With Thanksgiving or other holiday feasts, try serving this spaghetti squash salad recipe. Additionally, it creates a cool summer salad. The majority of my meat-eating pals adore spaghetti squash because it is low in calories.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 45 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 (10 ounce) package fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed and chopped
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can pureed tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked penne pasta
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the garlic until lightly browned. Place mushrooms in the skillet, and cook 5 minutes. Mix in asparagus, and cook 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place penne pasta in the pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
- Mix the heavy cream into the skillet, and continue cooking 10 minutes, until sauce is thickened. Serve over the cooked pasta.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 472 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 50 g |
| Cholesterol | 41 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Sodium | 234 mg |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Fat | 26 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This is a great beginner recipe, that is great as is, but can also be amped up with a few easy tweaks (and can also be a great jumping off point for utilizing an array of leftover veg!). To counteract the lack of seasoning in some reviews, salt and pepper each step and be sure to salt your pasta water. I was lazy and used pre chopped jarred garlic. I didn’t measure evoo, but definitely didn’t use a half cup; that’s a lot. I used asparagus and mushrooms and then realized we had assorted bell pepper strips, cauliflower, and broccoli that needed to be used or tossed, so I added them when I added the asparagus. We don’t keep heavy cream on hand, so I subbed a generous dollop of sour cream. I also had some bagged shredded parm that needed used, so I added that, as well. I also added about 1/4 C of pasta water. All in all, this is such a simple versatile recipe; thanks for the recipe!
Very good! I took the suggestions of other reviewers and substituted sour cream for the cream, and added Italian seasoning, onion, and more garlic. A nice light yet filling summer meal.
We use this as a copy cat pasta albufera from Caroll Street Cafe in Atlanta. Sooo good and very similar. We do add chili paste (but we add that to pretty much everything) we make this at least once a week. So simple.
amazing! even without the tomatoes and heavy cream. sometimes you just have to use what you’ve got on hand.
Way too bland. Made it according to the recipe. Have to find a way to spice up the leftovers.
Very simple meatless meal that is a breeze to whip up. Good base for whatever you want to add to spice it up. Else, a good simple weeknight dinner.
Not sure why the others said it was bland, I didn’t think so. I thought it had a very nice flavor and loved the taste of the asparagus. I pretty much kept to the recipe but did make some small changes. Used garlic salt for salt, used a can of diced tomatoes(I mashed them up) for the pureed tomatoes, used 3 cloves of garlic instead of 2(we love garlic), and added a tsp of minced onions. At the end I added some parm cheese on top.
I tried this recipe last night with a twist: I added scallops and dried basil, reduced the oil and replaced heavy cream with light cream…The kids called it the best pasta they ever tasted!
I know everyone hates when you change the recipe, but hubby and I are having a compeition to see if we can lose 10 pounds in a month. That being said we cut way down on the olive oil and cut out the heavy cream. Use two cans of diced tomatoes (blended because we like pasta saucy). I also had some fresh basil in the fridge that I tossed in along with red pepper flakes and viola – a nice healthy meal. Oh, we topped with some fresh parm cheese (we’re are not perfect!). Thanks for sharing!
As others I didn’t use as much olive oil, just enough to saute the garlic and one small chopped onion. Thought maybe the cooking time would be too long for the asparagus, but it wasn’t and probably contributed to the nice flavor. I used half and half for the cream. Was a very good side dish with Sizzling Sherry Garlic Shrimp also on this site.
I didn’t have luck with this for some reason. Might have just been me.
I tried to incorporate the other recommendations and it turned out great! Used less than 1/4 cup oil, substituted 1/2 cup low fat sour cream instead of the heavy cream, and added a dash of lemon juice. I also used 2/3 lb whole wheat penne and had grated paramesan on the table.
I don’t agree at all with the reviewers who thought this recipe was bland! They must be missing some taste buds I have or something because this dish was incredibly savory and delicious. That coupled with how easy it was to make ensures I will make it again and again, though I’ll probably add chicken or shrimp just because I like a little more protein in my meals. The only thing I changed in the slightest was that I didn’t have pureed tomatoes so I blended a can of diced tomatoes instead; I would be surprised if this affected the taste much at all. I was a little concerned that the asparagas would be mushy since it basically cooked for 35 minutes, and I considered decreasing the time but in the end I chose to follow the recipe exactly and I’m glad I did. It’s amazing that something with so few ingredients, that requires so little effort, can taste so good! There are a lot of points where you’re just standing around waiting for the meal to cook but I just set a timer and did other things around the house- and, my kitchen was clean when I finished cooking! That NEVER happens!
This was so simple and NICE! I cooked this for my husband and he loved it! I added a little bit bacon bits before serving which add the crunchiness.
This recipe is great! As someone who doesn’t really enjoy cooking, and who really enjoys eating, this was perfect. I listened to the other reviewers who said to use 1/2 cup light sour cream instead of heavy cream. I also topped it with some torn spinach. The only qualm I had was the amount of oil; I will definitely cut it next time. The sauce was a little only the oily side, but nothing awful. Overall, a very tasty dish.
I followed the recipe exactly and I found it pretty bland as a whole. I would try it with a splash of white wine or… something! The asparagus flavour with the sauce was really good though!
Very bland,, added red pepper flakes and additional salt and pepper,, Wont make again!
Pretty good. I think it needs additional seasonings. A little bland. I even added some extra seasonings and used garlic/olive oil seasoned tomatoes. Good base to work with. First few bites kind of bland. Liked better, the more we ate. 9 yr old liked it. I also added diced bell peppers.
As written, this dish has waaaay too much oil, and coupled with the cream, it’s pretty terrible for you. BUT with a few changes, this can be really tasty and actually nutritious. I only used about 1 Tbsp of olive oil, also added 1/2 cup of chopped sweet onion and subbed a can of fire roasted tomatoes for the tomato puree. I also used a cup of 2% evaporated milk instead of cream, used whole grain pasta (about 10 oz) and sprinkled with a little reduced fat parmesan and some red pepper flakes. It turned out awesome… and without all the excess fat and calories.
i enjoyed this dish! i used linguine pasta, and added red onion. it was a little bland, but with some fresh herbs, and parmesan cheese it was tasty!
This was great, I added a few sprinkles of Parmesan Cheese and the whole family loved it. I will makes this again!