Vegan Spaghetti Squash al Forno
Baked pasta without pasta? That's right, but how is that supposed to work? With the help of spaghetti squash, of course! For me, as a pasta lover, it’s the best pumpkin of all. For those who don't know much about "spaghetti squash" yet, here's a quick fact sheet: spaghetti squash is an oval yellow-green pumpkin. It can reach a weight of 3 kg (6.66 lbs) and a length of up to 30 cm (12 inches) (source). The unique feature, however, is the texture of its flesh. It consists of long, spaghetti-like fibers that can be easily removed after cooking or baking. Hence the name. So, having cleared that up, we can move on to the second part of the recipe.
Rigatoni al Forno is an Italian classic. Rigatoni are topped with tomato sauce and/or béchamel sauce, and cheese. Ground beef, ham, and peas often end up in the dish as well. What a feast! Of course, we don't use rigatoni in this recipe, but our excellent spaghetti squash! Just as I said: baked pasta without pasta. For this, we boil our pumpkin and hollow it out. We used a 1 kg (2.25 lbs) heavy specimen, so if the weight of your pumpkin is very different, you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Also, be careful not to damage the peel when scooping out the flesh, as we will use it as a "baking dish" later. For the sauce, we fry vegan mince with garlic, onions, and tomato paste. After deglazing the mix with vegan white wine, vegetable cooking cream, and vegetable broth, it’s seasoned with various herbs. The flesh of the spaghetti squash, our sauce, tomatoes, plant-based ham, and peas end up together in a bowl and are mixed well. Now we're ready to stuff our squash halves and cover them with a big pile of vegan shredded cheese. Then off into the oven it goes!
If you’re not a big fan of pumpkins, you can find our recipe for a rather traditional but plant-based version of Rigatoni al Forno here. But if you're a big pumpkin fan, you can find many other sweet and savory recipes with fall’s favorite produce here!
Rigatoni al Forno is an Italian classic. Rigatoni are topped with tomato sauce and/or béchamel sauce, and cheese. Ground beef, ham, and peas often end up in the dish as well. A feast! Of course, we don't use rigatoni in this recipe, but our excellent spaghetti squash! Just as I said: baked pasta without pasta. For this, we boil our pumpkin and hollow it out. We used a 1 kg (2.25 lbs) heavy specimen, so if the weight of your pumpkin is very different, you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Also, be careful not to damage the peel when scooping it out, as we will use it as a "casserole dish" later. For the sauce, we fry vegan minced meat with garlic, onions, and tomato paste. is After deglazing the mix with vegan white wine, vegetable cooking cream, and vegetable broth, it’s seasoned with various herbs. The flesh of the spaghetti squash, our sauce, tomatoes, plant-based ham, and peas end up together in a bowl and are mixed well. Now we're ready to stuff our squash halves and cover them with a big pile of vegan shredded cheese. Off into the oven!
If you’re not a big pumpkin fan, you can find our recipe for a rather traditional but plant-based version of Rigatoni al Forno here.But if you're a big pumpkin fan, you can find many other sweet and savory recipes with fall’s favorite produce here!
Vegan Spaghetti Squash al Forno
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash (approx. 1 kg / 2.25 lbs)
- 1 large onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 300 g (10.5 oz) vegan fresh minced meat
- 100 g (3.5 oz) tomato paste
- 250 ml (1 cup) vegetable broth
- 150 ml (0.66 cup) vegan white wine
- 250 ml (1 cup) plant-based cooking cream
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground rosemary
- 250 g (8.5 oz) cherry tomatoes
- 100 g (3.5 oz) sliced plant-based ham
- 200 g (7 oz) frozen peas
- 100 g (3.5 oz) vegan shredded cheese
- olive oil for frying
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Wash the spaghetti squash and prick it several times with a fork. Cook the squash in a pot of plenty of water over medium heat for about 40 minutes, until fork-tender.
Tip: If the weight of your squash varies greatly, adjust the cooking time accordingly. Once your pumpkin is cooked, you should be able to pierce it with a fork easily.
In the meantime, dice the onion and finely chop the garlic. Sauté both in a large pan with plenty of oil until the onions are translucent. Then add the vegan mince and tomato paste and sauté for 7-10 minutes. Deglaze with vegetable stock, white wine, and plant-based cream, and season with marjoram, basil, oregano, and rosemary. Let the sauce simmer for another 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/355°F (convection heat). Drain the pumpkin and leave it to cool slightly. Then cut in half, scoop out the fibrous flesh with a fork and set it aside. Keep the skin of the pumpkin.
Halve cherry tomatoes and slice plant-based ham into fine strips. Mix the pumpkin flesh, sauce, cherry tomatoes, frozen peas, and plant-based ham in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the mix into the hollowed-out shells of the pumpkin. Add a splash of vegetable oil to the vegan shredded cheese which will help to melt it during baking, then sprinkle it all over your stuffed spaghetti squash. Bake at 180°C/355°F (convection heat) for about 18-20 minutes, until the vegan cheese melts and is lightly browned.
