Back when we first got married, Jordan and I toyed with the idea of following the Paleo diet (click here for more information about Paleo eating if you aren’t familiar with it!).  As I grew more confident in my cooking skills, I tried to make Paleo meals, desserts, and all sorts of other goodies.  While we’ve since moved away from being strictly Paleo, we do still eat a diet with more proteins, fruits, and veggies and try to limit grains and such.

But there is one thing from our brief Paleo stint that has stuck with us and still makes its way into our dinners a few times a month. It’s one of my husband’s favorites, and when a friend recently asked him his favorite thing about marriage, he responded with when I cook this item.  What is this mystery item we love so much?

Spaghetti squash.

Y’all, if you haven’t tried it, you MUST. This magical vegetable (fruit?) is so easy to cook, and when you open it up it naturally shreds into long, spaghetti-like strands.  You can use it as a substitute for pasta in almost any recipe, but a serving size of spaghetti squash has only 40 calories (compared to 220 calories in a serving of actual spaghetti).  We really don’t worry that much about calories, mostly because my husband is an active athlete who burns thousands of calories a day, but it is such a great substitute for spaghetti whether or not you’re eating Paleo.

While you can roast it in the oven, I usually just cut it in half lengthwise with a giant knife, scrape out the seeds,  place both halves face down in a microwave safe glass pan, fill the pan with about a half-inch of water, wrap it loosely in saran wrap, and then microwave for about 8-12 minutes depending on how big it is.  Let it cool and then scrape out all that fake spaghetti goodness!

10 Delicious Spaghetti Squash Recipes

Below you’ll find a list of some of the most delicious spaghetti squash recipes I’ve found.  I’ve tried many of them, but some of them are on my shortlist to try soon! Be sure to head over to these awesome blogs to check out more great recipes!

1) Lexi’s Clean Kitchen: Basic Roasted Spaghetti Squash

This girl is the QUEEN of all things spaghetti squash. This is a great basic description of how to roast spaghetti squash in the oven and is a great place to start if you’ve never made it before.   I’ve included another recipe or two of hers below, and she is one of my absolutely favorite bloggers when it comes to healthy, clean recipes.

2) The Gracious Pantry: Spaghetti Squash Pasta With Pesto and Turky Garlic Meatballs

This is another great blog with tons of yummy clean eating recipe.  This one is perfect for summer with lots and lots of basil!

3) Steamy Kitchen: Baked Spaghetti Squash With Garlic and Butter

This is a simple, delicious recipe for spaghetti squash and also shows how to prepare it in the oven (if you aren’t super lazy like me and start dinner far enough ahead of time to do this instead of microwave it.)

4) Green Lite Bites: Zucchini and Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Zucchini is another one of my favorite vegetables to use as a substitute for pasta.  And a little cheese never hurt anyone, right?

5) Dine And Dish: Oven-Baked Stuffed Spaghetti Boats

You can stuff spaghetti squash with just about anything, but doesn’t this one look delicious?  It’s a fun one to serve at dinner parties because it looks a little fancier but doesn’t require all that much work.

6) The Comfort of Cooking: Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

This blog is so cute and I love how Georgia’s voice and personality shine through her writing (and her delicious, creative recipes).  How delicious does this one look?

7) Buns In My Oven: Spaghetti Squash With Bacon, Garlic, and Parmeson

I mean…bacon.  Come on, people. And isn’t the name of this blog pretty darn cute?

8) Lexi’s Clean Kitchen: Spaghetti Squash And Homemade Meat Sauce

This is one of our all-time favorites.  The sauce is AMAZING and so packed full of yummy vegetables and goodness.  We will sometimes just eat the sauce with a fork when there’s leftovers! If you try one recipe from this list…make it this one.

9) My Heart Beets: Spaghetti Squash Casserole

This one looks like the perfect comfort food, full of flavor and veggies but still melt in your mouth delicious.

10) Lexi’s Clean Kitchen: Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

Okay, I know this is the third recipe from Lexi that I’ve included.  But it’s only because she is the BEST and her food is amazing! I love how her voice comes through in her recipes, her pictures are gorgeous, and her recipes are delicious.  Now go check out her blog!

Now go get cooking, friends!

What are some of your favorite ways to cook spaghetti squash? 

 I’m linking up toJust a Girl And Her Blog, Life on Virginia Street, Miss Mustard Seed,  Remodelaholics Anonymous, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Cupcakes and Crinoline, Home Stories A to Z, Sand and Sisal, Kleinworth & Co, Coastal Charm, Between Naps On The Porch, A Fresh Start On A Budget, Mad In Crafts, New Nostalgia, Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Mabey She Made It, Memories By The Mile, Ladybug Blessings, Hope Studios, Posed Perfection, Common Ground, Anderson and Grant, The Charm of Home, Dwellings Amaze Me Monday, Sugar Bee Crafts, and Elizabeth and Co Vintage, The Charm of Home, Sweet Little Ones, Friday Letters, Meet-up Monday, Common Ground,Share Your Style, This Is How We Roll, AKA Design,Creativity Unleashed Thursdays, The Painted Drawer, and  Live Randomly Simple.  Check out those blogs for more great recipes, projects, and ideas!