Italian Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Cashew Cream

This is a great dish to serve for company who are new to healthy plant-based eating, because it has typical Italian flavors, but looks impressive and unusual.

You can make it ahead and then just heat it up and drizzle on the cashew cream right before serving. Don't skimp on the cashew cream - it really adds creaminess and flavor!

Also, don't worry too much about buying the exact size jars of the stuffing ingredients... any amount will taste good. Want more protein? Add more chick peas. Want less saltiness? Cut the olives. Want more antioxidants and fiber? Add more spinach. This is a pretty low calorie dish, but provides a voluminous amount of food if you’re watching your calories, but want to feel full. It's perfect served with a garden salad and bread.

The hardest part of this dish is slicing the squash in half. Be careful! And remember that thinner halves may need less cooking time than thicker ones.

We've adapted this recipe (to make it slightly quicker and easier) from the original in The No Meat Athlete by Matt Frazier which is by far our favorite cookbook for healthy, whole-food, plant-based recipes. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients

• 2 large spaghetti squash

• 4 tsp olive oil

• 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

• 1 (~10 oz) jar roasted red peppers (drained and chopped)

• 1 (~10 oz) jar pitted sliced kalamata olives (drained)

• 1 (~15 oz) can quartered artichoke hearts (drained)

• 2 cups fresh baby spinach

• 1 (~19 oz) can chick peas (drained and rinsed)

• ½ cup sun dried tomatoes (drained, rinsed, and chopped)

• 1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce

• chopped basil

• salt and pepper

Cashew Cream Ingredients

Ingredients

• 1.25 cups raw cashews

• juice of 2 lemons

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1/2 -1 cup water

Preparation

1. In a small saucepan, cover cashews with 1-2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let cashews soak for 10-15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Carefully slice the squash in half lengthwise. (This is the most difficult step… we use our biggest cleaver knife and hammer it through with a meat tenderizer mallet.)

4. Scoop out the seeds. Drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil over each half, season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

5. Place the cut side down on baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes until fork tender, slightly browned at the edges, and cooked through.

6. While the squash is roasting, drain the cashews and place in a high speed blender with the lemon juice, salt, and a 1/2 cup of water. Blend until smooth and add water until reaching desired consistency. We prefer a creamy, salad dressing-like thickness.

7. Next, drain the peppers, olives, and artichoke hearts and use kitchen shears to chop everything into smaller bite-size pieces.

8. Combine peppers, olives, artichoke hearts, chick peas, and spinach in a mixing bowl.

9. Spread half the marinara in the squash halves. Then fill each half with as much stuffing as possible. (You will have about 2 additional servings of stuffing leftover which you can save to add to salads for lunch the next day.)

10. Top with remaining marinara and pop the stuffed squash back into the oven for 10-15 minutes to warm it. Top with plenty of cashew cream and serve.

Enjoy!