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.
Loved the recipe but do wish nutritional info was available. Will definitely be trying other spaghetti squash recipes.
I wasn’t sure if I’d like this dish or not but was quite surprised with all the flavor! I shared it with my non-vegan friends and they enjoyed it too! Definitely adding it to the rotation! I doubled the amount of chickpeas.
This dish is absolutely amazing! I was shocked at how good it taste and shared it with many people. I did double the amount of chickpeas! Yum!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
It would be so much more helpful to have the approximate weight of the spaghetti squash listed. The range in the stores is huge.
Love this recipe! It was a big hit!
This was delicious and so filling!
Amazing! thank you so much. I’ve shared with so many others and they all love it!
This recipe was so delicious! My husband and I especially loved the flavor of lemon and sun dried tomatoes. Awesome combination. Will make again.
We made this as a quick meal the other day and it was yum! We made it with the sundried tomatoes and adjusted quantities accordingly as we used a whole can of chickpeas for the dish vs 1/2 cup.
It’s definitely a keeper and we are making it again for our Shabbat lunch meal – it’s an elegant presentation for a quick and easy dish.
Holy moly – I’ve never had spaghetti squash before and this whole recipe absolutely blew my mind! So tasty for being ALL veggies.. It’s a keeper. Veggies aren’t my favorite, so finding a recipe that makes them taste good is a HUGE win for me. Love how healthy it is and easy to make too.
So yummy!! I’m obsessed! My friends couldn’t believe vegetables could taste so good ☺️
Very delicious vegan dish! I used mustard greens instead of kale, because it was on hand. This went very well with my homemade black bean burger. Thanks for the recipe.
Loved this recipe. Made some substitutes: used baby spinach rather than kale, used cherry tomatoes sliced, left out chickpeas, Rosemary, and Parmesan cheese. Squash roasted til al dent was the way to go. Also didn’t add any salt for roasting. Added it at end when I tossed it all together with lemon juice! Yum. Served it with roast pork loin.
This was delicious. The perfect fall dish. Thanks so much!
Yum – I’ll eat spaghetti squash again. I have some food issues so I substituted toasted sunflower seed s for the pine nuts. I put 26 oz of chickpeas in (oops) but it ended up making it really hearty. I used spinach instead of kale. I added some vegan cheese instead of parmigiana. Never again will I use sauce.
Just a heads-up: I believe the “roasted” link beside the ingredient “½ cup chickpeas, cooked drained and rinsed (or roasted)” is incorrect. It points to the how to cook spaghetti squash page; not anything to do with roasting chick peas.
I added Upton”s vegan chorizo seitan..and a couple mushrooms. We topped it with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese. I only used half of my spaghetti squash, 1/2c chickpeas, a handful of sun dried tomatoes, and about 2c chopped kale. I have to tell you that pinch of red-pepper flakes and the fresh rosemary along with the chorizo made it amazing. Great recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Loved this dish. I substituted dill for rosemary. So nicE to have a new way to serve spaghetti squash.
can this be frozen after ?
Oh my goodness! The kale dish was so absolutely divine. I substitute the kale for Spinach and the shallots for red onions. I am so glad I ran across your recipe. Words can never express how delicious it was and the presentation was absolutely gorgeous. The kale dish was so absolutely divine.