favorite thing ever…PESTO!

I used to be the only one eating this meal, so it would give me like 3 dinners and 3 lunches…such a score and awesome meal prep! But Aaron finally gave into my nagging to JUST TRY IT…and now I wish I wouldn’t have nagged lol. But it still makes plenty for both of us to enjoy and have leftovers! At least for 1 more lunch each! More, depending on the size of the spaghetti squash! So it is hubby approved 😉

If you add this in to your dinner rotation, let me know! I am so curious to see how you enjoyed it or what kind of substitutions you made!

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 4 chicken apple sausages* (can eliminate these for a vegetarian meal!)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 head of broccoli (or 1 bag of frozen broccoli florets)
• 10-15 asparagus
• Olive Oil
• 1 container of Pesto
  *I typically use asparagus OR broccoli, but you can use both!

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
• Cut spaghetti squash in half and scoop out all the seeds. Brush olive oil over both sections of spaghetti squash.
• Place spaghetti squash face down onto cookie sheet and put into oven. Cook spaghetti squash for 40-45 minutes. I would check it at 40 to make sure it doesn’t burn.
• When there is about 20 minutes left on the squash, I start cooking everything else.
• Dice up bell pepper and sausage. If using broccoli head, cut into small florets. Grab a large frying pan (I always use my largest one), or a wok will work too! Spray with cooking oil or drizzle olive oil on pan.
• I put the bell peppers in first and let them cook for a 2-3 minutes. If cooking fresh broccoli, I would add those in next and cook until tender. I usually cook on low-medium heat so it takes anywhere between 5-10 minutes (If you’re using asparagus, I would put in at the same time as the broccoli). Lastly I add in the sausage until they brown. Once it is all cooked I keep on very low heat until the spaghetti squash is done – just to keep it warm. At this point I mix in some pesto to the veggies/meat. Totally optional. You can also turn off the heat and put a lid on the pan.
• Once the spaghetti squash is done, remove from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
• Then, using a fork, I shred all of the spaghetti squash into a large bowl. Then scoop out Pesto and add to your liking. I don’t like to give any specific measurements because I know we all prefer different sauce levels! 🙂
• Once you have added the pesto to spaghetti squash, add in all the veggies and meat and stir together!
• Last, but not least – serve and eat up! Also taste good if you top with some Parmesan…yumm!!