My friend Alyssa gave me the idea of peas in Alfredo sauce, which caused my mind to immediately take flight from there, stream of consciousness as always...
Peas are a vegetable...
Spaghetti squash is a vegetable...
Spaghetti squash is used as pasta all the time, therefore it would be a natural match for Alfredo sauce...
While we're adding vegetables, we might as well keep the peas in there too...
I don't want to use store-bought Alfredo sauce...
Homemade cream sauces are caloric and finicky, and I already made one for the gnocchi...
I could make a semi-homemade sauce, but I really don't like using concentrated soup mixes... My grandmother wouldn't approve... and she's 96, so she must know everything...
However, Pacific foods does make a lovely organic cream of mushroom soup mix, which actually tastes like mushrooms instead of tasting like can...
and my grandmother does have dementia and is no longer sure what a towel is used for, so perhaps she would overlook my use of a prepared food...
Thus, I fully admit that a semi-homemade dish emerged from our kitchen. It's speedy, breezy, cozy, comforting, and a wonderful way to come home from the cold craving vegetables.
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| Never fear, the lumps will come out if you keep stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon... |
Spaghetti Squash Alfredo
1 large spaghetti squash
12 oz frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons SmartBalance Light
1 package good quality cream of mushroom soup base, such as Pacific foods organic version
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
~ Slice the spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and place cut side down in a baking pan filled with just enough water to overlap the spaghetti squash. Either cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour, or cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for 15 minutes. Scoop out the spaghetti squash strands with a fork, and set aside.
~ Steam or boil the peas until just tender.
~ In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the SmartBalance light. Stir in the soup base, milk, cheese, and pepper and continue stirring until heated through.
~ In a large casserole dish, fold together the squash, peas, and sauce. Serve warm!
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| Always set a festive table, even if dinner isn't quite as completely from scratch as usual... :-) |
4 comments:
It's always a smart move listening to Grandmas if you ask me :)
This sounds delicious and there is nothing wrong with semi-homemade. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary
This looks awesome! I think with all the home cooking you do, a little semi-homemade is OK every once in awhile. I love spaghetti squash so this would be perfect. Ryan will be out of town for a bit, but maybe I can still make it for myself and just have lots of yummy leftovers.
Wow, a lot of thought went into this dish! :) I have two spaghetti squash on my counter right now, so this may have inspired some creative ideas!
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