Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Lemon Garlic Sauce

This Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Lemon Garlic Sauce is an easy and healthy recipe that's made with 4 clean, real food ingredients. It's the perfect plant-based meal that's gluten-free and the cauliflower-free sauce can be prepared in under 5 minutes!

Here's Why This Recipe Works

My top 3 favorite reasons:

1. Dairy-Free With No Cauliflower - It's a nice break from the popular dairy-free cauliflower alfredo sauce and has a tangy taste of lemon.
2. Naturally Gluten-Free - It's made with spaghetti squash instead of traditional pasta (which you could also use if you didn't like spaghetti squash or need the dish to be gluten-free).
3. Made With Clean, Real Food Ingredients - You only need 4 ingredients (not counting water + salt) and the sauce is ready in a matter of minutes with a Vitamix.

This is a good dish to make when you need to meal prep by using leftover spaghetti squash or can multi-task and do something else while the spaghetti squash is cooking.

Also, although the sauce can be made in under 5 minutes, it can also be made in advance for a quick lunch or dinner.

You can enjoy this dish because my healthy plant-based version is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, paleo-friendly, oil-free, and Medical Medium® compliant!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is This Recipe Healthy?

In my opinion, yes!

This is a clean, light dish that's made with only a few simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand - completely opposite from a typical heavy traditional pasta dish covered with a very unhealthy sauce.

For example, here's the 54 ingredient list for a similar store-bought creamy pasta sauce:

• S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Prego Homestyle Alfredo Sauce Ingredients: WATER, BUTTERCREAM (CREAM, WATER, SALT), CHEESE PARMESAN (MILK PART SKIM, CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES, MILK, CULTURE, SALT ENZYMES), ENZYMES MODIFIED, WHEAT ENRICHED BLEACHED FLOUR, EGGS (EGGS YOLKS, SALT, PHOSPHOLIPASE), CORN STARCH MODIFIED, SOYBEANS OIL, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF THE FOLLOWING: (SALT, CHEESE ROMANO [MILK PART SKIM COW'S, CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES] SUGAR, WHEY DEHYDRATED, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE DIHYDRATE, GRANULAR, AND CHEESE PARMESAN [MILK PARK SKIM, CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES, MILK, CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES], XANTHAM GUM, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, GARLIC, SPICES, FLAVORING [FLAVORING] YEAST EXTRACT, CHEESE CHEDDAR [MILK, CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES], SODIUM PHOSPHATE, WINE, ENZYMES, CARAMEL COLOR, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE, MILK FAT ANHYDROUS, SULFUR, SULFUR DIOXIDE)  

It contains GMO's (corn starch-modified, soybean oil), dairy, MSG (monosodium glutamate), refined sugar, refined salt, and preservatives.

And homemade creamy lemon garlic sauce recipes are full of dairy products with the typical ingredients containing:  ¼ CUP BUTTER, ½ CUP HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM, 4 OUNCES CREAM CHEESE, and PARMESAN CHEESE

My healthy plant-based version is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, paleo-friendly, oil-free, and Medical Medium® compliant!

Karielyn's Expert Tips + Ingredient Substitutions 

Here are some of my expert tips to make this recipe perfectly:

Spaghetti Squash: The sizes of spaghetti squash vary, but if you get a medium-large size it should be enough for 4 small servings. If you don't like or can't find spaghetti squash, you could substitute it with zucchini noodles or even gluten-free pasta. Just make sure it's gluten-free, grain-free, and corn-free.

Cashews: You will need "raw" cashews for this recipe and not "salted" or "roasted". It is optional to soak them before adding them to your Vitamix, but doing so will make them soft and the sauce extra smooth.

1. Soak the cashews in filtered/purified water for 15-30 minutes.
2. Rinse and drain the cashews before adding them to your Vitamix.

Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice will give the best flavor and nutrients since it hasn't been pasteurized, but you could substitute it with store-bought organic lemon juice.

Garlic: In this recipe, freshly crushed garlic is going to give the best flavor and nutrients but you could substitute it with organic garlic powder - just add the amount to your preference.

Himalayan Pink Salt: This is my salt of preference, however, it can always be substituted with sea salt.

Serving Size: This recipe will make approximately (2) cups.  Nutritional information is for ½ cup which is (1) serving.

Want More Healthy Plant-Based Dinner Recipes? 

Check out these:

• Vegan Italian Spaghetti Squash Bake 
• Clean Eating Zucchini Boats with Creamy Garlic Sauce 
• Creamy Red Lentil and Kale Soup
• or my CLEAN EATING Cookbook with 75+ plant-based vegan + gluten-free recipes made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!

Did You Make This Recipe?

I'd love to hear about it! Please give it a rating and leave a comment below...it would make my day! : )

Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Lemon Garlic Sauce

This Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Lemon Garlic Sauce is an easy and healthy recipe that's made with 5 clean, real food ingredients. It's the perfect plant-based meal that's gluten-free and the cauliflower-free sauce can be prepared in under 5 minutes!

{ Plant-Based | Vegan | Gluten-Free | Dairy-Free | Soy-Free | Oil-Free | Paleo-Friendly | Medical Medium® Compliant }

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Review Save For Later Saved!

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Yields: 4 servings

Calories : 260

Equipment

• Unbleached Parchment Paper
• Cookie Sheet
• Vitamix
• Medium Sized Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 large organic spaghetti squash

For the sauce:

• ▢ 1 cup organic raw cashews
• ▢ 1 cup water (filtered/purified) (purified / filtered)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons organic lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
• ▢ 4 cloves organic garlic (freshly crushed)
• ▢ ¾ teaspoons Himalayan pink salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Prepare a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then set aside.

Prepare the spaghetti squash:

• Cut the spaghetti squash in half from the top to the bottom
• Scrape out all the seeds from the inside of the squash with a spoon.
• Sprinkle the edges and center of the spaghetti squash with a few pinches of Himalayan pink salt and ground black pepper.
• Place the squash onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 45-50 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow the squash to cool enough to handle it with an oven mitt.
• Using a fork, scrape out the inside of the squash into pasta-like strands.
• Transfer the cooked spaghetti squash pasta to a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Prepare the sauce:

• While the spaghetti squash is cooking, place the cashews into a bowl of filtered/purified water and allow them to soak for about 30 minutes, then rinse and drain them. This will make the cashews soft and the sauce extra smooth and creamy.
• Add all ingredients for the sauce to Vitamix and blend until creamy and smooth.
• Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference.

Assembly:

• Transfer the sauce to the mixing bowl with the spaghetti squash pasta and gently toss until the sauce is evenly distributed.
• Optional: Garnish with red pepper flakes or ground black pepper.

Recipe Notes

Spaghetti Squash: The sizes of spaghetti squash vary, but if you get a medium-large size it should be enough for 4 small servings. If you don't like or can't find spaghetti squash, you could substitute it with zucchini noodles or even gluten-free pasta. Just make sure it's gluten-free, grain-free, and corn-free.

Cashews: You will need "raw" cashews for this recipe and not "salted" or "roasted". It is optional to soak them before adding them to your Vitamix, but doing so will make them soft and the sauce extra smooth.

1. Soak the cashews in filtered/purified water for 15-30 minutes.
2. Rinse and drain the cashews before adding them to your Vitamix.

Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice will give the best flavor and nutrients since it hasn't been pasteurized, but you could substitute it with store-bought organic lemon juice.

Garlic: In this recipe, freshly crushed garlic is going to give the best flavor and nutrients but you could substitute it with organic garlic powder - just add the amount to your preference.

Himalayan Pink Salt: This is my salt of preference, however, it can always be substituted with sea salt.

Serving Size: This recipe will make approximately (2) cups.  Nutritional information is for ½ cup which is (1) serving.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1svg | Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 16g | Sodium: 485mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Calcium: 76mg

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:American

Recipe Author: Karielyn Tillman

Copyright Notice

The notes, instructions, and photographs for this recipe are copyrighted material and are protected under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA). They cannot be used legally without my written permission.

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