Spaghetti Squash with roasted garlic, kale, sun-dried tomatoes and walnuts makes for a comforting, low-carb meal requiring only 5 main ingredients! Plus the recipe is simple to prepare!
I know. Nothing replaces a steamy pile of actual spaghetti, but for those of us who are looking for comfort food that is easy on the digestive system, this meal fits the bill.
It contains vitamins and minerals from the spaghetti squash and kale, a boost of flavor from the sun-dried tomatoes and roasted garlic, and some protein and crunch from the walnuts.
This simple recipe requires only 5 main ingredients (not including sea salt and olive oil): spaghetti squash, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, kale, and walnuts. .
..Yet it’s so stinking flavorful!
How to Make Roasted Garlic Kale Spaghetti Squash:
Begin by roasting the squash and garlic. If you’re new to roasting winter squash, simply follow my tutorial on How to Roast Spaghetti Squash.
To roast garlic, cut the top off, of the bulb, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap in foil. Place in the oven with the squash for the whole duration of roasting. Roast the walnuts for 5 minutes if desired.
When the squash, garlic, and walnuts have finished roasting, allow them to cool enough to handle. Once cool, use a fork to release the strands of spaghetti squash and place in a large bowl.
Peel the garlic cloves, give them a rough chop, and transfer them to the bowl with the spaghetti squash.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the chopped kale. Cover and cook until kale has wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the sun dried tomatoes, along with the squash, roasted garlic, and walnuts. Continue cooking and stirring until all of the ingredients are well-combined and heated through.
Stir in sea salt to taste and taste the spaghetti squash for flavor. If desired, drizzle a couple tablespoons of lemon juice over everything for added citrusy flavor.
Serve and enjoy!
How Many People Does This Recipe Serve?:
Spaghetti squash vary in size substantially, so the amount of food you end up with is largely determined by the size of the squash.
When I make this recipe, I choose a medium-sized squash (about 5 to 6 pounds). If you purchase a larger one, you may want to increase the portions of garlic and/or sun-dried tomatoes to ensure the meal is flavorful.
Using a 5 – 6 pound squash, this recipe will feed two people comfortably. Or if you’re me, it will feed you twice in one day…lunch + dinner. 😉 If you’re feeding more people, you can easily double or triple the recipe using 2 squash or 1 very large squash (8 to 10 pounds).
Turn it Into a Meal Prep Recipe:
While roasting squash is a bit of a time commitment, it can easily be done up to 4 to 5 days ahead of time, making the preparation process a little easier.
In addition, you can roast the garlic up to 5 days in advance and simply assemble the remainder of the recipe when you’re ready to eat.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Add your favorite homemade or store-bought pesto sauce for even more flavor! I like using my classic Basil Pesto Sauce Recipe.
- If you prefer fresh cherry tomatoes over sun-dried tomatoes, feel free to swap them out!
- Use chard or spinach in place of kale.
- Replace the roasted walnuts with roasted almonds, pecans, cashews, pine nuts, or pistachios, or go nut-free.
- Make this a meat-lover’s dish by adding grilled or rotisserie chicken.
- To keep this recipe vegetarian but add a protein boost, add chickpeas or a sunny-side up egg.
- For some citrusy flavor, add a couple tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and/or lemon zest.
More Spaghetti Squash Recipes:
- Spaghetti Squash Egg Nests
- Creamy Tahini Spaghetti Squash with Kale
- Crispy Salmon Bowls with Pesto Spaghetti Squash
- Mushroom Bolognese Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Spaghetti Squash with Broccoli Pumpkin Seed Pesto
My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out, and thank you for your support!
If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag me at @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!
Enjoy!
Roasted Garlic and Kale Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized spaghetti squash roasted
- 1 small head kale chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained
- 1/3 cup raw walnuts
- 1 bulb garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Roast the spaghetti squash according to these instructions, along with the garlic. To roast garlic, cut the top off, of the bulb, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap in foil. Place in the oven with the spaghetti squash for the whole duration of roasting. Roast the walnuts for 5 minutes if desired.
- When the spaghetti squash and garlic (and walnuts) have finished roasting, allow them to cool enough to handle. Once cool, use a fork to release the strands of spaghetti squash and place in a large bowl. Peel the garlic cloves, give them a rough chop, and transfer them to the bowl with the spaghetti squash.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the chopped kale. Cover and cook until kale has wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sun dried tomatoes, along with the spaghetti squash, roasted garlic, and walnuts. Continue cooking and stirring until all of the ingredients are well-combined and heated through.
- Add sea salt to taste and taste the spaghetti squash for flavor. If desired, drizzle a couple tablespoons of lemon juice over the spaghetti squash for added citrusy flavor. Serve and enjoy!
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Love this recipe it was so simple!! I used my stand mixer and the recipe worked great I made this recipe for my daughters headstart class.juice
My family simply loves this conserve!!! This may sound odd, but it is wonderful on top of fresh homemade yogurt!rluy
Hi,
I’m so happy to hear it, Abby! Sauteed mushrooms sound like a marvelous add! xo
Thanks for sharing another wonderful recipe. I like garlic flavor in some recipe making and that’s the reason I will learn this whole procedure. It seems to prepare easily at home.
Made this tonight for dinner. Added a little crushed red pepper for a kick, lemon and garlic butter chicken. Topped with a little parmesan cheese, even the picky eater in the house ate this up.
Sounds amazing! Thanks for letting me know, Nic!
I recently made this and I’m glad I did. It was very good and very filling! I’ve never had spaghetti squash, kale, or sundries tomatoes before so it was a totally new experience. I might try making it again when I have company as it was a LOT of food for just myself.
Delicious! The whole family really enjoyed it!
I did add sautéed mushrooms.
I’m so happy to hear it, Abby! Sauteed mushrooms sound like a marvelous add! xo
This recipe was extremely bland… I added tomato sauce just to get a bit of flavor
Could I use frozen butternut squash spirals for this recipe or would it lack the flavor of roasted? Love your recipes btw!
Hi Peggie!
I’m willing to bet the butternut squash option would work just fine. I’ve never tried it, so I can’t say for sure…hope you like it!
I’ve come to your website looking for low FODMAP recipes and this one came up, but I’m confused with the bulb of garlic. That is not low FODMAP. I could omit the garlic but that would completely change the recipe.
Thanks for catching that…removing the L-F label now 🙂
This was incredibly delicious! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Great recipe!! I also added Mama Lil’s peppers to it and home made Kebbeh.
This is one of my favorite recipes! I usually add some chicken for protein- it’s a hit for everyone in our house! Thank you so much for sharing this!
Of course! I’m so happy you like it! xoxo
Just made this for lunch and it’s pretty good! Mine turned out a bit oily), but the flavor combo is pretty good. In my opinion, the walnuts are very necessary and add a perfect amount of crunch! I added some red pepper flakes for a bit for diversity on flavor. Will make again!
This is really interesting! Love the story behind the recipe! This is one of my favorite things to order when we go out for Chinese food! Can’t wait to give it a try!
This is awesome! The combination of flavors sounds like a great authentic taste. I love everything about this recipe, need to try this!