Creamy Baked Rosemary Spaghetti Squash Casserole
A good dinner that is hearty, healthy, and easy is hard to find. This dish, checks off all the boxes.
It is hearty. Spaghetti squash is tossed with a rich and creamy rosemary garlic sauce that create a hearty casserole meets creamy gratin texture for the best of both dishes. The top of the dish becomes browned and delightfully crispy, while the center is soft and creamy. It has the warming flavors of Fall and when eaten warm out of the oven, is as cozy as snuggling up in a blanket in front of the fire.
It is healthy. Yes, it is a creamy comforting dish, but it also happens to be dairy free, gluten free, paleo, and vegan. Thanks to our base of spaghetti squash, instead of heavier noodles, the recipe remains light, even while giving you that comfort food feeling.
It is easy. This recipe is hands off oven cooking. Once you blend together your sauce, it is all passive oven cooking time. This dish also reheats incredibly well. If you want to make it ahead of time for a dinner party, or are reheating leftovers, just slip the whole baking dish back in the oven at 350 and heat until warmed through.
For picture perfect Creamy Rosemary Baked Spaghetti Squash, there are a few things you need to know:
Tip #1: Press pause.
Spaghetti squash has a lot of moisture. We need to remove a good amount of that moisture to keep creamy texture of the dish. Once your squash have been baked tender in the oven, shut off the oven and allow the squash to sit in the off oven for another 30 minutes. This dries out the squash, removing excess moisture, without overcooking. If you skip this step, the squash will leach out the excess moisture during the next baking step and result in a soggy, watery finished casserole.
Tip #2: Chop it. Chop it real good.
Rosemary is a delicious holiday herb, but what’s not delicious is biting into a large piece of rosemary. It is one strong herb, and a mouthful to chew on is not a tasty bite. Be sure to chop your rosemary very fine so that its flavor infuses the whole dish and doesn’t overpower one bite.
Tip #3 The upper crust.
The golden brown crust on this dish not only looks good, it tastes amazing. For those irresistible crispy bits, turn on the broiler for the last few minutes of baking. Watch the dish closely, since broiling unattended can make your dish go from golden to burned quickly.
Ingredients:
- 2 medium spaghetti squash
- 1 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon finely mined rosemary
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
1. Cover the cashews with water and soak overnight or for at lest 4 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut off the stem end of the spaghetti squash. Cut the squash in half, lengthwise.
3. Use a large metal spoon to scrape out the seeds and discard.
4. Place the squash, cut side up on a baking sheet and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a knife tender. Shut off the oven and leave the squash inside for 30 more minutes. Remove from the oven and run a fork from one side to the other, widthwise, to loosen the noodles.
5. Drain and rinse the cashews and add them to a high speed blender. Add in the almond milk and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the nutritional yeast, garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
6. Toss the spaghetti squash with the sauce and transfer to a baking dish.
7. Bake for 50 minutes, then broil until the top crust is golden brown. Serve.
