During CSA season it is common for us to make a weeknight dinner out of a roasted spaghetti squash, some canned pasta sauce, and a handful of arugula on top. This weekend I was craving that meal, but I wanted something a little heartier, so I put together this pizza stuffed spaghetti squash.
We were at the farmers’ market on Saturday picking up our CSA share, and as I walked past another farmer’s stall, I noticed he was selling something advertised as ‘Mediterranean zucchini’. It was more squat than ordinary zucchini, and light green in color. His sign said “buttery – melts in your mouth”. Well, sign me up! The CSA share is usually pretty huge so it’s not too common for me to pick up extras. But I was a) really excited to see zucchini in October; and b) couldn’t resist that description!
After cooking the zucchini (and putting it in this pizza stuffed spaghetti squash), I have to say – it wasn’t just an advertising ploy. This stuff is really good. But a Google search for Mediterranean zucchini yields very little. It looks a lot like the zucchini on this page, which doesn’t really seem to have a name. Anyway, if you’re at the market and see zucchini that looks like that, I highly recommend it. It’s very tender, sweet and mild. Ah, I love zucchini. =] (Edit: Thanks to a reader I now know that this is known as Mexican gray squash, or Lebanese squash.)
Look at that cheezy goodness!
In addition to the ‘Mediterranean zucchini’, I added some juicy roasted red pepper strips and fresh sweet onions to the stuffing mixture. Since spaghetti squash is inherently sweet as well, I recommend a spicy pasta sauce like arrabbiata to balance out this dish.
To finish things off, I made my favorite cashew mozzarella, with a little bit of extra seasoning added. It is very mild in taste, but has an amazingly cheese-like gooey texture. My partner, who eats dairy cheese all the time, loves this cashew mozzarella, in case that means anything to you! It works really well in dishes like this where other ingredients are a major source of flavor. It adds healthy fats to this pizza stuffed spaghetti squash, which helps you to absorb the nutrients from all of the veggies.
I topped off the squash with dollops of “mozzarella” like you would on an actual pizza, and I also folded some of the “mozzarella” into the stuffing mixture. This is lip-smacking good. We used a huge (biggest I have ever seen) spaghetti squash and could barely finish 1/2 of it between the two of us. So scale the amount of veggies and pasta to the size of your squash. And of course, change up the “toppings” according to what’s available and seasonal for you.
Pizza Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash halved vertically and seeded
- 1 red bell pepper halved and seeded (or 1 roasted red pepper)
- 1 recipe cashew mozzarella add 1 tbsp nutritional yeast and 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup arrabbiata pasta sauce (or other pasta sauce of choice)
- 1 medium zucchini thinly sliced into quarter-moons
- 1/4 yellow onion diced
- additional dried oregano and red pepper flakes to taste
- (optional) fresh basil or parsley, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. After you've fully removed the guts from the squash, use a fork to poke a few holes in the flesh. Place them, concave side down, in a baking dish. Add two cups of water to the dish. If you aren't using pre-roasted pepper, add that to the dish, too.
- Bake for about 45 minutes (removing the pepper earlier if needed), or until soft and fully cooked. Chop up the roasted red pepper.
- (Note: while the squash is baking is a great time to make the cashew mozzarella).
- Use a fork to scrape out most of the squash (which will turn into spaghetti right before your eyes!). Add it to a mixing bowl along with the red pepper, about 3 tablespoons of the cashew mozzarella, pasta sauce, zucchini, and onion. Stir until everything is well-mixed, especially the cashew cheese.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Return the filling to the hollowed-out spaghetti squash, and top with a few more dollops of cashew mozzarella.
- Bake for about 20 more minutes, or until the cashew mozzarella is melted and bubbly, and the filling is hot all the way through. Serve garnished with fresh herbs if desired.
- A leftover squash half will keep for up to 5-7 days in the fridge, wrapped in foil. Best reheated in the oven.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe inspired by Pizza Stuffed Spaghetti Squash from Vegan Yack Attack (a version with vegan sausage and Daiya).
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Melissa says
Hey there, I found your photos on this website: http://www.ecoagricultor.com/calabaza-rellena/
They took photos from my blog too and posted them on their website, facebook, twitter and google+. You might want to see about reporting the copyright infringement, they posted your photo on their facebook on June 30.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks so much, Melissa, I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know about this. It’s so hard to catch all of these :[
Susan says
I just made and served this for dinner…IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!! I didn’t have time to do the cashew cheese,although it does sound good. I used vegan store-bought parmesan cheese instead. I also added a few other pizza toppings that my family and I like. Really great recipe!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Awesome, Susan! If I can, I like to make the cashew cheese while the squash is baking to save time, the hardest part for me is remembering to soak the cashews in advance =P. I’m so glad you were able to make a substitute that worked with your schedule and that you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
rika@vm says
That looks absolutely stunning…delicious…mouthwatering…what more can I say? I love PIZZA..STUFFED…CHEEZE…and SQUASH!
James says
Sounds like your find was some Mexican gray squash, also called Middle Eastern or Lebanese. Good eats! Look forward to trying your recipe.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Awesome, thank you for the info! Going through the lists of zucchini varietals was making my head spin. It is definitely one of the best types of squash I’ve tried, glad to have it identified now. 🙂 let me know if you try out the recipe!
Katie @ Produce On Parade says
Dang girl! This looks amazing. I could definitely polish off a half of this no problem. So hearty and healthy 🙂 Gotta love that!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Haha thanks! Hearty and healthy is what I’m all about. Okay, 80% of the time. The other 20% of the time I’m all about vegan desserts, coffee and junk foods. 😉
Cadry says
What a fun idea! This looks delicious!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks, Cadry! 🙂
Cheryl says
You are a genius!! I saw a similar recipe in a local culinary power duo’s cookbook from their Italian restaurant that looked just gorgeous, but had so much cheese! I love that you use cashew cheese and nothing processed. Typical YIG!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Ah thanks! 🙂 Haha see this is why i think you guys have a better culinary scene than we do… I can’t think of any Baltimore power duos. Cheese is a great thing but it’s also good to be able to taste the other ingredients!