Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Healthy and AMAZEBALLS Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

I have the most awesome recipe to share with y'all but I don't have a picture of it. Let's use our imaginations.

Nutty spaghetti squash, creamy sauce, thick bacon, savory (and healthy) kale and loads of garlic. Check check check check! Also it's 90 calories per cup, low carb, probably low sugar.

Ha, I actually have no idea how many calories it is because I am way too lazy  extremely busy to figure that out. But it's a far healthier choice than traditional spaghetti carbonara.

The cream sauce is all over the internet; you've probably heard of the amazing cauliflower alfredo sauce, originally blogged here at Pinch of Yum.

I simplified her method because it was taking me too long (shocking).

Since I don't have any pictures of food, I will leave you with some cute ones of recent weeks.

Baby boo and me

Playing with the tornado at the science center

Heath's first snow

Baby and cat doing what appears to be yoga

Also, a question for my audience (do I have one?). Does anyone like unsweetened chocolate? I am a baker but have never really liked chocolate very much, except during pregnancy. Then I accidentally tried unsweetened chocolate and for goodness sakes, I can't stop eating it. Most people I speak to think this is gross. There has to be someone else. If not, help me because I'm horribly addicted now.

OH! One more thing. Get the hand blender (you know, the one I should be making commission on) for this recipe. I could never imagine taking the time to use a food processor for something this simple.

Healthy Spaghetti Carbonara

Ingredients:
1 medium/spaghetti squash, cut in half, seeds scooped out
4-5 strips thick sliced bacon, cooked to desired crispiness, chopped
3 cups of raw kale, chopped
1 head of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2-1 cup milk (We like whole milk, I really don't think this will work with almond or coconut)
2-4 tablespoons EVOO
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded pecorino ramano or parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, put squash halves on a baking sheet and roast them for about 70 minutes. I like mine really soft because I like to scoop out the spaghetti as fast as I can. Once the halves are done cooking, set them aside to cool until you can handle them.

Place the cauliflower in a large pot or dutch oven, and cover it with water, then add the kosher salt. Cover and let it simmer until it's tender, about 10 minutes.

While it's cooking, melt the butter in a medium pan over medium heat and add the garlic. Lower the heat to medium low and cook it for 5 minutes until it's very soft, but not burned.

Once the cauliflower is tender, drain the water and put it back in the large pot.

Place the kale in the pan in which you cooked the garlic. Toss it over medium heat until it's slightly wilted.

In the large pot with the drained cauliflower, add the garlic, butter, a half cup of milk, and a tablespoon or two of EVOO. Using a hand blender or food processor, puree it until there are no chunks and the cauliflower is smooth.

If your sauce is still thick, add a bit more milk and EVOO, continuing to puree until you get your desired sauce texture. Fold in the parmesan cheese, chopped bacon, and kale. Then, scoop out the spaghetti using a fork into the sauce and gently fold it all together. To serve, sprinkle it with more cheese. And eat up! It's good for you :)





1 comment:

  1. YUM! Definitely want to try this (although I'll probably use regular pasta, because we wouldn't have time for the squash on a week day). Also, I think I once cooked a squash not knowing it was a spaghetti squash so I have that going for me.

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