Vegan, Vegetarian, Paleo, And Gluten Free: Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein
I’m on a serious Asain kick lately and can’t get enough of Asian noodles. There is no discrimination in my recent addiction, I seriously love them all, but my top two have to be chow mein/stir fry or pad thai. It’s no secret chow mein is not a healthy dish, 1 cup of chow mein noodles is about 230 calories and 26 grams of carbs. Thankfully, like most unhealthy dishes, there is always a way to make a healthier version – enter spaghetti squash. 1 cup of spaghetti squash noodles is only 42 calories and 10 grams of carbs, it’s also is high in vitamin A and potassium making it the ultimate healthy substitute for common noodles. For all those with dietary restrictions (which is a lot of us), this recipe is vegan, vegetarian, paleo, and gluten-free!
Other than roasted the squash, the entire process takes less than 20 minutes. This is a great recipe to try with a friend because it is simple, easy, and delicious. You serve the noodles in each half of the squash (length-wise) which means minimal dishes to clean up after! I was truly surprised with how similar it did taste to chow mein, I can thank the sauce for that. The sauce is a mixture of minced garlic, ginger, olive oil, brown sugar, pepper and Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce
The vegetables in chow mein are minimal – chopped celery, 1 white whole onion, and coleslaw. If you are wanting to add some protein, fried tofu cubes or chicken would be a great addition. When the squash is roasted, you scrape the “spaghetti” noodles out of each half and place in a large fry pan. Add the vegetables then pour over the sauce and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Evenly divide the mixture into each squash half and you are ready to dig in!
Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein
Serves 2
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 1/4 cup Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce
or Coconut Aminos Sauce(if you are paleo)
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 white onion, diced
- 3 large stalks celery, diced
- 2 cups coleslaw mix (I used a cabbage, carrots, and broccoli mix)
- salt and pepper
Method
- Rinse the spaghetti squash then cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a large spoon. Lay each half facing up on a baking sheet then coat with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake at 400F for 30-40 minutes, until flesh is very tender. Once done, scrape out the flesh with a fork so it breaks apart into strings into a large bowl, set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together tamari, garlic, sugar, ginger, and pepper, set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large fry pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and coleslaw then pour over the soy sauce mixture in the small bowl.
- Stir in spaghetti squash noodles to fry pan and mix so ingredients are evenly mixed around. Add salt and pepper if needed.
- Evenly divide the mixture back into the two skins of each spaghetti squash half. Serve with chopsticks and dig in!
