This Spaghetti Squash all’Amatriciana is a spin off of the classic bucatini all’amatriciana. Traditional amatriciana sauce is a spicy red sauce consisting of San Marzano Tomatoes, spicy Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, guanciale (or pancetta), garlic, onion, and olive oil. It is flat out a delicious Italian party for your taste buds.
As I mentioned in a few previous posts, I just finished taking a recreational cooking class at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. We had a pasta class where I was in charge of making Bucatini all’Amatriciana, which is basically bucatini pasta with the spicy tomato sauce. It was delicious! My favorite sauce we made in the whole class. So I knew I had to make a healthier version of that dish for my blog. This recipe is adapted from their Bucatini all’Amatriciana recipe.
By making this dish with spaghetti squash, it can be considered a low-carb meal. So I can still have the joys of indulging in spaghetti all’amatriciana without the heavy carbs and guilt. I’d say that’s a win-win!
Traditionally, this dish does get a lot of it’s flavor from the guanciale or pancetta but you can omit that if you want it to be made vegan! It will still come out with a very flavorful, spicy tomato sauce topped on some tender spaghetti squash. Refer to directions below on how to make it vegan.
And if you’re worried about the spaghetti squash prep, don’t be. It’s super easy to make spaghetti squash. I prefer roasting it in the oven with some olive oil and salt. But you can also microwave it in 15-20 minutes if you’re short on time.
But how do you get long spaghetti-like strands you wonder? I’ve been wondering for years! Every time I made spaghetti squash, it would look like I just ran a lawn mower over it. Just tiny, short strands going all different directions. That was until I read this article by the Kitchn on how to get long spaghetti squash strands. They suggest cutting the spaghetti squash down the waist, as I had always been cutting it lengthwise. Once I started to cut it down the waist, it created beautiful long spaghetti-like strands. Amazing.
Spicy, pungent, low-carb, and bursting with flavor, this Spaghetti Squash all’Amatriciana is the perfect dinner. It’s simple to make and relatively quick. Plus you can make a bunch at the beginning of the week, store in the fridge, and reheat for lunch or dinner (as I have been happily doing all this week).
So come on, try out this tasty low-carb twist on an Italian classic!
Spaghetti Squash all'Amatriciana
Ingredients
Amatriciana Sauce
- 2-3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 4 ounces Pancetta optional, omit if making vegan
- 1 medium Onion finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves of Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes less or more depending on your tolerance to spice
- 1 28 ounce can of San Marzano Tomatoes crushed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons Parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano Cheese finely grated
Roasted Spaghetti Squash
- 1 medium Spaghetti Squash
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Amatriciana Sauce
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat
- Saute the pancetta until crispy (skip this step if making it vegan)
- Using a slotted spoon, take out the pancetta when finished cooking
- Saute the onions in the saucepan in the leftover olive oil/pancetta fat until translucent. About 5-8 minutes
- Next, saute the garlic and red pepper flakes in with the onions for about 1-2 minutes
- Then pour the San Marzano tomato puree over the onion mixture in the saucepan
- Salt and pepper the sauce to your liking
- Let simmer for around 30 minutes
- While the sauce is simmering, prepare your spaghetti squash, parsley, and Pecorino Romano cheese
Spaghetti Squash
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Farenheit
- Cut your spaghetti squash in half crosswise, not lengthwise (for longer spaghetti strands)
- Drizzle each half with a tablespoon of olive oil each
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper
- Place spaghetti squash halves with cut-side down
- Roast in the oven for 40-50 minutes until squash is tender and you can easily pierce a knife through it
- Take spaghetti squash out and remove the seeds in the center of the halves (I like to scoop mine out with a grapefruit spoon that has sharper sides)
- Using a fork, remove your spaghetti-like strands from each half
- Spoon spaghetti squash onto a plate
- Top with the Amatriciana sauce and sprinkle with some parsley and Pecorino Cheese
- Serve and enjoy!
[…] Email […]