This is the first spaghetti squash recipe my husband has requested again.  He loves it and he’s not wrong – it’s the best spaghetti squash recipe I have ever eaten.  And it has caused a bit of a stir on Instagram because it was a newsletter-only recipe until now!

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• Has all the flavors of spinach-artichoke dip combined with spaghetti squash;
• It’s filling without making you feel gross; 
• Makes a wonderful prep ahead meal;

Ingredients

• Spaghetti squash – I love serving spaghetti squash as an alternative to pasta. There are different ways to cook this squash, but my preferred way is to roast it in the oven. You’ll need one medium or large spaghetti squash. 
• Artichoke hearts – is one of the prepared vegetables I always have in my pantry or freezer. I like using Melissa’s steamed artichoke hearts or the ones from Trader Joe’s in the freezer section. 
• Shallots – are milder than regular onions. You can use them in recipes that require a small amount of onion without having to cut open an entire onion.  
• Garlic – I love using fresh garlic. I always keep a jar in my fridge with fresh garlic cloves I peel myself. 
• Spinach– you can use fresh spinach that is cooked until wilted or frozen defrosted spinach. Whichever you use, make sure to squeeze out excess water from the spinach. I like to do this with my hands over a colander or with a thin kitchen towel. 
• Greek yogurt – I use a plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt. I haven’t tried making this dairy-free, but a vegan yogurt (Forager cashew yogurt or Kite Hill coconut yogurt may work) or you can try swapping in Kite Hill vegan cream cheese for the yogurt or your favorite vegan sour cream.
• Mayonnaise – I like to use soy-free vegenaise or Primal Kitchen Vegan avocado oil mayo. Mayonnaise is just oil and, if not vegan, egg yolks. No need to freak out about it.
• Parmesan – I like to use grated pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano. You can use a vegan parmesan. 
• Mozzarella cheese – I use shredded mozzarella. I go light on the cheese, but feel free to add more.
• Crushed red pepper – adds a nice kick to this. I use a pinch, but feel free to add more if you like spicy. 

How to make it? 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Rub the inside of each half with a drizzle of olive oil and season with ½ teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Arrange cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 to 45 minutes until tender. DO NOT OVERCOOK! Test them by inserting a fork between the flesh and the skin and try to rake the strands. Set aside cut-side up until they are cool enough to handle. Leave oven on if baking boats immediately and RAISE TEMP TO 425°F.
3. Using a fork, pull the strands of squash crosswise from the peel so that it resembles spaghetti, trying not to cut through the squash skin.
   In a food processor, coarsely chop the artichoke hearts with the shallots and garlic.
4. If your food processor is large enough, you can add the spinach, yogurt, vegenaise, pecorino, mozzarella, and crushed red pepper and do a few pulses to combine or transfer to a large bowl to mix. Take a little taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Spaghetti squash is pretty bland, so this should be well-seasoned.
5. In a large bowl, toss the spaghetti squash strands with the spinach-artichoke filling and mix until well combined. Fill spaghetti squash boats with the prepared filling and bake (at 425 F) on a parchment lined baking sheet (I use the same one I roasted the squash in) for 25 minutes, until hot, lightly browned and cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.  Reheat in a microwave or covered in a saucepan with a few tablespoons of water until heated through.

Tips

• Make ahead tips: Spaghetti squash can be roasted and strands raked 2-3 days in advance. The spinach and artichoke filling can be made 1 day in advance and kept refrigerated. Boats can be filled, refrigerated and baked later or can be baked in advance and reheated in the microwave when ready to serve. If refrigerating in advance to bake later, remove from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before you preheat the oven so it’s not ice cold, and then bake. Stick a metal skewer in the center to make sure it is nice and hot throughout.

Substitutions

• Dairy – it *may* be possible to make this dairy-free with vegan mozzarella (Violife has a good one) and vegan Parmesan and vegan yogurt (Forager cashew yogurt or Kite Hill coconut yogurt may work.) Or you can try swapping in Kite Hill vegan cream cheese for the yogurt or your favorite vegan sour cream.  I haven’t tried these, but I am pretty sure they would work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Pamela Salzman (@pamelasalzman)

If you give this recipe a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes,  updates and things I’m loving lately.  If you enjoy this recipe, I taught it last year in my online class!  Give me an hour a month, and I’ll make you a better, healthier cook!