Spaghetti Squash with Walnut Pesto

Serves 4

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alnut pesto contains several healthful Mediterranean ingredients, including olive oil, walnuts, spinach and tomatoes. Although it contains fat, this pesto recipe delivers important heart-healthy monounsaturated and omega-3 fats. You will have two cups of pesto leftover; freeze it and use it with spaghetti squash, whole-wheat pasta, fish or chicken for another quick and easy meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 small spaghetti squash, about 2 1/2 pounds, halved lengthwise
• 3 cups basil leaves, washed and dried, semi-firmly packed (about 3 large bunches)
• 1 cup organic baby spinach, washed and dried, semi-firmly packed
• 3-4 cloves Melissa's organic garlic
• 1/4 cup Flanigan Farms raw walnut pieces
• 12 ounces House soft silken tofu
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan cheese
• 4 tablespoons Napa Valley organic olive oil
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup Sonoma marinated sun dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped

Instructions:


1. Preheat oven to 400º Fahrenheit. Place squash cut side down on a baking sheet and cook 40 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. When squash is done, use a fork to scrape the spaghetti-like flesh into a large serving bowl.

2. While the squash is cooking, combine the basil, spinach, garlic, walnuts, tofu, salt, and pepper in the work bowl of a food processor. Process into a thick paste, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add the cheese and turn on the machine. Slowly drizzle in the oil with the machine running.

3. Bring one cup of water to a boil and add chopped sun dried tomatoes to the water. Cook for three minutes and remove tomatoes with a slotted spoon, reserving the cooking water. Use the leftover water to thin out the sauce by processing it in one tablespoon at a time until sauce is just thin enough to toss with the squash (about five or six tablespoons). Transfer pesto to a bowl and stir in the tomatoes.

4. Toss one cup of pesto with spaghetti squash. Freeze the remaining two cups of pesto for future use.

Each 1-cup serving contains: Calories Fat Saturated Fat Trans Fat Cholesterol Sodium Total Carbohydrate Dietary Fiber Sugars Protein Vitamin A Vitamin C Calcium Iron 180       10 g     2 g     0 g     0 mg  160 g     21 g     4 g     0 g     6 g     22% DV 24% DV 15% DV 12% DV