Spaghetti Squash Bowls, Meet Taco Goals (Pegan)
Spaghetti Squash Taco Bowls
Category: Pegan
Why you should make this asap:
We make these spaghetti squash taco bowls all the time. They are a delicious, clean eating, low calorie, budget friendly, all in one, filling- but not bloating, kinda dish. Literally all of the good- and none of the bad. The butternut squash gives a nutty sweetness that pairs perfect with the fresh taco flavor; and the store bought (praise!), clean (double praise!), salsa verde and dairy free cheese sauce will shock you with how yummy they are (don’t run away yet.... I’m a cheese lover and I have to tell you, this dairy free cheese sauce is better than real cheese on these taco bowls). One of my ultimate favorite things about this dish is that it utilizes fresh veggies and easy store bought ingredients to pack loads of flavor. Run, don’t walk to your kitchen. This spaghetti Squash Taco Bowl is where it’s at.
The Story
(Recipe below…)
Back in 2019, within weeks of getting married, my health started to take a turn toward the dark side. Within months I found myself in bed with daily migraines and a gamut of issues including horrible skin rashes and hair loss. There I was - a new bride fresh off of excellent hair and sun kissed skin looking at my new husband from a dark corner where I had begun to hide. It was depressing and humbling… and I’ve never felt more loved.
My husband didn’t see the ugliness I saw- he saw a woman he loved in need of some extra love, and I saw his character shine. Within months I left my job to focus on heath - which at times felt like a full time job, but more than that it was consistently depressing. My husband encouraged me to focus on things that I had always loved to do, and also to lean into something I wanted to learn.
Since I was little, I’ve loved cooking and creating recipes; so spending my days in the kitchen learning to put a cleaner and healthier spin on some old favorites was a no brainer for me. Over the years, I had frequently thought about how I’d love to learn food photography and capture the things I saw on my plate, but I never found the time. Yet here I was now… with all the time.
“… it felt like a win in a season of many losses for me.”
These spaghetti Squash Taco Bowls are something that I threw together on a Sunday night while my husband and I watched Renovation Island (anyone else!?!). After that, I couldn’t stop making them. They are also the first thing I learned to photograph. Award winning photos? Not exactly. But I was so proud of the baby step I had taken in learning something I had dreamt about for a while.
For the first time in a while, I was excited about what was ahead. The taste. The colors! I felt inspired. Nothing about it was rocket science, but it felt like a win in a season of many losses for me. It inspired a refreshed love for creating recipes, and gave me something to look forward to every day as I gained confidence in clean cooking and leaned into old and new passions. Viddy & Dot had been sitting in the shadows online for a long time already, but now I had a more important goal to aim it at.
So, while it may be just another simple recipe to someone else, these Spaghetti Squash Taco Bowls take me to a time where I was desperate for a little bit of confidence, Sunday nights with my husband, and the start of something renewed, inspiring and hopeful in my life. I’ll spare you all the details of trial and error, but DANGIT these taco bowls are yummy.
I hope you try them, enjoy them and feel like a million bucks after!
The Recipe
Ingredients
Taco Bowl
1 Spaghetti Squash (feeds two people)
1-2 Chicken Breast, diced
1 Jar Salsa Verde (Trader Joes)
1 Cup Lettuce, Chopped (any kind, but I like butter lettuce)
1 Avocado, diced
1 Medium Tomato (Kumato if possible), diced
1/2 Cup Grilled Corn (or reg)
1/4 Cup Red Onion, Finely Chopped
Avocado Oil
Seasonings: salt, pepper, granulated garlic and cumin (if desired)
“Cheese” Sauce
1/3 Cup Mykonos Savory Scallion Cream Cheese (Dairy Free)
1/4 Cup Cashew Milk
Cilantro, for garnish (if desired)
Radish, for garnish (if desired)
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 425; cut the spaghetti squash in half (the smaller the squash, the easier to cut); scoop out inside seeds and stringy contents (much like cleaning a pumpkin); drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper (I use white pepper) and granulated garlic into the “bowl” and edges of the squash; place the squash (bowl side down) on a non-stick or well greased baking pan; bake for 30-35 minutes (careful not to overcook or you’ll get smooshy noodles).
Prepare all taco toppings and set aside in fridge (chopped lettuce, diced avocado, diced tomato, cooked corn, finely chopped red onions); make “cheese sauce” ahead of time and put in fridge (mix dairy free cheese and cashew milk till blended smooth and able to be drizzled- like a gravy consistency); prepare any garnishes and set aside (pull/chop cilantro and/or radish).
Dice up chicken breast, and place in lightly avocado oiled pan; sprinkle with salt, pepper and granulated garlic; cook on medium heat till chicken is near cooked; pour in 1/2 - 3/4 of the Salsa Verde jar (save remaining for noodles later on); stir and continue cooking the chicken in the verde sauce till it becomes browned and crispy (cook this to your liking… we like it dark and caramelized as much as possible- before it burns); add water as needed to loosen up the crisped chicken/sauce; set chicken aside/keep warm.
Once your squash is the perfect tenderness- pull from oven and let cool at least 5 minutes; flip right side up, and in each squash bowl sprinkle a little more salt, pepper, granulated garlic, additional salsa verde (1-2 tablespoons per will do) and cumin (if desired)- all to taste. With spoon, begin scraping the noodles from shell and separating the noodles. *We use the actual squash shell as our bowl, but you can also put the noodles into a separate bowl. (If your squash or chicken gets cold, pop it in the microwave for a couple minutes).
Begin to layer in your taco toppings atop the squash noodles (chicken, lettuce, grilled corn, tomato, avocado and red onion). Once filled- drizzle a generous amount of “cheese” sauce over top (you can also drizzle any remaining Salsa Verde overtop).
TIPS/CHEATS
Squash Cooking Tips: Depending on your oven, you will want to watch your squash- you don’t want your noodles to become overcooked and watery. Spaghetti Squash noodles that are tender, but crisp are ideal. You can usually test the squash doneness by poking the outer shell with a knife- you want to press and feel its tender, but not cut into it. In addition, if cooked properly- you can cook the squash ahead of time and keep it in the fridge till its ready. I do batches at a time and use the squash for a variety of meals.
The Dairy Free Cheese Dilemma: I’d recommend steering clear of other dairy free cheese brands for this particular recipe, unless you love them. Dairy free cheese is a huge shot in the dark. I use the Mykonos Savory Scallion Cream Cheese for a very specific reason as it offers a particular flavor to the whole bowl. If you are dairy free and want a more classic cheesy flavor, I recommend Trader Joe’s Cashew Fiesta Dip or Siete Cashew Queso warmed up and drizzled on top! Or, if you want to go with regular cotija or cheddar- by all means, enjoy… because real cheese ruins NOTHING.
Protein Substitution: For a protein substitution you can cook shredded beef or pork in the instapot/crockpot with the salsa verde, and then sauté the meat in the sauce as described above (the crips really does give everything life!). OR to go meat free/vegan, you can replace the meat with a black bean and cook them with the sauce just like you would the chicken- but for just 2-3 minutes on high.
Organic vs. Regular: It’s really a personal choice, but if you are able, look for fresh organic produce. It’s not all bells and whistles and your food will have a fresher bite, but also be free from any synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, etc. That said, any produce you can find will taste amazing- I’ve done it all sorts of ways. We’re all just doing our best!
