Sub that heavy pasta!....Spaghetti Squash with Fresh Tomato and Basil Sauce and Zucchini

It's a hot and humid summer evening and I really feel like pasta.  But, who wants to be weighed down with heavy carbs in the middle of the summer heat??  I sure don't!  Spaghetti squash is a great substitute that makes this recipe vegan, gluten free and low carb!

The sauce lightens up the dish even more!  There is something so great about fresh home made spaghetti sauce.  You can really taste all of those fresh vegetables and herbs.  So light and bright!  Your kitchen is going to smell so delightful that your taste buds will be salivating profusely. 

Spaghetti Squash with Fresh Tomato and Basil Sauce and Zucchini

Fun little fact regarding spaghetti squash:
It is not a vegetable, but technically a fruit.  I for one, never knew that!  And, here is a shocker:  when cooked, and you scrape out the meat, it comes out in ribbons or in the form of spaghetti.  Who would have ever thought???




Ingredients: (yields 4 servings)
For spaghetti:
2 spaghetti squash
1/2 tbsp evoo
s+p
"everyday seasoning"

For sauce:
6 vine tomatoes
1/4 red onion sliced with mandolin
1 small zucchini sliced with mandolin
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
pinch cayenne pepper
fresh basil chopped
3 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
evoo
s+p

Directions:
For the spaghetti squash:  Preheat oven 375.  Carefully but forcefully cut in half, length wise (this can be challenging, but try your best! I actually slammed in on the cutting board to finally get it into halves).  Scoop out the seeds and insides with a spoon and discard.  Lightly oil baking dish, lightly oil the insides of the squash, season and place upside down in the dish.  Bake for roughly 1 hour.

For the sauce:  Boil pot of water and have a bath of ice water ready.  While pot is coming to a boil, take each of your tomatoes and knife in a cross on the bottoms of each.  Once pot at a boil, throw the tomatoes in for 30-60 seconds.  Remove and place in ice water bath.  Remove from bath after a few minutes and peel of the skin.  Quarter each tomato and remove/discard the "juicy" part of the tomato, so all that you have remaining is the meaty part of the tomato.  Dice the tomatoes and put aside.
Heat a sauce pan with evoo and add in chopped garlic and red onions.  Saute for 3 minutes, add in zucchini for an additional few minutes.  Add in chopped tomatoes, seasonings (except for the basil) and turn to high until boiling.  Then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add in fresh basil, cover for an additional 10 minutes.

Once your squash is done baking, let cool until ready to handle.  With a fork, scrape out the squash.  You should notice that they are in the shape of spaghetti.

Scoop in bowl and top with your beautiful sauce!