Have you tried Spaghetti Squash before? If not, I highly recommend it!
Not only do I truly like it better than spaghetti, but it is so much healthier. My mom was very iffy before trying it, as she is not always into my “healthy recreations”. But she is now a full supporter of the lovely squash. She gets so excited every time she comes home to one in the oven. With it being so much lighter than regular spaghetti, it allows you to fully enjoy whatever toppings you put on it. Which brings me to the main part of this post, my homemade sauce.
I love spaghetti sauce. Actually, anything with tomatoes. Salsa, tomato sauce, marinara sauce, even just plain sliced tomatoes with some salt and pepper! But with some store bought sauces being filled with so many unneeded ingredients, I decided to come up with my own recipe that I could revisit every time I wanted some.
Side Note: I finally got an actual camera! Yes, all the pictures until now have been from my Iphone! I could not be more excited to finally begin taking photography again whether it be food or other thing..like my pup!
But back to the main focus 🙂 This spaghetti sauce recipe is so simple, it certainly does not take a personal chef to make it! And guess what? without counting seasonings, it only has FOUR ingredients! Served with spaghetti squash, and you have yourself a meal. Don’t know how to make spaghetti squash? That can be learned below as well 🙂
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
-1 cup red onion, diced
-1 15oz can Tomato Sauce
-1 14.5oz can Diced Tomatoes
-1 6oz can Tomato Puree
-1T fresh chopped Basil
-1 clove of Garlic
-1 tsp each: dried Parsley, Oregano, Thyme
-1/2 tsp garlic salt
-Sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Place minced garlic clove and onion in pot on stove, and sauté until onion is transparent on medium heat. Add in all other ingredients, and stir to combine. Allow to simmer on medium low heat for 20 minutes. Serve on spaghetti squash or other desired food. Keep in sealed container in fridge for up to one week.
Spaghetti Squash
-1 spaghetti squash
-olive oil spray
-seasonings of choice (garlic salt, sea salt, pepper, season salt, onion powder)
-sauce of choice (marinara, meat sauce, Alfredo, pesto, homemade sauce, simple olive oil)
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut squash in half long wise. Take out seeds from middle. Either wash seeds for baking separately, or throw away. Lightly coat flesh of both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings. Put flesh side down on baking tray. Bake in oven for about 45 minutes (depending on size). If wanting more aldente “spaghetti” texture, check after 30 minutes. Take out of oven. With fork, begin to scrape out insides, going length-wise down the entire half of the squash. It will begin to come off as string-like “spaghetti noodles”. Continue to do so until all flesh is out of the hard outside shell. Toss shell or use as serving bowl. Prepare “noodles” with one of the following additions: 1)with one tablespoon or two of olive oil, and delicious seasonings of choice for a light side 2) toss with homemade sauce above for a real taste of spaghetti, 3) with any other sauce of choice, like Alfredo, pesto, or a homemade sauce. Top with any additional veggies or protein as desired. My turkey meatballs would be delicious for this 🙂
Tomato Benefits
1)Low in calories
2)High in vitamin C
3)Good source of vitamins A,K,folate and potassium
4)Provides thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, magnesium, phosphorous, and copper
5)Source of fiber
6)High water content
7)Source of beta-carotene and lycopene (good skin protectors)
Spaghetti Squash Benefits
1) Rich in vitamin C
2) Contains vitamins A, B-6, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, and vitamin K
3) Rich in minerals that lead to good healthy, the dominant being manganese. This aids in healthy bones, tissues, and sex hormones, and also plays in metabolism and regulation of blood sugar.
4) High in fiber, leading to satiety and decrease of cardiovascular disease
5) Only 42 calories in 1 cup compared to about 200 in a cup of spaghetti.