Sun-dried tomatoes give this vegan spaghetti squash recipe a savory pop. Hearty from chickpeas & kale, it's a great fall or winter weeknight dinner.
The first time I had spaghetti squash, it was served with a big scoop of store-bought marinara sauce mixed in. It was slimy and goop-y and decidedly not spaghetti-like.
About a month ago, ditching the pasta idea completely, I planned a post for bbq spaghetti squash tacos. I have a super cute photo to prove that the meal existed, but the recipe ended in total disaster.
So, long story short, I’ve learned that I prefer my spaghetti squash as simple as possible and most importantly: sauce-less. The roasted strands come out of the oven with a nice al-dente bite, but, smothered in sauce, they become just too mushy for me. Check out this post to see how I cook spaghetti squash to get the yummy al dente strands you’ll want for this recipe.
In this recipe, the roasted squash strands are lightly tossed with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and a good squeeze of lemon. I added chickpeas and kale to make it a full meal and toasted some pine nuts for crunch. Sun dried tomatoes add a nice pop of flavor, but you could add anything briny that you like – freshly roasted tomatoes, capers, or maybe some chopped kalamata olives.
So while spaghetti squash is not pasta and it never will be, this veggie-packed bowl just moved up my list as a healthy weeknight favorite.
If you loved this recipe, try these roasted fall vegetable recipes next:
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Lemon & Parmesan
- Maple Roasted Acorn Squash
- Roasted Butternut Squash
- Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Zest
Spaghetti Squash w/ Chickpeas & Kale
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, sliced thinly
- 1 whole garlic clove
- ½ tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- Pinch of chile flakes
- ½ cup chickpeas, cooked drained and rinsed (or roasted)
- 2 (packed) cups chopped kale leaves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (or capers or olives)
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Prepare your squash following the directions in this post.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add enough olive oil to lightly coat the pan, then add the shallots, the whole garlic clove (we’ll remove it later), rosemary, chile flakes, and pinches of salt and pepper.
- Once the shallot starts to soften add the chickpeas and cook for a few minutes until lightly golden brown. If you’re using roasted chickpeas, add them at the end of the recipe instead. Remove the garlic clove, add the kale and lemon juice, and stir.
- Once the kale is partially wilted, add the squash strands, the sun-dried tomatoes, a little grated Parmesan, and more salt and pepper, to taste. Toss to incorporate. Remove from heat and top with toasted pine nuts and extra grated cheese.
Very good recipe! I wouldn’t have thought about putting sun-dried tomatoes in it, the perfect marriage!
I’m so glad you loved it!
This is very good! Not overbaking the squash makes such a difference. I had it with roasted chickpeas one time. And without the next time. Still very tasty.
This was amazing! I added in some roasted cauliflower that I needed to get rid of and minced the garlic, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. It was delicious and tasted a lot more complex than the simple ingredient list might suggest. I’m so grateful to this website and your two cookbooks for inspiring us to try new plant-based meals every week. Everything tastes so fresh and full of flavor! Thank you for yet another win.
Hi Jennifer, so sorry for my slow reply – I’m glad you loved it and I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the books!
This was perfect. The directions for roasting the squash were great! 35 min at 400 resulted in the perfect al dente “noodles.” I had never used spaghetti squash before because I found it too daunting. I’m happy to say I’ll be using it again! Also, I did not have fresh rosemary so I opted for about 1/4 teaspoon of dried. What a great dish!
Hi Sam (sorry for my slow reply), I’m so glad you loved the squash!
Fantastic! I didn’t think I liked spaghetti squash. I was so happy to find your recipe, that did not include a red sauce. Also your tips on how to not over cook the spaghetti squash were spot on. I loved this meal! Thanks.
Hi Kristen, I’m so glad you loved it!
i just needed a recipe for some spaghetti squash i had left over and this is amazing, tastes great and healthy. thank you!
Hi Bryanna, I’m so glad you loved it!
I cooked spaghetti squash a few times and treated it like, well spaghetti. It was always a big gloppy fail. This recipe nailed it. Lots of great texture and tastes. Thanks!
Trying more plant based recipes and this is a winner! Easy recipe with complex flavours. So good!
I don’t make any other kind of spaghetti squash anymore. This is the recipe we elected for the rest of our lives now. Thank you so much.
Ha, I’m so glad this is the one!
Thanks, great help with spaghetti squash and other fall vegetables
Question – if I wanted to make it for lunch. Would you recommend doing this the night before and mixing spagheti squash into police oil/garlic/sundried at night and leaving it overnight or mixing the spaghetti squash into the olive oil/garlic etc the morning of. I don’t want the spaghetti squash to be soggy
I used spinach since I didn’t have the kale on hand and it was delicious. Thanks for a great recipe
Hi Anne, I’m so glad you loved it!
This was awesome! I didn’t have sun dried tomatoes, so I used some cherry tomatoes and kalamata olives. I used my instant pot for the spaghetti squash to cut the time. So, so good!!!
Hi, do the chickpeas need to be cooked first?
yes – I use canned chickpeas that are cooked (not dry). Then they get added to the recipe in step 4.
Might be wise to mention in recipe, will save broken teeth!
Made your dish and love it!! thank you.
I’m so happy to hear that!
This is the first time I make spaghetti squash and I’m so glad I found this blog for tips on how to cook it and recipes for it. My first instinct would have been to have it with pasta sauce but thankfully I read this blog before I ruined my first experience with spaghetti squash. I made this recipe with some tweaks because of what I had on hand. I used regular onion instead of the shallot, no rosemary because I don’t like it, no kale because I didn’t have any and chopped kalamata olives instead of sun dried tomatoes. I was really hesitant because it didn’t look that great but to my total surprise, this tasted really yummy and was very satisfying. It also made a bunch. I will definitely make this again.
Superb recipe. My only additional step was to blanche the kale for a minute first. My Chinese wife taught me this secret. All hard greens benefit from this preliminary step. It is the reason Chinese kids grow up loving veggies.
This was light and delicious! I went the capers route, plus extra lemon juice at the end. My husband loved it too–a perfectly lovely recipe. Thank you!
Hi Fay, I’m so glad you both loved it!
Subbed broccoli for kale because it’s what I had. This was the best, most tasty thing I’ve made in a long time. (And I didn’t even have the tomatoes or pine nuts!) Yum!!
SO tonight I’m going to try this out with our own home grown spaghetti squash (first time I’ve grown it in France) plus kale and cherry tomatoes, all picked this morning. Should be GOOD!