Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Spaghetti squash strands with healthy alfredo sauce in a bowl with a fork, cheese, and basil.

Crunchy spaghetti squash strands stand in for pasta in this veggie-forward dinner recipe! The creamy sauce is a healthy twist on alfredo, featuring cottage cheese and white beans.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 10

Servings as a main

Calories 712kcal

Author Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN

Ingredients

3 pounds spaghetti squash 1 large or 2 small
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 cups lightly packed chopped baby spinach
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

White bean alfredo sauce

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced onion from ½ large
3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
15 ounce can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
1 cup 4% cottage cheese I like small curd varieties for blending, like Good Culture or Daisy
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup milk optional/may not be needed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F/205 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Carefully slice open the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard.
Rub the flesh with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place the two halves flesh side down on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until the strands can be pulled away from the sides with a fork but are still crunchy. I like to slightly undercook the squash so that it doesn't get waterlogged and cause the sauce to get watery.
When the squash has finished cooking, use an oven mitt to flip the squash over and handle them while you pull the strands away. Reserve the empty halves for stuffing them later.
Put the chopped baby spinach and spaghetti squash strands to a large bowl. Stir so that the steam from the squash wilts the spinach. Let it cool slightly while you make the sauce.
Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until it starts to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Remove from heat.
Transfer the cooked onion and garlic to a high-speed blender. Add the white beans, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Blend on medium until smooth. If needed, add milk, just 1 tablespoon at a time, to promote blending. You want the sauce to be pourable but still quite thick. The steam from the spaghetti squash will contribute liquid, and if there’s too much milk/liquid in the sauce to begin with, it will get too watery when added to the squash.
Pour the alfredo sauce from the blender into the same skillet you used to cook the onion and garlic. Heat over low heat (important), stirring often, for 60 to 90 seconds until just heated through. Promptly remove from heat. This warms up the sauce enough so that it doesn’t have thermal shock when combining with the spaghetti squash, which would cause separation. It's important not to boil the sauce in the skillet or else it will separate that way.
Pour the gently warmed sauce over the slightly cooled squash and spinach. Stir until coated.
Divide the spaghetti squash mixture evenly between the remaining empty halves.
Sprinkle each half with the remaining parmesan cheese.
Turn the oven to the broiler setting, and bake the filled squash halves for 1 to 3 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Remove from the oven, and serve warm!
Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!

Notes

This recipe is best enjoyed right away, since refrigeration/storage can cause the sauce to get grainy. If you do have leftovers and don't mind the changed texture, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave in 30-second intervals on high.
The sauce is naturally fibrous from the white beans, so it's not the same texture as traditional alfredo. Following the tips about preventing watery squash and not overheating the sauce will lead to the best results.

Nutrition