These easy pesto alla vodka stuffed spaghetti squash boats are a go-to dinner for me when I'm hosting friends! No to brag, but I always get so many compliments on them. Most of our friends are athletic and love a filling but healthy dinner. These check all the boxes, they're so flavourful, plus they're gluten free for anyone with dietary restrictions. Best of all, they're a stress-free dinner that leaves me free to hang out with friends while they bake!
It's fall, and I'm back with another squash recipe! This recipe definitely has more of an Italian flavour vibe though, as opposed to many other recipes I've posted around fall that are packed with autumn flavours, like the apple, sausage & maple autumn sheet pan dinner. I came up with this recipe on some random weeknight when I wanted a really simple dinner, and I needed to go grocery shopping. All I had in the house for food were some random cans of things, fridge staples, and too many spaghetti squash from the garden. The initial version turned out super tasty, and I knew I wanted to make it again, but I had a brainwave that it would be even better with meatballs. If you've ever eaten spaghetti squash, it's so fun! The strings of squash actually look like spaghetti. You cut the squash in half, bake them, and can eat the squash right out of the hard skins which act as a bowl. Once you scoop out the seeds there's a hollow cavity that you can fill with sauce. It basically tasted like pesto alla vodka spaghetti, but without a protein. Welcome to the party, meatballs!
Here are the ingredients I used in the recipe:
A small-to-medium spaghetti squash
olive oil
1 small onion
garlic
thyme
crushed red pepper flakes, optional
dried fennel seed
tomato paste
vodka
jar of tomato pasta sauce or crushed tomatoes (most jars are 600ml)
basil pesto
cream (I use 10%)
salt and pepper
about 12 pre-cooked frozen meatballs. I used these from Nature's Promise.
grated gruyere or old cheddar cheese
I like to half-bake the squash ahead of time, and get the sauce mixed up. The most time consuming part of this recipe is just waiting for the squash to bake. They do take at least 45 minutes, depending on the size of your squash. If I bake them for 30 minutes earlier in the day, or the night before, and take five minutes to get the sauce mixed up, then all I have to do before we want to eat is pour the sauce in the pre-baked squash, plop the meatballs in, and essentially let everything reheat for 15 minutes. Then it's the most simple meal ever, which is how I like to do it if I'm serving this for company! Then I have my hands and mind free to socialize. Of course, you can do this all at once... just start them early to leave plenty of time for the squash to bake. You can get them in the oven and take a nice 30 minute break to do something else before finishing dinner.
The great thing about this recipe is that if you're really short on time, you can roll with the super easy method. Making a super quick alla vodka sauce in a pan like I wrote out above adds so much flavour. BUT I have totally made these before where I just open the can of store bought sauce, pour it in to the squash with the meatballs and serve it up. It's not as delicious, but still very yummy! I call that my "mom method," when baby Esme is having a fussy night!
This recipe is gluten free, so if you ever have guests with dietary restrictions, this "spaghetti knock-off" is a crowd pleaser. Of course I serve it to friends without dietary restrictions too, and they also love it. My friend Adam is even more of a foodie than I am, and he gave it rave reviews... I wonder what he'd think if he knew how simple the ingredients were hehe! Of course spaghetti squash is full of health benefits - fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It's a great source of carbohydrates, plus there's plenty of protein in the meatballs and cheese, so it's wonderful for athletes after a long day to promote recovery. I usually bake Ryan and I a stuffed half-squash each, but I rarely get through my share. Ryan can eat a full one, but despite spaghetti squash being low calorie, we always both leave the table stuffed.
Easy Pesto Alla Vodka Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Servings: 2 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour (no labour required)
Total time: 1h15
INGREDIENTS
1 small-to-medium spaghetti squash
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion
4 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
1 teaspoon dried fennel seed
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 jar of tomato pasta sauce or crushed tomatoes (most jars are 600ml)
1/4 cup pesto
1/2 cup cream (I use 10%)
salt and pepper, to taste
about 12 pre-cooked frozen meatballs. I used these from Nature's Promise.
1 cup/8oz grated gruyere or old cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 400°F, and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
Start by cutting your squash in half and removing the seeds. Place the squash on your sheet pan and rub each half with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Start to bake this in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of your squash. It's done when you can just insert a fork in to the flesh without having to use too much force... remember it will go back in the oven later to bake more with the sauce inside.
While your squash cooks, make the sauce. Chop your onion and garlic. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until it begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add your chopped garlic, thyme, fennel seed, and red pepper flakes, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring often. Reduce the heat to low, add the tomato paste, and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the vodka, cook another 2 minutes until it's mostly evaporated; this will cook out the alcohol but add a lot of flavour. Stir in the 1/2 cup jar of sauce, the pesto, and the cream. Season with salt and pepper.
Once your squash has baked, remove it from the oven. Fill each half with your sauce, and about six meatballs per squash half (or whatever will fit). Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and return them to the oven to bake another 15 minutes. It's done when the squash is fork tender and the cheese is golden on top.
Ryan and I eat a squash half each. Normally I don't quite finish mine and it becomes his! Use a fork to scrape the squash strands in to the sauce and mix with the cheese. So good!
Notes to make this recipe super simple: Frequently, I'll bake the squash ahead of time for 45 minutes, and mix the sauce. I'll just store them in the fridge until I want to cook it up for dinner. Then, it's super simple to pour the sauce in to the pre-baked squash, drop on the meatballs and cheese, and just bake them for a final 15 minutes to re-heat everything! On nights that I'm REALLY busy, I've just foregone making the sauce and only used the jar of sauce with some pesto mixed in. Making the sauce as per my directions above adds a ton of flavour, so I'd always recommend it, but we all have busy nights!
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