Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

Who needs takeout when you’ve got a squash that moonlights as noodles and a sauce that slaps? This veggie-forward twist on Pad Thai is weeknight-friendly, wildly slurpable, and won't leave you in a soy-sauce coma. Think of it as your favorite Thai street food, but packed with protein and can feed the family.

Pad Thai

1 large spaghetti squash approx. 5 cups after roasting

1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons olive or avocado oil

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (or 1-2 lb shelled edamame if vegetarian or vegan)

Sea salt and ground pepper

½ teaspoon chopped ginger

1 ⁄2 cup chopped yellow onion

1 sliced red bell pepper

1 cup matchstick carrots

Green onions fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for garnish

2 Tablespoons chopped almond/peanuts

Chili Almond or Peanut Sauce

½ cup natural almond butter no sugar added or peanut butter

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 Tablespoon low sodium tamari or coconut aminos

1 inch knob fresh ginger peeled

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon sambal oelek or sriracha

¼ cup water

Directions

1. Cut lengthwise: Preheat your oven to 400°F. Slice your spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Flip your halves over so the cut side is on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes. You know your squash is done when you can press in the skin fairly easily. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes and then use a fork to scrape out/shred the inner part, making “spaghetti noodles”.

2. While squash is roasting, make the chili almond sauce by adding all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Process until smooth and set aside.

3. Chop raw chicken breasts into 1-inch chunks. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 Tablespoon oil. Add chicken to the skillet and liberally season with sea salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often until all sides are golden and chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

4. Add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the same skillet and sauté together ginger, onion, bell pepper and carrots. Cook until the veggies are starting to soften, about 5-6 minutes.

5. Add chicken back to the skillet with the veggies. Then add the chili almond sauce and mix everything together thoroughly.

6. Add spaghetti squash to the skillet and mix again. If your skillet isn’t large enough, you can put everything in a large bowl to mix instead.

7. Serve the spaghetti squash pad Thai immediately with green onions, fresh cilantro and lime wedges for garnish. Top with chopped almonds or peanuts.

   Want more protein? top with a fried egg or two. Need more calories, add a serving of rice.

Nutritional Content: 456 Calories. Protein 35 grams. Carbohydrates 27 grams. Fat 24 grams