Ok – so this recipe is one of those to keep on hand when you really need to go all out and splurge, but probably shouldn’t. So first thing that makes this recipe awesome is that it is creamy AF – like so creamy, and it tastes super creamy too, like the real deal creamy. We used the magic of nutritional yeast. Then to make this recipe even more awesome instead of pasta we used spaghetti squash. In this situation where it is baked in with this yummy sauce and some veg, you really don’t miss real pasta. There is no need for it. So just keep this recipe on hand for the times you really want to go for it, but don’t need to go for it. :)
♥ Teri
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Creamy Vegan Spaghetti Squash, Wild Mushroom and Spinach Bake
INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (coconut oil is fine)
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 12 cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 12 shiitake mushrooms, cleaned stemmed and thinly sliced
- 12 ounces baby spinach
cauliflower “cream” sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil ( coconut oil is fine)
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 small shallot, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 ½ cups warm vegetable stock, plus up to 1 cup more as needed
- 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375˚F.
- Slice squash in half lengthwise and place onto a baking sheet, cut side down and roast for about 1 hour or until squash becomes fork tender.
- Allow squash to cool for about 15 minutes, before scraping the flesh out with a fork (squeeze to drain any access liquid from squash). Place squash innards in a mixing bowl, lightly season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Sauté garlic and shallot for 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until caramelized.
- Add spinach and continue to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until spinach has wilted. Drain excess liquid and stir mixture into the mixing bowl with spaghetti squash.
- For ‘cream’ sauce: Pour 1 ½ tablespoons oil into the pot and place back over medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add cauliflower, continue to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Stir in mustard and continue to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour 1 ½ cups stock into the pot and simmer until cauliflower becomes fork tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Carefully ladle mixture into the well of a blender and add nutritional yeast. Blend on high, adding more stock as needed. With the motor running, add vegan butter and season with salt and pepper. Blend until a smooth, glossy and creamy sauce forms.
- Pour sauce over the spaghetti squash mixture and toss together until fully combined.
- Pour mixture into a lightly greased baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the top has lightly browned.
- Allow bake to cool about 10 minutes before serving.
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Would it be possible to prepare this all the way up to the point right before you bake it in the oven? Would love to prep this earlier in the day so I can just pop it in the oven to bake after work for a quick dinner. Wasn’t sure if the spaghetti squash would get over saturated if I did this. Thanks!
Hi! It should be fine to make it ahead of time, up to a day in advance!
I loved the recipe- but I’d like to brighten the flavor a tad- what do you think about adding a tad of lemon zest to the sauce. We topped it with cauliflower crumbs and vegan gluten free crispy onions
Cheryl – That sounds like a delicious idea! Please report back if you end up adding lemon zest, we would love to hear how it turned out!
Making this right now! It looks like you topped yours with breadcrumbs but I don’t see this in the recipe. Did you use breadcrumbs on top?
Hi! Thanks for pointing that out! Yes! I topped ours with about 3/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs tossed together with about 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter. Melted coconut oil can be used as well!
Hi!
The recipe says:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
Where do I put the vegan butter in? I do not see it in the directions
Hi! The butter in the recipe is the vegan butter. I will update the recipe to make that a little more clear!
DELISH! Feels so indulgent that it’s hard to believe it’s ALL veggies.
This was delicious!!! Even the kids liked it and they are SUPER picky.
Thanks so much!
Yumm. Making now. Does it freeze well?
[heart]Made this exactly to the recipe tonight and we really enjoyed it. Can’t believe we have never eaten spaghetti squash before (and I’m 61!). Will definitely make this again. Thank you.
I love this dish. I’ve cooked it once and made too much cauliflower sauce, but it is so good. I cannot wait to try it again and measure better! Thank you.
Yay! Thank you!
Made this last weekend and was surprised that it fills an 8×13 pan! Luckily, a friend of mine dropped by and had some — and loved it so much that she took some with her — because I’m just one small woman with a small freezer. Anyway, I’ve had it hot out of the oven, and I’ve reheated it at work, and I am happy to report that both ways it was very good. It’s a little too rich for me in large amounts, which is a very strange thing to say considering it’s all vegetables, but I put some roasted broccoli on the side and it was perfect. My doctor just put me on a vegan diet, so this recipe really was a godsend. Would definitely make it again. Thank you!
Wow! This looks great! Did you add breadcrumbs to the top? Also, do you think I can leave out the tablespoon of oil that you add to the sauce? I’m trying to cut out oil from my meals. Thanks!
I cut back on the oil in the first area, cooking the mushrooms. I think the oil in the second is necessary to get a creamy sauce, but only add what you want. I used coconut oil in my frying sections.
I made this last night. I thought I was doing well until I finished making the cauliflower cream sauce…It never got creamy…? I blended it for quite sometime… Is there something I missed? I followed the instructions verbatim, but it did not say how long to blend. It didn’t taste good to me… But maybe I just don’t like this taste?
We’re in the throes of finishing the veggies now to throw it in the oven. Be careful with how long you cook the cauliflower and how high the temperature is. It can get starchy if overcooked and it’ll never get to the right consistency if that happens. Definitely give it another shot, the sauce is truly delicious! Great recipe, thanks Jenny!
Thanks! And thanks for sharing the cooking tip about cauliflower!
Can you make ahead and then bake when ready to eat?
I haven’t don’t that before, but i think that should be fine!
this has butter, so not vegan. Just as and FYI
Lol, that’s a typo…it should just be the oil, like it reads in the instructions! Thanks for catching that!
Can this be made in advanced and frozen?
Yes, definitely! I would just undercook the spaghetti squash slightly so it doesn’t turn ‘mushy’ when thawing/reheating!
That’s what I thought ????
There is such a thing as vegan butter tho
Totally and you can use that too! I just used oil in the recipe for people who don’t keep vegan butter around the house :)
There is also vegan butter (Earth balance, Miyoko…etc)
Oh, my goodness YUM! I love everything about this, right down to the cauliflower cream sauce!