Healthier Spaghetti Dinner

We usually have pasta once every couple of weeks...and sometimes even more often than that! So it occurred to me that it might be a great opportunity to figure out how to sneak in some of those extra veggies, if I could possibly get away with it.

And, to be honest, I wanted to do it just as much for myself and my husband as for the kids. Even though hubby and I eat way more veggies than the kids, I was also looking to find a way to cut down on the carbs from pasta. So my search for a healthier spaghetti dinner commenced!

My first try was to substitute Tofu Shirataki noodles for the pasta. They are made from tofu and yam flour, and are low-calorie, low-carb, gluten-free, and vegan. I personally thought they were pretty good, but other family members were not as thrilled.

So my next move was to try spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash is also low-calorie, low-carb, gluten-free, and vegan - and also much less expensive than the tofu noodles! As with the tofu noodles, I personally thought the squash 'noodles' were great, but the fam...not so much.

The issue they were having seemed to be more texture than flavor, so that gave me an idea. Maybe mixing in the squash 'noodles' with the regular spaghetti would be a good compromise. That way, we could still have our pasta the way we like it, but also get additional nutritional benefits from the squash!

And it worked! It was a huge hit. So now I am going to share it with you.

Now, this recipe is a teeny bit trickier than my usual recipes, but once you go through it, it really isn't that tough. The main steps are: 1- Cook the spaghetti squash, 2-Prepare the sauce, 3-Scrape the spaghetti squash, 4-Cook the pasta and combine with the squash, 5-Serve with the sauce.

No worries, though, I'll walk you through it!

Step 1. Cook the spaghetti squash

In the photo below, you can see how I pierce the squash with a knife. I do it several times in different places on the squash. then I place it in the slow cooker (using parchment paper as a liner, for easy cleanup) to cook (on low for 5-6 hours, or high for 3-4 hours).

You can also cook it in the oven or microwave or pressure cooker! (See the recipe notes for more information.)

Step 2. Prepare the sauce

Note that I start this step once the spaghetti squash is almost done.

I use our favorite jarred spaghetti sauce, but I like to enhance it with mushrooms. I stay away from ground beef because it adds more fat and calories than I would like, but feel free to prepare your sauce however you like it!

If you want to use mushrooms, I suggest cooking them a bit first. I place them in a microwave safe bowl and cook them for about 3 minutes on high. That softens them a bit. Then I take a slotted spoon and add them to the sauce (in order to not water down the sauce with the liquid that was released from the mushrooms).

You can then heat the sauce over the stove, or in the microwave. I like to use the stove because I just put it on low and let it go, stirring every once in a while.

Step 3. Scrape the spaghetti squash

Once the spaghetti squash is done, remove it from the crock pot. Be careful, it will be squishy and may leak hot liquid!

Cut the squash in half lengthwise, then scrape out and discard the center part with the seeds. Then scrape out the strands, which you will eventually add in with the pasta. Go ahead and scrape the whole way down to the skin!

Step 4. Cook the pasta and combine with the squash

Cook your spaghetti noodles the way you like them (but note that if you want to freeze leftovers, you should cook them al dente). Then add the spaghetti squash and toss to combine. I had to toss quite a few times to get the squash strands to separate and be distributed amongst the pasta noodles.

Step 5. Serve with the sauce!

Voila, you now have a healthier spaghetti dinner. Top with some Parmesan cheese and/or some chopped fresh basil, and enjoy!

Tips for making this recipe:

1. Use a high-fiber or lightened up noodle if you are looking to minimize carbs or calories.
2. If you are short on time or forget to start the spaghetti squash in the slow cooker early in the day, no worries! Here are three other ways you can cook it:
   • Microwave: Cut slits in the squash all around, and then cook on high for 10-15 minutes (rotate the squash every 4-5 minutes).
   • Oven: Cut the squash in half length-wise, remove the seeds, place cut sides down on a baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees F for about 50-60 minutes.
   • Pressure cooker/Instant Pot: Cut the squash in half width-wise, remove the seeds, place on a rack in the pressure cooker cut sides up, add about a cup of water, cook on high pressure for 8 minutes and then quick-release the pressure.
3. Jarred sauce is admittedly not the healthiest, so make your own sauce if you want to go whole hog healthy! It's actually not that hard, and here is a recipe for a healthy marinara sauce if you are interested.
4. This recipe makes A LOT of spaghetti. You may have a ton of leftovers, so you may want to freeze them. It is a little tricky to freeze cooked pasta, but this method always works for me.
   • Cook your pasta al dente, and after draining it, toss it with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together.
   • Don't combine the leftover noodles with the sauce, and cool completely before packaging them to freeze. (If you want to freeze leftover sauce as well, do it in a separate container.)
   • Use a good quality plastic freezer zipper bag, and place the cooled leftover noodles in the bag.
   • Squeeze out all the air and zip securely before placing in the freezer.
   • When you are ready to thaw, take the bag out of the freezer in the morning and place on the counter. Once thawed, reheat in the microwave about 2 minutes, gently toss, and then continue to heat 30-60 seconds at a time until hot enough to serve. Avoid over-cooking!

Looking for some additional healthy pasta dinner tips?

I found some great ideas in this article, How To Make Healthy Pasta Sauces.

More Helpful Recipes

For something a little different than this healthier spaghetti dinner, you could check out my Easy Curry Pasta and Vegetables or my Green Spaghetti. I also highly recommend one of our family favorites, Easy Ground Turkey Pasta With Broccoli Dinner. And of course, if you have kids, you can't talk about pasta without talking about mac and cheese, so here is a great mac and cheese recipe that is PERFECT for busy families, Slow Cooker Cauliflower Mac and Cheese.

Healthier Spaghetti

📋 Recipe Card

Healthier Spaghetti Dinner

Recipe Author: Kristin

Here's how to make a healthier spaghetti dinner! Enjoy all the deliciousness of this classic comfort food even more knowing that you are dialing down the calories and carbs and dialing up the nutrition.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Servings 8

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 spaghetti squash
• ▢ 48 ounces marinara sauce (2 jars)
• ▢ 16 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• ▢ 16 ounces spaghetti (1 box)

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Instructions

 

• Wash the spaghetti squash. Use a knife to cut slits all around the squash. Place in a slow cooker (optional: line the slow cooker with a liner or parchment paper) and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
  1 spaghetti squash
• When the spaghetti squash is almost done, place the mushrooms in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, until the mushrooms are softened.
  16 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• Place the marinara sauce in a saucepan on the stove top, add the softened mushrooms (but not the liquid they released), and heat on low until hot. (Alternatively this can be heated in the microwave.)
  48 ounces marinara sauce
• Remove the spaghetti squash from the slow cooker, cut in half length-wise, scrape out the seeds and discard. Then scrape out the squash 'noodles' into a bowl. Set aside.
• Prepare the spaghetti according to the package instructions. When done, drain the noodles and add to the spaghetti squash. Toss to thoroughly combine the squash noodles with the pasta noodles.
  16 ounces spaghetti
• Serve the noodles with the sauce on top.

Notes

• If you are looking to minimize carbs or calories, make sure you use a high-fiber and/or low-carb pasta.
• There are three other ways you can cook the spaghetti squash if you get started too late to use the slow cooker. Here are 3 other methods:
  • Microwave: Cut slits in the squash all around, and then cook on high for 10-15 minutes (rotate the squash every 4-5 minutes).
  • Oven: Cut the squash in half length-wise, remove the seeds, place cut sides down on a baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees F for about 50-60 minutes.
  • Pressure cooker (Instant Pot): Cut the squash in half width-wise, remove the seeds, place on a rack in the pressure cooker cut sides up, add about a cup of water, cook on high pressure for 8 minutes and then quick-release the pressure.
• You may have leftovers, as this recipe makes a lot of spaghetti. Here's a method to freeze it:
  • Cook your pasta al dente, and after draining it, toss it with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together.
  • Don't combine the leftover noodles with the sauce, and cool completely before packaging them to freeze. (Freeze leftover sauce in a separate container.)
  • Use a good quality plastic freezer zipper bag, and place the cooled leftover noodles in the bag.
  • Squeeze out all the air and zip securely before placing in the freezer.
  • When you are ready to thaw, take the bag out of the freezer in the morning and place on the counter. Once thawed, reheat in the microwave about 2 minutes, gently toss, and then continue to heat 30-60 seconds at a time until hot enough to serve. Avoid over-cooking!

Nutrition

Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 918mg | Potassium: 1000mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 880IU | Vitamin C: 15.6mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 3.1mg

Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.

Did you enjoy this recipe?I would love to hear about it! Please leave a rating and a review to let me know, so I can continue to provide recipes that you will love!!