📂 Light Dinners
#Vegan
#Low Carb
#Comfort Food
#High Fiber
Spaghetti Squash with Textured Soy Bolognese Sauce
🍝 A comforting and incredibly low-calorie vegan dish. Roasted spaghetti squash "noodles" bathed in a rich, meaty plant-based soy bolognese.
🛒 Ingredients
- 1 Medium spaghetti squash
- 1.8 oz Fine textured soy
- 10 fl oz Crushed tomato
- 1/2 Onion and 1 Carrot
- 1 Garlic and Oregano
- 1 tbsp EVOO
🍝 Vegan Spaghetti: Botanical Magic in the Oven
If you love pasta but want to drastically reduce carbohydrates, spaghetti squash is your best ally. When roasted, its flesh naturally separates into long golden strands that perfectly mimic the texture of pasta. Combined with a thick and meaty bolognese made from fine textured soy protein, we get a spectacular "comfort food" dish, 100% plant-based and extremely rich in fiber.
🎃 Why it is exceptionally healthy
- Extreme Caloric Deficit: 100 grams of spaghetti squash provide barely 30 kcal, compared to 350 kcal for traditional pasta, allowing you to eat a huge bowl.
- Sustainable Protein: Textured soy is pure dehydrated protein. It provides all essential amino acids without saturated fats or cholesterol.
- Lycopene and Beta-carotenes: The combination of the tomato in the sauce with the orange color of the squash forms a protective antioxidant arsenal for the skin and eyes.
📝 Step-by-Step Preparation
- Roasting the Squash (The Magic): Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Cut 1 medium spaghetti squash in half lengthwise (careful, it is hard). Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Place it cut-side down on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and roast for 35-40 minutes until the skin yields when pressed.
- The Bolognese Base: While roasting, hydrate 1.8 oz (50g) of fine textured soy protein in hot water for 10 minutes and drain well. Finely chop 1/2 onion, 1 carrot, and 1 garlic clove. Sweat them in a skillet with 1 tbsp (15ml) of EVOO.
- The Plant-Based Simmer: Add the drained soy to the skillet and brown it for 2 minutes. Pour in 10 fl oz (300ml) of crushed natural tomato, 1 teaspoon of oregano, salt, and pepper. Lower the heat and let it reduce for 15 minutes.
- Creating the Pasta: Take the squash out of the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. With a fork, scrape the inside of the squash from top to bottom. You will see the spaghetti magically appear!
- Drying: Put the squash strands in a colander for a few minutes so they release excess sweet water.
- Assembly: Serve a mountain of hot squash spaghetti in a deep plate and generously top with the rich, piping hot soy bolognese.
