A Healthy and Delicious Twist on Two Italian Classics

Nothing beats a dish of homemade tomato sauce and pasta, or a sauté of sausage and peppers. But with summer right around the corner, I created a healthy and delicious twist on these two Italian classics – and I promise you won’t feel like you’re missing out.

At home, I have access to plenty of fresh ingredients, as well as plenty of time to prepare a dish from scratch. However, I know that living on a college budget and a college schedule doesn’t always allow for both – so I’ll show you how to make a delicious meal that’ll satisfy a college lifestyle.

I’m replacing the pasta with spaghetti squash, the sausage with chicken sausage, and adding in tons of vegetables to create a sauce that’s packed with flavor.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized spaghetti squash

Fresh basil

1 jar of tomato sauce (your healthiest choice would be Emeril’s Home Style Marinara, only 90 calories per serving and no added sugars)

2 large peppers (red, orange or yellow)

1 medium onion

1 package of chicken sausage (Italian Style – Trader Joe’s makes a great sausage at a reasonable price)

Seasonings (salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano)

Grated parmesan

Olive oil for cooking

Preparation:

"Spaghetti and Sauce"

1. Slice spaghetti squash in half (width-wise). Fill microwavable dish with about 1" of water and place spaghetti squash seed-side down. Microwave for 20 minutes on HIGH. Scoop seeds out of squash and continue to microwave for 4-6 additional minutes. Squash is finished when you can easily scrape out the inside with a fork - if not, continue to microwave. Set squash aside once it has been scraped out - it will resemble cut spaghetti. 

2. Heat sauce in medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Stir in fresh basil, onion powder, garlic powder. 

3. Once sauce is heated, pour on top of spaghetti squash and top with grated parmesan.

"Sausage and Peppers"

1. Slice onions and peppers into simliar sized thin strips, set aside.

2. Slice chicken sausage into 1/4" pieces, set aside.

3. Heat 2 tsbp. olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. 

4. Once oil is heated, add onions and peppers and sauté until onions become clear and peppers start to brown, being careful not to burn either vegetable. 

5. Add in chicken sausage pieces and cook until lightly browned. 

6. Remove from heat and season lightly with salt and pepper. 

Enjoy!

Quick spaghetti squash vs. spaghetti comparison:

According to the USDA nutrient database, 1 cup of cooked spaghetti squash provides 42 calories, .4 grams of fat, 1 gram of protein, 10 grams of carbohydrates, and 2.2 grams of fiber. 

Compare that to 1 cup of cooked enriched spaghetti which yields 221 calories, 1.3 grams of fat, 43 g of carbohydrate and 2.5 g of fiber.