As much as I love a good takeout and movie night on my couch, it’s not always the healthiest choice. So lately I’ve gotten into taking some of my favorite takeout meals and putting a healthy spin on them. Which leads us to today’s recipe – pad thai spaghetti squash!
Pad Thai is unquestionably the most popular dish at Thai restaurants, and one of my favorites for sure! But it’s also surprisingly easy to create at home and to put your own spin on it. I’m sure this version would not pass an authenticity test, but it’s delicious nonetheless. Roasted spaghetti squash is combined with sautéed shrimp, veggies and eggs and mixed with a lighted up pad thai sauce.
The sauce packs a sweet, spicy, and salty punch featuring peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce, ginger and chiles. The lime at the end really pulls it all together. I love this with shrimp but you could certainly use chicken, or add tofu and additional veggies for a vegetarian version. You can also omit the eggs and fish sauce if you want to go vegan.
This is also one of those rare dishes when the leftovers are actually better! The squash soaks up all that delicious sauce, making it perfect for meal prep for the week.
Want to see other lightened up versions of your favorite takeout? Let me know in the comments!
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Pad Thai Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
Description
Roasted spaghetti squash tossed with shrimp, veggies, and a sweet, spicy, salty pad Thai sauce. A lighted up version of your favorite takeout!
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- ¾ pound shrimp (peeled and deveined, about 20 shrimp)
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced onion
- 2 eggs (whisked)
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 green onions (green parts only, sliced diagonally)
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ slivered almonds or chopped peanuts
- 1 lime
For the sauce
- ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 serrano or thai chiles (deseeded)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 5 tablespoon light coconut milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Split spaghetti squash in half and scoop out seeds. Drizzle inside with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake inside down for about 35 minutes until squash shreds like spaghetti easily with a fork.
- Meanwhile, Add all pad thai sauce ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat in large skillet or dutch oven. Toss shrimp with flour and season with salt and pepper. Add shrimp to pan and sauté until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
- Add additional tablespoon of oil to pan. Add in the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Turn heat down to medium low. Whisk eggs together in a bowl. Push onions to one side of pan and add eggs to the empty side, cooking until set like scrambled eggs.
- Add shredded spaghetti squash, carrots, green onions, shrimp, and cilantro and half of the pad thai sauce to pan and toss to combine. Add more sauce as desired.
- Cut the lime in half and juice one half into the dish. Serve pad thai topped with sliced almonds and the rest of the lime cut into wedges.
- Category: Entrées, Seafood
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