Uh oh it’s time for a big trip…what does that mean? Well crash “healthy eating” of course! Does that sound familiar? If you’re like me, it does. Every time I have a big trip, I find myself scrambling to eat healthy the week or two before in an effort to undo any crappy food choices I’ve made. So this week as I searched for a healthy meal, I landed on this Spaghetti Squash Mac ‘n Cheese dish.
This recipe came from FitSugar and there really is no better feeling than eating healthy but feeling like you’re indulging. Yeah I wasn’t totally fooled that the squash was pasta, but I was thrilled that I found a healthy alternative to satisfy my mac ‘n cheese needs.
There was a little prep work, but all in all the dish came together in no time. The longest part was dealing with the squash. You have to half it to remove the seeds. Then roast in the oven for about 45-50 minutes until it’s tender.
I’m happy to report that this dish was chock full of veggies with the addition of broccoli florets to add color as well. So the base is spaghetti squash (which is so freaking cool when you cook with it) and broccoli. Then just whip up a semi-healthy cheese sauce. I mean let’s be honest friends, cheese sauce isn’t guilt free, but hot damn is it good!
Let’s talk about cheese sauce. I’m a bit of a pro when it comes to making this sauce, as my mom taught me at a very young age to make it. I would say I’ve been the official cheese sauce/white sauce maker in my family since I was about 6! So here’s what’s different with this sauce. I used whole wheat flour rather than all-purpose flour. I also swapped out the usual milk for almond milk. Not gonna lie here…it was smelling a bit “sweet/almond-y” as I was thickening the sauce, so I opted to add my go-to condiment of Jalapeno Tabasco sauce to balance out the flavors a bit. It worked like a charm!
Just add the sauce to the cooked squash and broccoli and ta-da the dish is done. I topped mine with a little freshly grated Parmesan and some crushed red pepper flakes for an extra kick of flavor. This was fabulous and I loved that it helped me stave off the bad food cravings for a few more days.
Trust me, you’ll want this dish for your next comfort food cravings when you just can’t afford extra calories. Click here for the recipe and step by step instructions.
A look back:
One year ago: Lunchtime Gets Fancy – Mexican Quinoa and Guacamole
Two years ago: Not-So-Saucy Pasta
Three years ago: Learning to Love Salads: Part 2 – Quinoa Salad
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