Skip to content
Families
Link copied to clipboard

Healthy family recipe: Spaghetti squash with pesto

Brighten up your side dish with this vibrant twist on traditional pasta with pesto. The combination of garlic, basil, and parsley make this low calorie dish very flavorful.

    by Rebecca Rogers, RD, LDN, clinical dietitian, Healthy Weight Program at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
    Published 

Brighten up your side dish with this vibrant twist on traditional pasta with pesto. The combination of garlic, basil, and parsley make this low calorie dish very flavorful.

Spaghetti Squash with Pesto

Ingredients:

  1. 1 medium spaghetti squash

For Pesto:

  1. 3 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

  2. 2 cloves of garlic

  3. 2 cups of spinach

  4. 1 cup of basil

  5. 1/2 cup Italian parsley

  6. 3 tbsp. lemon juice

  7. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

  8. 2.5 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2. Cut squash in half. Clean out the seeds and loose strands.

3. Place squash halves on baking pan, with the inside of the squash facing up.

4. Bake for 45 min-1 hour. After squash cools for 20-30 minutes, remove spaghetti strands with a fork and separate strands further with clean hands.

5. In a food processor combine the garlic, spinach, parsley, basil, parmesan, lemon juice, and pepper.

6. Begin blending the ingredients and then slowly add the oil. Continue to blend until all of the ingredients are combined.

7. Mix together spaghetti squash and pesto. Divide into 6 servings and enjoy. Each serving is 1 cup.

Have a question for the Healthy Kids panel? Ask it here. Read more from the Healthy Kids blog »