High-Protein Spaghetti Squash Recipes
Low-carb pasta swaps built around shrimp, chicken, sausage, and bolognese — 30g+ of protein and a fraction of the carbs.
★ Dinner
DinnerHealthy Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp
This healthy spaghetti squash recipe is bold in flavor and simple to make. It's a great healthy dinner option that everyone will love!
Ruth TruettIngredients
- 1 Spaghetti squash
- Avocado oil
- Salt and pepper
- 5 pieces, chopped Bacon
- 2 cups Cherry tomatoes
- 1, chopped Yellow onion
- 3-4 cloves Garlic
- 1 bunch, rough chopped Lacinato kale
- 1, juiced Lemon
- 1/4 cup Heavy cream
- 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 lb Shrimp peeled and deveined
Instructions
- 1Wash and fry squash. Microwave 5 minutes. Cut in half and remove seeds. Spray with avocado oil, season with salt and pepper, roast at 400° flesh side down 30-40 minutes. Remove squash strands and set aside.
- 2Render bacon in skillet on med-high until crispy. Remove bacon. Cook onion in bacon fat a few minutes. Add tomatoes, cooking until they begin to burst. Add garlic and kale, until kale wilts. Add cream and Parmesan to combine.
- 3Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Sauté shrimp in avocado oil on medium high heat until they curl and turn pink. This should take only a few minutes.
- 4Toss spaghetti squash strands, sauce and shrimp together. Serve and enjoy!
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Open in Pepper →Why Spaghetti Squash Earned Its Place in the Rotation
Spaghetti squash isn't pretending to be pasta — it's its own thing, with a tender, slightly-sweet bite that works beautifully under a meat sauce. The protein doesn't have to compete with starch, so it shows up loud and clear.
A four-pound squash feeds four people and clocks in around 40 calories per cup of strands. Pile on bolognese, shrimp scampi, or a chicken alfredo and you're at 30–60g of protein for under 500 calories.
Home cooks on Pepper are building their cold-weather rotation with these spaghetti squash recipes, saving their favorite toppings and flavors to enjoy through the week.
Quick Tips
- 1
Cut lengthwise for short strands
Lengthwise gives shorter strands that hold sauce better. Crosswise gives long ones — pick your style.
- 2
Don't over-roast
Forty-five minutes at 400°F is plenty. Mushy squash makes a watery dinner.
- 3
Salt the strands before serving
Pulled-fresh strands taste flat without salt. A pinch wakes them up.
- 4
Drain before saucing
Toss the strands in a colander for five minutes. Less squash water, more cling on your sauce.
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