Eating healthy doesn't mean you have to go hungry and this dish is the perfect example of that concept; you get to eat such a high volume of food for such relatively low calories.
This spaghetti squash recipe is pulled directly from the Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan and Nutrition Guide. It's easy to make and we're sure that you're going to like it. In our Meal Plan, we tell you exact portions of each of the food items in this recipe in order to help you get the exact number of calories that you need for your plan (the plan includes 5 different calorie allotments in order to allow you to customize the plan to meet your exact needs).
All of the ingredients in this dish are completely clean, and this just happens to fit the bill of both vegetarian and vegan. If you haven't tried spaghetti squash recipes as an occasional replacement for pasta, you're missing out.
Here's why this is a smart nutritional choice:
- High volume, low calorie dish that is very filling.
- Made from 100% clean, natural ingredients
- High in Vitamin C, fiber, potassium and thiamin
- Good source of Iron, protein, and Vitamin A
- No cholesterol, low saturated fat, and salt (as long as you add it sparingly)
- Meets the guidelines of vegetarian, vegan, & gluten free for those who follow those eating styles
This recipe (as detailed here) makes for a very generous serving for 2 people; you can easily alter the portion to make for more or less calories.
Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti squash
3 Cups Slow cooked beans (black, pinto, red, or northern; if you don't have slow cooked, canned will do)
3 Cups Tomatoes (you can used diced tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or even canned in a pinch, though this will increase the salt content)
1 Avocado
2-3 Garlic cloves (minced)
Salt & pepper (to taste)
How to make this dish
The beauty of this meal is that it's so easy to make!
First, start cooking your squash. You can either roast the squash in the over for roughly 50 minutes at 375 degrees, or you can cut it in half, put it in a microwavable dish with a little water, and microwave for about 10 minutes (or until you are able to easily pull the squash away in strings).
While your squash is cooking, roast your tomatoes with the garlic in a little bit of olive oil; just enough so that the food doesn't stick to the pan (roughly .5-1 Tbsp if you're making this dish for 2 people). Heat up your beans and slice up your avocado as desired.
Once your squash is cooked, use a fork to remove the "spaghetti" strings; pile each half of the squash onto a plate. Add 1.5 cups cooked beans to each pile of squash, then add the sauteed tomatoes and garlic; top off with sliced avocado. You're ready to eat.
Serves two.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 689
Total Fat: 23 g
Saturated Fat: 2.8 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 74 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 92 g
Dietary Fiber: 25 g
Sugars: 8.4 g
Protein: 28 g
Vitamin A: 45%
Vitamin C: 79%
Calcium 20%
Iron: 57%