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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Nutrition
This was delicious. Will pass along and replay.
I’m happy you enjoy it, Rafikka!
It was excellent. I meant to mention add-ins: crushed red pepper and parm 😋
Sounds amazing, Rafikka! Thank you for sharing!
This is SO good. I honestly can’t stand spaghetti squash, but this recipe changes my mind. I doubled the amount of sun dried tomatoes. Absolute keeper of a recipe.
Yaay, what a wonderful review! I always love hearing when someone goes into a recipe feeling skeptical but it turns out well for them. I appreciate the sweet words!
This was delicious! I substituted spinach and added chicken.
Love it! Thanks so much for sharing, Stephanie! xo
How long and at what temp do you roast the squash? Thank you.
Hi Joyie! I provided detailed instructions on how to roast spaghetti squash in this post: https://www.theroastedroot.net/how-to-roast-spaghetti-squash/ 400 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes should get you there, but it really depends on the size (weight) of the squash.
You didn’t say how to prepare the spaghetti squash for roasting and at what temperature and for how long. Can you please add that to the recipe? Thanks
Hi Debbie! A full tutorial on how to roast spaghetti squash is linked in the post (https://www.theroastedroot.net/how-to-roast-spaghetti-squash/) If this is the first time you’re making spaghetti squash, I recommend reading the full article, because there are many things you should know. Otherwise, if you already have some experience cooking spaghetti squash, roast at 400 degrees F for 35 to 50 minutes, depending on the size of the squash and depending on how al dente or soft you enjoy the “noodles” Hope you enjoy!
What is a small head of kale? I usually buy it torn in a bag. What weight would work?
Hi Caroline! I’ve never weighed the kale, but it ends up being about 3 cups, loosely packed. The measurement doesn’t need to be exact – you can play with the amount based on your personal taste.
This recipe is amazing. I used spinach instead of kale and added some feta cheese. So delicious
Ooh, I love it! Thanks for sharing, Kelly! xo
This looks do delicious! I will definitely plan on preparing this soon! And an egg on top would be the crowing glory!
Ooh, yes! Egg is a great addition! xoxo
wonderful! We added air fried shrimp and added it
Ooh, sounds amazing!! xoxo
absolutely delicious! Thank you so much Megan! I‘ve tried several of your recipes and all of them were great!
This is a yummy recipe, but I find the water in the squash makes the dish a bit mushy. Maybe draining it a bit after it’s cooked might help? Either way, I like this dish a lot!
Draining the water would work, or heating it up on the stove top until the water evaporates is an option too! Spaghetti squash varies greatly in how much water content it has, so it’s tough to say how long…just depends on the squash 😀
I have never had cauliflower soup. This recipe sounds quite yummy. I love a good potato or potato and sausage soup. I’m sure I’d love this. Thanks for sharing with us at The HomeAcre Hop!sweet tomatoes prices
Amazing!!! Thanks for sharing such a kind of healthy recipes. It’s very tasty & easy recipes.Healthy Food Killeen
This receipe was so good and simple to make! I used dried sun-dried tomatoes in the package instead of the jar of oil. Like Lisa, I love garlic and made roasted garlic for the 1st time (had no clue it was so simple) 🙂 And I did a combination of spinach and kale. Quite tasty 😋 Great side dish that is light (minimum carbs).
Thanks so much for sharing, Tosh! I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Gotta love simply pleasures like roasted garlic! xo
Amazing!!! Thanks for sharing such a kind of healthy recipes. It’s very tasty & easy recipes.aderezo ensalada cesar
This was very yummy and oh so healthy. I made a few alterations, but not too many. One was I used spinach instead of kale. I also added two tablespoons of capers, and used your suggestion of pine nuts – sooo good with the pine nuts. I also made your suggested basil pesto recipe. That was delicious too; I added just a bit of pesto to each bowl of spaghetti. Thanks for the recipe! I’ll be sharing on my social media accounts.
That sounds amazing, Meri! Thanks so much for sharing!