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And the healthy eats continue!
Seriously though, how are you guys feeling about all the healthy recipes weโve been discussing this January? Are you into them? Personally, Iโm kind of loving them. All the colorful veggies are incredibly fun to photograph and the recipes are so my kind of recipes!
Did I ever tell you that I once had a serious addiction to spaghetti squash? Like it was so serious that for a little while I think it was all I ate for dinner. Eventually my skin started turning yellow and then that freaked me out and I quit cold turkey. It was a weird, weird, couple of weeks, but I just remember mom and I having a long moment with spaghetti squash back when I was in middle school. But man, I do really LOVE it. Now that I make all these other kinds food, Iโve kind of forgotten about simple spaghetti squash.
I did make itย once back in the fall, but this is the first time sine then. I know, I know. ๐
Anyway, even though itโs โhealthy Januaryโ here on the blog, that still means pasta and cheeseโฆfor me at least! Yes, I consider both to be healthish foods. Donโt judge.
Okay, but the squash, I guess that technically itโs not pasta. And I guess the sauce is actually vegan, but I swear, youโd think it was all cheese and cream! All you have to do is roast the spaghetti squash, add all the ingredients for the sauce to a blender, blend and then pour the sauce over the hot spaghetti squashโฆ DONE.
SO simple.
As you can see, I also added a poached egg to my bowl for a little protein, because I really just love a good egg. I then topped the dish off withย my new favorite condiment, vegan parmesan and called it good to go.
FYI, this bowl right here, itโs a million times better than the spaghetti squash I was eating in middle schoolโฆI think that back then we used spray butter. Eeew. That totally grosses me out now.
The creamy sauce is a base of coconut milk and cashews. This combo together is beyond awesome and the flavors are not overpowering. Even if youโre not a fan of coconut, I would still highly recommend giving the recipe a try. I canโt say that this recipe tastes full on like a traditional Italian Alfredo, but thatโs OK. This is something slightly different, but yet it still gives you that feel. You know?
Thereโs creaminess, heartiness and all around awesome flavors going on here. If youโre not vegan, you can use parmesan in the sauce instead of nutritional yeast. Obviously you can really load up on the parmesan topping too! Like I said though, Iโm actually really loving the vegan parmesan. I love the nuttiness the pine nuts give it. Itโs just a little differentโฆbut I canโt lie. I also added a dusting of real parmesan too.
Couldnโt help it.
And looking at that egg in these photos makes me think that some burrata cheese would be kind of amazing on this too. I mean, it totally wouldnโt be vegan then, but man, it would be GOOD. Next time Iโll try adding burrata for sure!
Even without the burrata, the egg, plus maybe a little of the vegan AND the regular parmโฆ oh yeah, SO good! Yup, I sure do like my cheese!!
But hey, the spaghetti squash and the sauce are oh so healthy, so laying on the cheese is perfectly justifiable.
Lastly, let me tell you a little bit about that egg. Oh that egg. Yes, you totally do not need itโฆ but yes, itโs totally perfect (I love a good runny egg). An egg + this creamy sauce + spaghetti squash = heaven.
Almost like a carbonara pasta.
YUM.
Creamy Coconut Cashew Spaghetti Squash "Alfredo".
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash, halved + seeds removed
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- salt + pepper, to taste
Coconut Cashew Alfredo Sauce
- 1 cup canned full fat coconut milk
- 3/4 cup salted, roasted cashews
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast OR parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh basil + parsley, chopped
- pinch or crushed red pepper flakes, to your taste
- [vegan parmesan | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/the-mean-green-detox-salad/] or regular parmesan, for serving
- 2-4 poached or fried eggs, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Slice the spaghetti squash lengthwise and drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil all over the cut sides of the squash halves and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut side up on a baking sheet and bake about 30 to 45 minutes, or until the squash is just tender enough to scrape into strands.
- Add the cauliflower florets to another roasting pan or cookie sheet. Toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, chili powder, salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until lightly charred and golden.
- Meanwhile, make the coconut fettuccine sauce. In a high powdered blender or food processor, combine the coconut milk, cashews. lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt and pepper. Process until the sauce is completely smooth and creamy. Stir in the crushed red pepper, basil + parsley. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
- Remove both the squash and cauliflower from the oven. Scrape the squash into strands and toss with the coconut sauce. Serve warm with [vegan | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/the-mean-green-detox-salad/] or regular parmesan, fresh herbs, crushed red pepper and an egg (DO IT). EAT!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Spaghetti Squash โAlfredoโโฆ and now we eat and eat and eat. Well, OK then!
This was SO good! Iโve made a lot of your recipes and this was an instant favorite. As soon as I took the first bite, I actually said aloud, โTieghan REALLY knows what sheโs doing.โ
Hey Jenn,
I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed:) Have a great week! xT
This meal was soooo tasty! Way better than I anticipated! I made this for my family the day before Thanksgiving while I was prepping the next days food and was low on spare ingredients and this was absolutely perfect to easily whip together
Hey Amara,
Thanks for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xx
So so good! And super easy. Only thing was I found the sauce wayyyy to nutritional yeast-y, so I added the rest of the can of coconut milk. That didn’t help much so I ended up mixing the sauce half and half with a basic cashew sauce I had in the fridge (just soaked raw cashews, salt, water all blended) I loved the sauce once mixed!
Hey Olivia,
Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback! Glad to hear it turned out in the end! xx
Hi! Allergic to cashews and pine nuts, any other nut you recommend to get similar consistancy?
I know that this is old, but you could puree cauliflower. It makes a lovely, but flavorless, cream sauce all by itself. I usually add a few cashews for extra richness, but the coconut milk might work for that. I’ve also made an “alfredo” with cannelini beans and cauliflower. For me, a bit of acid is needed to brighten it up if beans are used. If you want to try a nut, then maybe pistachios or macadamia would work nicely. They both are similar to cashews in that they puree into a smooth creamy sauce with a good blender.
not the blogger, but I’ve made the sauce with unsalted raw sunflower seeds instead! i go by weight instead of volume and use the same weight of sunflower seeds in place of cashews. it does give it a different flavor than with cashews, but i think it is a good swap!
This was fabulous! I roasted Broccoli instead of cauliflower, but the Alfredo was so so good! I topped with an egg as well!
Hey Jill,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! xx
Hi, I did this recipe and it was very tasty. My husband and I loved it. I didn’t have coconut milk left son I took instead, the Belsoy (soya cooking). I can’t say if it tastes the same but it was good ans it also means i will have to do it again with the coconut milk ? (sorry for my englush, I am french from Quรฉbec)
Hi Anne-Marie,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks so much for making it! xT