Every time we eat squash in our house, we enjoy it so much that I wonder why we don't eat it with every meal! The only downside is that it takes a little bit of forethought, in terms of how long it takes to cook. But it's so tasty, and so healthy that we try to work it into our meals as often as we can, especially once the weather starts to turn and we start craving warm, filling dishes.

Spaghetti squash recipes are an awesome low calorie, gluten free, 100% clean alternative to higher calorie, less nutrient dense traditional pasta dishes.

Why this recipe is healthy:

• High in fiber and a good source of protein
• Clean, lower calorie, more nutrient dense alternative to regular pasta
• Very high in Vitamin A, B6, and C
• High in riboflavin, potassium, and manganese
• No trans fat, low in cholesterol and sodium
• Good alternative for people who have a gluten intolerance

You can get very creative with the vegetables you use; if you are missing an ingredient or two that we've used in this particular version, you can easily improvise and still end up with a great tasting plate of food.

You will need (all of these are approximations and don't have to be exact):
1 Large spaghetti squash

Veggies & spices for the stir fry:
1 Large bunch of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces (roughly 3 cups)
3 Large carrots, chopped
2 Cups mushrooms, sliced
1.5 Cup onions, diced
1 Cup corn
3 Cups fresh spinach
1 Cup fresh basil leaves
3 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
Pepper and salt to taste
2 Tablespoons cooking oil (of your choice, we used olive oil)

How to cook spaghetti squash in the microwave or oven
Before you start anything else, start cooking the spaghetti squash. To cook it in the microwave, cut the squash in half length wise, clean out the seeds, and fill one of the squash hollows with water; place both in a microwave safe pan and stack the other half of the squash on top of the half with water in the hollow. This will keep your squash from drying out. Cook it for roughly 12 minutes or until it's becoming relatively soft to the touch. To cook spaghetti squash in the oven, cut in in half length wise, clean out the seeds, put a slight swipe of olive oil on exposed flesh of the squash, and cook it for approximately 45 minutes at 375 degrees (or until soft).

Once the squash is baking, saute the vegetables and spices in the olive oil until they are cooked to the consistency you like.

When your squash is ready, take a fork to each half and scoop it out, putting your "spaghetti" base on four plates. Spoon the stir fry vegetables on top of the spaghetti squash, and you're ready to eat. If you like, you can always top it with extras such as cheese, a tomato sauce, meat of your choice, or an egg. As a side note; no, we're not vegan or vegetarian, we just don't include meat in every meal.

This recipe serves four.

Nutrition Information
Calories: 235
Total Fat: 9.8 g
Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
Trans Fat: 0.0 g
Cholesterol: 2 mg
Sodium: 112 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 36 g
Dietary Fiber: 6.5 g
Sugars: 7.5 g
Protein: 7 g
Vitamin A: 240%     
Vitamin C: 137%
Calcium: 14%
Iron: 24%