Nothing beats a great Pad Thai, especially when you add a really fantastic mix of vegetables into the recipe. I originally created this recipe during the summer, when my garden was OVERFLOWING with spaghetti squash and I had to get creative on how to change it up so I could eat and enjoy it all. I especially missed my garden when I wandered into the grocery store the other week to find one lone spaghetti squash, which I had to pay $12 for because it was HUGE and probably the only reason it was the last one. I used to struggle cooking spaghetti squash because I always felt like I was going to chop off a finger trying to cut it in half before roasting it in the oven. But I discovered that I can roast the squash whole (GAME CHANGER) and now I easily cook any squash whenever I want! The most time consuming part of this recipe is cooking the spaghetti squash – after that, cooking everything else is a breeze! And it’s totally worth it in the end – tastes great and the leftovers are truly phenomenal. This is easily one of my favorite recipe creations to date, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Makes 1 Serving (Can Easily be Multiplied) 

Recipe by © Alysha Melnyk 2018

Kitchen Tools:

Oven, Preheated to 375°F

Deep Baking Dish (For Baking Spaghetti Squash in)

Stovetop

Sauté Pan with Lid

Spatula

Liquid Measuring Cup

Dry Measuring Cups

Measuring Spoons

Knife

Scissors

Ingredients:

*Disclaimer – I am including certain brand names of things I use (just because they are personal favorites of mine), but feel free to use whatever brand you like, is the cheapest, is on sale, what you have on hand, etc.*

1/4 Cup Vegetable Stock

1 Cup Cooked Spaghetti Squash

1 Cup Carrot Noodles (or Shaved Carrot Pieces)

1/4 Teaspoon Minced Garlic

2 Small Sweet Peppers, Chopped

1 Spring Onion (White Half Sliced and Placed in Pan; Green Part Cut with Scissors for Topping)

1 Teaspoon Rice Vinegar

1/4 Cup of Firm Tofu, Cubed

2-3 Tablespoons Premade Pad Thai Sauce (I use Watcharee’s Pad Thai Sauce) ~ You can also make your own Pad Thai Sauce if you have the time and are feeling creative!

*Optional for Topping/Serving: Raw Cashews, Toasted Sesame Seeds, Wedge of Lime

*Feel free to get creative with this – there are so many veggie combinations that could work in this recipe! I have also added zucchini noodles and beet noodles before. You can also add meat and/or egg if you aren’t necessarily looking to eat a vegan version, which I have also done before.*

Featured Artists/Products:

Noodle Bowl by Jeremy Ogusky, Creator of Ogusky Ceramics (based in Jamaica Plan, MA)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Rinse and dry spaghetti squash.
3. Take knife and makes large, deep slits all over the spaghetti squash. This helps the spaghetti squash cook evenly and also not explode in your oven (because that unfortunately can happen haha!).
4. Roast a large spaghetti squash for a total of 80 minutes (but flip at 40 minutes – use oven mitts and carefully do this). If your spaghetti squash is smaller, cut the time to 60 minutes total.
5. Once the spaghetti squash is done roasting, carefully lift the squash out of the pan with oven mitts and set on clean surface. Using a knife, cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise in half. Scoop out the seeds (it’s a bit easier to do this while the squash is still warm) and let the squash halves cool (normally happens pretty fast – around 5 to 10 minutes).
6. Once the squash is cooled, use a fork and brush down the sides of the squash to get the spaghetti squash “noodles”. Leftovers can be refrigerated and stored for around 3 to 5 days.
7. Next, add vegetable stock, garlic, spaghetti squash, carrot noodles, chopped sweet peppers, white/light green half of spring onion, rice vinegar, and tofu cubes into sauté pan. Place on medium-high heat, and cover with lid. Cook 7 to 10 minutes, tossing every few minutes, until all the vegetables are softened.
8. Scoop vegetable noodle mixture into a bowl (leaving any residual liquid from vegetable stock or cooked vegetables in the pan) and pour pad thai sauce over top, mixing to evenly combine.
9. Top with cut green spring onion, toasted sesame seeds and raw cashews, then spritz with a wedge of lime all over.
10. Enjoy warm! 🙂

**Leftovers reheat well on the stovetop or in the microwave for about 3-5 days after**