If you can believe it, this is only the second time I’ve made spaghetti squash.
I don’t know why I haven’t used this amazing ingredient more! It’s the ideal nutrient-dense, all-natural, low-carb, gluten-free substitute for actual spaghetti pasta.
In this recipe, I serve it with sliced mushrooms and marinara sauce on top, but you can use whatever sauce you prefer. Try it with pesto, a golden tomato sauce, a garlic broccoli sauce, or a slow cooker meat sauce.
Or you could go for something heartier, and mix it with sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, and feta.
As the cherry (tomato) on top in this recipe, serve each dish with chili oil tomato garlic bread, using slices of French baguette.
The chili oil is really easy to make. All you do is gently heat some olive oil with red pepper flakes for a few minutes. And then you’re done!
You can play with the oil infusion, using fresh herbs in addition to the chili for herbaceous, earthy flavors.
It really is as easy as it sounds. It takes 5 minutes to make total, and it keeps for a good while, too (if you don’t eat it all immediately).
Then you just mix the chili oil with some roasted garlic (only takes 10 minutes on the stove!), and brush it onto a sliced baguette. Top with sliced tomatoes and cheese, broil for 5 minutes, and dinner is on the table.
The squash takes about 40 minutes to cook. If you need help with this step, learn the right technique for cooking all types of winter squash.
You’ll have time to make like 3 whole baguette recipes from start to finish by the time it is done cooking.
The final result that’s on the dinner table: a bowlful of beautifully cooked veggies, and a crispy, golden baguette that you’ll want to shove in mouth as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Melty parmesan + tomatoes + chile oil + garlic + crusty bread = BEST GARLIC BREAD EVER.
Ok, what are you waiting for? I know you’ve got a hefty winter veggie hanging around somewhere. Get to it!
Print
Spaghetti Squash Marinara with Chili Oil Tomato Garlic Bread
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
For our veggie twist on spaghetti marinara, we use spaghetti squash instead of pasta, served with cheesy chili oil tomato garlic bread.
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves, with skins on
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 (12 ounces) 24-ounce jar marinara sauce
- 1/2 baguette, sliced in half lengthwise
- 3 small tomatoes, sliced
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded
Instructions
- Set a heavy dry skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, turning every few minutes, until blackened in spots and fairly soft, about 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
- Place the red pepper flakes and the olive oil in a small saucepan. Set over medium-low heat and cook until it starts to become fragrant, just 2-3 minutes. If the flakes turn brown and it starts to smoke, you’ve gone too far – you’ll need to start over. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Combine the sliced mushrooms and marinara sauce in a medium pot and heat over medium-low until heated through.
- Turn on your oven’s broiler.
- Peel and press the garlic cloves into a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the chili oil. Mix together. Use a pastry brush to evenly brush over the sliced baguette. Distribute the garlic as well as you can.
- Top the oiled baguette halves with slices of tomato, then with parmesan cheese. Broil 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden brown in spots.
- Serve the spaghetti squash topped with the marinara sauce with the baguette on the side.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Italian
- Method: Baking/Stovetop
- Cuisine: Dinner
Keywords: spaghetti squash, garlic bread, tomatoes, cheese, garlic, chili
Balance Those Carbs
This is a really cool meal, because it felt totally indulgent without having too much of an overload of calories.
Pasta and bread? A little carb-crazy for me. The chili oil baguette is a big decadent, but the bowl of noodles is secretly just a veggie! It’s a tasty and healthful replacement you’ll want to use all the time.
Pretty darn neat and delicious, if you ask me.
Want that special homemade touch? Learn how to make your own bread to serve alongside din-din, and how to shape it to perfection. You can start with our easy old-fashioned white bread loaf!
Savor that spaghetti squash! Here’s a few more recipes for you to make at home:
Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on October 29th, 2015. Last updated: August 19, 2022 at 12:28 pm. With additional writing and editing by Nikki Cervone.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).
I had an extra spaghetti squash that I didn’t know what to do with and found this recipe. Worked like a charm and we loved it!
★★★★★