Low Carb-onara with Spaghetti Squash
Gus & I have had an interesting diet for the past year. Gus eats Gluten-free due to an insensitivity to wheat that he developed a few years ago. I'm a carb-oholic that gives up carbs now 6 days out of 7 (leaving one amazing day a week to indulge in all things bread and yummy).
What do we both miss on a regular basis? Pasta! Gus has rice noodles but with me trying to be good and eat low-carb during the week, it's a little hard to please both of us on the front.
However, recently, I've discovered the deliciousness and relative ease of Spaghetti Squash. I've crafted my own recipe for a buttery, wine-flavored, pasta dish with feta. I'm calling it Carbonara but forgive me, there are no raw eggs- just similar in its yummyness and proximity to pancetta.
Without further adieu, here's how to make it. Please note our photos we're taken using half the below recipe. I've upped quantities to ensure you can serve the entire squash.
Ingredients
(Per Spaghetti Squash / Serves 2-3 People / Cook time approx 50min-1hr)
- 1 Spaghetti Squash
- 2 8oz. packs of Cubed Pancetta (Trader Joe's)
- 1 whole yellow onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 clove of garlic (or 2 frozen cubes from Trader Joe's)
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 a cup of white wine
- 6 tablespoons of butter
- 1 8oz container of crumbled Feta cheese
Directions
First, get the squash in the oven.
Preheat your oven to 400F. Split your spaghetti squash in half horizontally. Use an ice cream scoop or spoon to clean out the seedy membrane, leaving only the thick rind walls behind.
Spray each side lightly with canola oil, season with some salt and pepper, and place face down on a cookie sheet. Once the oven is ready, slide your squash in and leave for the next 40-45 minutes while you make some delicious sauce to top it with.
Next, cook up some sauce.
Start with the pancetta in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Give it a good 10 minutes until it's nice and crispy. Drain the fat as you prefer. We used ours to add to the sauce.
After the first ten minutes, add 1/3 of the wine to deglaze the pan. Nom. Then turn the heat down to medium low and add your chopped onion to the pan.
Allow it to cook for 5-10 minutes. Then, add your spices and garlic plus 1/2 of the butter and another 1/3 of the wine, continuing to cook over medium-low heat.
After another five minutes, set to low and add the remaining wine and butter. Time to make sure the squash is ready.
Prepping the squash...
A good way to tell if your squash is done is if you can slide a knife into the shell easily. My squash was done about 40 minutes in. I removed it from the oven and used a fork to scrape all the squash "noodles" from the shell. Scrape all the noodles out of both halves of the squash and place in a large bowl.
Now the nommiest part!
Take your pan of saucy goodness and pour it over the hot squash noodles. Then grab your container of feta and drop it right on top. Stir the pasta together, allowing all the noodles to get access to the amazing buttery sauce and the salty, cool feta.
Serve to pasta-loving husband and be proud you cut down on the carbs for this easy weeknight dinner.
