Baked Whole30 Spaghetti Squash Recipe with Pesto and Bursted Tomatoes

Today we have a whole30 spaghetti squash recipe - it has a great flavor and is a great alternative to pasta when living a Whole30 lifestyle.

This grain-free spaghetti uses spaghetti squash tossed in a dairy-free pesto and is topped with bursted sweet cherry tomatoes in garlic oil. This recipe makes a little more pesto than necessary so that the maker can choose to add as much or as little pesto to the squash as they like. It is nice to have a plentiful amount of sauce!

If you haven't tried roasted, whole cherry tomatoes before, you're in for a real treat. They are so good to put whole in your mouth and let them burst in your mouth or if you break them up with a fork it can add to the delicious sauce in this recipe.

I came up with this recipe since my husband LOVES spaghetti squash but I've never really liked it all that much. I just think it doesn't taste much and has a weird texture. But with this Paleo spaghetti squash recipe, the spaghetti squash soaks up all the flavor from the sauce so it ends up with tons of flavor without too much work and it's very healthy.

So now my husband loves that I created a recipe I like so that I will actually make spaghetti squash sometimes. And I'm happy I figured out I really do love spaghetti squash as long as it is cooked correctly and has a good sauce on it!

I also liked to make a big batch of this ahead of time and then freeze individual size portions of it and just pull it out whenever I want a quick, tasty side dish. The only thing about freezing spaghetti squash is you have to drain the extra water off it after you microwave it, which isn't hard to do.

I haven't tried it, but I bet this recipe will be really good with zoodles (zucchini noodles) or even a clean eating or gluten-free pasta. What do you think? You could either eat this as a side dish or as a Vegan main dish. You could also add some cooked chicken or sausage and turn it into a complete meal.

What do you think would be a good dish to combine with this? Share your answers below.

You may also like these recipes:

Paleo Side Dishes – Vegetables, Fruits, Salads & More

Greek Yogurt Coleslaw Recipe

Instant Pot Potato Salad Recipe with Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes 

Simple, Healthy Paleo Roasted Vegetables Recipe

Baked Whole30 Spaghetti Squash Recipe with Pesto and Bursted Tomatoes

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

This recipe uses spaghetti squash tossed in a dairy-free pesto and is topped with bursted sweet cherry tomatoes in garlic oil. This recipe makes a little more pesto than necessary so that the maker can choose to add as much or as little pesto to the squash as they like.

• Author: Rebecca Baron
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 70 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Side Dish
• Cuisine: Paleo

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 Spaghetti Squash

Paleo Pesto

• 2 Cups Fresh Basil (packed)
• ¼ Cup Pine Nuts
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• ½ tsp Real Salt *
• ¼ tsp Pepper
• ½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sauce

• 1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes (can use a variety of colors)
• 1 ½ Tbl Olive oil
• 1 tsp Garlic (minced)
• ¼ tsp Real Salt *
• dash of Pepper
• Basil Leaves (to garnish)

Instructions

Bake/Roast the Squash

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place the two squash halves on a baking sheet, cut side up, and roast for 35-45 minutes (time will vary depending on size of squash), until squash is fully cooked and tender.
3. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Make the Pesto

1. Meanwhile (this can also be done while squash is cooking), place the basil, pine nuts, garlic, ½ t. salt, and ¼ t. pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine and coarsely chop ingredients. Add the ½ C. olive oil to the bowl and process until well blended and smooth. Check seasonings and add more salt and pepper, if desired. Set aside.

Make the Sauce

1. Place the cherry tomatoes, 1 ½ T. olive oil, 1 t. garlic, ¼ t. salt, and dash of pepper in a small saute pan. Heat on medium high.
2. When the tomatoes start sizzling, toss everything in the skillet around every 30 seconds. The tomatoes are done when the skins start to wrinkle and blister. Remove from heat.

Put it Together

1. Using a fork, scrape the strings of cooked spaghetti squash out of their shells into a large bowl (squash should still be hot).
2. Stir the pesto together if the oil has separated and add ½ C. of pesto to the squash. Toss well with tongs, coating the squash with the pesto. Add more pesto, if desired.
3. Plate the pesto coated squash and top with the bursted tomatoes, drizzlingthe garlic oil over the squash, as well.
4. Garnish with a few basil leaves.
5. Serve immediately.

Keywords: baked, Whole30, Vegan, healthy, easy