Spaghetti Squash Fettuccine and Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I know, I promised I wouldn't drop off the face of the earth again. But I did. Oops. I'll make it up to you somehow.

Okay, so winter squash is everywhere and its cheap. Awesome. Its also cheap calorie wise (42 calories per cup as opposed to 221 calories in a cup of cooked spaghetti pasta.) You know what that means? You can load on the sauce! I've made spaghetti squash with a tomato based sauce before and it was great, but I was really in the mood for some chicken fettuccine alfredo tonight. So I made it. And it rocked.

First, I roasted the spaghetti squash. Its really simple: cut squash in half, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, place cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet and back in a 425 degree oven for 35-45 minutes or until you can slide a knife through it easily. Now all you have to do is scrape out the squash into a bowl. It will look a lot like a bowl of yellow pasta. Cool, right?

While the squash is cooking, you make the Alfredo sauce. I used half and half instead of cream so that cut the calories a little bit, but you don't have to. Remember, you're not eating pasta (you'll forget when you take a bite.) I threw in some of the leftover rotisserie chicken from last night (I love Costco) but you can make this vegetarian if you like. By the way, the nutmeg is pretty important to the alfredo sauce. Don't skip it, I promise it makes a big difference.

I still felt like I needed a vegetable to go with this meal. I had a huge bag of brussels sprouts (also from Costco) and I pan roasted them with garlic. I know a lot of people hate brussels sprouts, but they really don't suck. At least not like this (they still do if you boil them.)

Dinner turned out pretty yummy! The Bug even said "This is good, mommy!" and she ate more than 3 bites. Pretty amazing for her. 

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Ingredients:

1 whole spaghetti squash

2 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup half and half (or cream)

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Freshly grated nutmeg

Ground red pepper

For the Squash: 

1. Cut in half, lengthwise.

2. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Place cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet.

4. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 35-45 minutes

5. Scrape out squash into a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.

For the Alfredo Sauce:

1. Heat butter over medium heat

2. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant

3. Slowly whisk in half and half and bring just to a boil.

4. Add parmesan and nutmeg, red pepper, salt and pepper to taste

5. Whisk together until smooth

6. Lower heat to low and let the sauce thicken.

7. Serve over  squash.

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

2-3 cups brussels sprouts-halved

2 Tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp lemon zest

Juice of half of 1 lemon

1. In a medium bowl, combine brussels sprouts, garlic, olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat a large non stick skillet over medium high heat

3. Saute brussels sprouts until browned, stirring occasionally.
4. Transfer to a medium bowl, add lemon zest and lemon juice and toss to combine. Serve immediately.