Spaghetti Squash with Ratatouille

Posted by tomatowellness on January 24, 2015 in Food and Nutrition, Health, Tomato Products

by Sharon Palmer, RDN, The Plant-Powered Dietitian™

Last fall, while on a Santa Barbara farm tour, I sampled a delicious dish that showcased the Mediterranean flavors of eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini against a backdrop of spaghetti squash, instead of traditional pasta.  While I was driving through Gilroy on Saturday afternoon, I stopped at a produce stand in the middle of miles of farms and was instantly transported back to that warm, harvest day on that gorgeous farm.  So I had to bring home spaghetti squash, eggplant, zucchini and onions from the farm stand!  These are the results of my inspiration. 

 Ingredients

1 small spaghetti squash, quartered

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 small eggplant, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, with liquid

½ cup water

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon marjoram

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Salt to taste

1 tablespoons capers, rinsed

½ cup Mediterranean olives, whole, drained

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

 Instructions

1. Scoop out the seeds from the spaghetti squash and place in a medium pot with water. Cook for about 20 minutes, until just tender.  You should be able to shred squash into spaghetti-like strings with a fork.  Remove from pot and place on a cutting board to cool slightly.
2. While squash is cooking, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan or skillet. Sauté onions, eggplant, zucchini, and garlic for 10 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, water, basil, oregano, marjoram, pepper, salt, capers, olives, vinegar, and honey. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and mixture is thick.
4. With a fork, gently separate strings of squash from squash peel and add to ratatouille mixture. Stir together to heat through and serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings

Sharon Palmer, RDN, The Plant-Powered Dietitian™, is an award-winning food and nutrition expert, journalist, and editor. She is author of The Plant-Powered Diet: The Lifelong Eating Plan for Achieving Health, Beginning Today (The Experiment, 2012) and Plant-Powered for Life: Eat Your Way to Lasting Health with 52 Simple Steps & 125 Delicious Recipes (The Experiment, 2014). Over 850 of her articles have been published in national publications, including Prevention, Better Homes and Gardens and Yoga Journal. Sharon also is editor of Environmental Nutrition, nutrition editor of Today’s Dietitian, blogger for The Plant-Powered Blog, and publisher of her monthly The Plant-Powered Newsletter. Her specific expertise is in plant-based nutrition, including flexitarian, vegetarian and vegan diets. She serves as the consultant dietitian for the Oldways Vegetarian Network, an editor for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic’s website eatright.org, and judge for the prestigious James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards. Sharon is regularly invited to speak on food and nutrition at a number of events across the country. She is passionate about sharing her enthusiasm for sustainable, delicious, healthy food. Living in the chaparral hills overlooking Los Angeles with her husband and two sons, Sharon enjoys visiting her local farmers market, gardening, and cooking for friends and family.