in 2017, i’m partnering with pompeian to bring you the latest recipes that are currently #trendinginthekitchen with this year’s trendy ingredients and their olive oils and vinegars. thank you for supporting the partnerships that allow brewing happiness to grow and exist. xoxo.
I’ve been CRAVING spaghetti squash recently. I think it’s the chill in the air. It makes me want to bundle up and eat something that is both comforting and good for me. So since the holidays are over and we are all back to our real lives, I thought we might all be in need of something comforting and good for us.
This “pasta” dish has got everything you love – pesto, ricotta, and TONS of greens. There’s even some kale hidden in the pesto! It’s a great way to get the family to eat healthy, or get back on track after all of that holiday sugar.
The squash takes time to bake, but this is still a pretty easy dish to make. And depending on how big of a squash you have, this can serve between 2-4 people. So it’s easily a great family dish!
This is my last post with Pompeian in 2017, so here is a look back at all the other recipes I’ve made with their amazing products: Yellow Split Pea Hummus, 5 Minute Faux Kombucha , Grilled Summer Buddha Bowl, Blackberry Acai Frozen Yogurt with Olive Oil Granola Crumble, Pumpkin Chia Olive Oil Cake, Pear Mint Morning Tonic, and Creamy Cashew Cardamom Butternut Squash Soup!
Spinach & Ricotta Pesto Spaghetti Squash
This Spinach and Ricotta Pesto Spaghetti Squash is a healthy "pasta" alternative for the whole family. It's cozy and delicious and PACKED with greens!
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 1 tablespoon Pompeian Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2-3 handfuls spinach (depending on how much you like)
- 2/3 cup ricotta
- 2/3 cup green peas
Basil-Kale Pesto Ingredients
- 1 cup baby kale
- 1 cup basil
- 2/3 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup Pompeian Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 garlic cloves (depending on preference)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375.
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Cut your spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds. Brush with Pompeian Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil and season with salt and pepper. Place face down on a casserole dish. Bake for 40 minutes.
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Meanwhile, add all of your Basil-Kale Pesto ingredients to a food processor or blender. Blend until mostly smooth.
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When your squash is done baking, us a fork to scrape out the "noodles" into a large bowl. Add in your pesto and spinach and mix until well combined.
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Transfer your pesto spaghetti squash back to the casserole dish and top with ricotta, green peas, and salt/pepper to taste.
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Bake for another 10-12 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and everything is warm.
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EAT UP.
It’s that time of year. Can you feel it? No, I’m not talking about resolutions and New Year’s kisses. Well, I’m kinda talking about that. What I mean is that January hits, and the diet industry cranks up and you start to feel like whatever you ate over the holidays was too much. You start to feel like you’re too much.
GUESS WHAT?
You’re not.
You are fine just as you. No matter how many cookies you ate or how much eggnog you drank, YOU ARE STILL GOOD ENOUGH. Just as you are.
Sure, I’m all about getting health-ier and treating your body well, but that should never come at the cost of your self-esteem. Get healthy because you love yourself, not because you hate yourself. The latter is why resolutions fail. Hate is fickle. Hate is exhausting. Hate will fail you.
But love. Now that can inspire you to change a whole lot of things, not just your eating habits.
So please. As the rhetoric about diet and weight loss and detoxing and cleansing are gearing up – put on your blinders and ear muffs and just start to eat like you love yourself. It’s as simple as that.
No juice cleanse necessary.
No fad diet necessary.
No personal trainer necessary.
You don’t need to go into January as a gluten-free, refined sugar free, vegan. I mean, you can. But you don’t need to. Those things won’t make you more lovable. They won’t make you like yourself more. Those things exist outside of what’s on our plate.
So put some extra ricotta on your Spinach & Ricotta Pesto Spaghetti Squash, and plug your ears to the messages that tell you you need to change who you are. You are good enough. Right now. In this very moment.
