Pink Recipes: Parmesan Spaghetti Squash and Tomatoes, 180 Calories per Serving

A few of our readers have emailed us (you know who you are) with not necessarily complaints but subject lines reading, “What about some vegetarian recipes”, and “What’s with all the chicken?”, we even had a reader last week send us a picture of a spaghetti squash and the caption “Any ideas?” … Uhhh, use it as street hockey puck?

The masses or three readers have spoken and we here at the Pink Puck aim to please. We love our veggies, so we tested, adapted and finally found success in making a wicked tasty (not so pretty) Parmesan Spaghetti Squash and tomato recipe. Pair it with a garden salad and a slice of Italian bread, you’re good to go.

Checking in at 180 calories per serving, serves 6, it’s a great filling meal to make before you hit the rink.

• 1 spaghetti squash (about 4 lb), halved, seeded
• 1 1/2 cups water, divided
•  No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 6 wedges Swiss spreadable cheese (Laughing Cow makes a great version of this, as does Trader Joes)
• 1/2 tablespoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon fresh basil finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cans Diced Tomatoes (we used the Sweet Onion flavor from Hunts, but any flavor will work), drained
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• Sunflower Kernels, Roasted & Salted to sprinkle on the top (trust us, you want these!)

Directions

• Place squash, cut sides down, in microwave-safe dish, carefully stab the skin with a fork or knife a few times for additional steaming/venting assistance. Add 1/2 cup water and cover dish. Microwave squash on HIGH 15 minutes (could be longer if you have an older microwave) until squash is tender.
• While the squash cooks away in the microwave, spray large skillet with cooking spray. Lightly saute the onion. Add 1 cup water, spreadable cheese, parmesan, diced tomatoes, basil and salt. Cook on high, stirring occasionally until mixture starts bubbling. Reduce heat; cook and stir and additional 5 minutes or until cheese is fully melted.
• When squash is done cooking, carefully, and we mean carefully because it’s piping hot, remove squash strands with fork and place in skillet; stir to combine. Serve topped with sunflower kernels.