Sexy Skinny Spaghetti

Looking to wow the pants off your Valentine? Or maybe just a way to stay in your skinny jeans?

Avoid the bloated feeling that often comes with traditional pasta by substituting noodles with spaghetti squash.  I thought this was a ridiculous idea (how could a vegetable taste like pasta?!) until I tried it for the first time (I loathe change).

Skinny Sketti

You will need a spaghetti squash, choice of meat (if desired) and your favorite Italian sauce (I use bottled – but low sodium!).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Microwave the squash for about a minute.  This will make it loads easier to cut and save your hand strength for opening that tightly sealed jar of sauce (let’s be real, I would never make from scratch).

Once cut, scoop the seeds out of the middle (if you forget this step (as I almost ALWAYS do) you can remove after cooking – no worries).

Hold on tight because the squash is slippery!

Once seeds have been removed, place halves on a cooking sheet.  Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your gourd.

Use a fork to create ‘spaghetti’ noodles.

I can make four meals out of one large spaghetti squash (thus not having to cook all week. Score!).

Typically, I add FreeBird chicken breast strips that can be found at Whole Foods (low in sodium and calories) but I’ve also used turkey meatballs and lean ground beef in my sauce.

Mix sauce and cooked meat, bring to a boil.

Serve immediately with or without cheese (due to the non-pasta spaghetti, I treat myself with a handful of mozzarella on top).

Use reduced fat cheese to keep it on the ‘skinny’ side.

This cheesy version of sexy spaghetti will cost $10 (more or less depending on the meat) has about 260 calories, 20 carbs and 11 grams of sugar overall.

Now get out there in all your skinny glory and seduce someone.

CBXB