Spaghetti Squash Low Carb-onara

Spaghetti squash is the second best thing that happened to me in 2014 (first was having my son, Beckham). Let me start by saying that I love carbs, give me all the carbs! My life is a constant battle between wanting to eat delicious food and wanting to be skinny. Fortunately, there are substitutions that can be made that are light on calories but still so, so tasty!

There are two things we make religiously in our house, and that's spaghetti and tacos. Needless to say, I buy my ground beef in bulk at Costco. My husband would be perfectly content if we had spaghetti or tacos every single night.

A couple nights ago, I made spaghetti for my husband and daughter using regular noodles, and spaghetti squash for myself. If you are looking for a great pasta sauce, I recommend this one from Trader Joe's.

While it would have been fairly low in calories, I did not eat the entire spaghetti squash myself. That meant I had a lot leftover in the fridge, and it only lasts a few days, cooked. I couldn't let my favorite vegetable go to waste, so I had to find something to make with it!

I found a recipe for spaghetti squash carbonara, and it was "fantastic." I quote my husband directly on that, and this is coming from the man who threw an absolute fit when I made cauliflower fried rice a few nights ago.

Bacon and cheese. Does it get better? I think not, but try out the recipe and let me know what you think!

Spaghetti Squash Low Carb-onara

4 slices of bacon (cut into small pieces)
1/4 cup of chicken stock
Minced garlic
1 spaghetti squash, cooked
1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
2 egg whites and 1 egg including the yolk (or three full eggs)
Salt & Pepper

Start by cooking your spaghetti squash. You can either use the microwave or your conventional oven. I prefer to use the microwave, since it is much quicker. Simply cut the squash in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, fill the cavity with a small amount of water and microwave for 10-13 minutes (10 for crunchier squash, 13 for softer squash).

While the squash is cooking, cut your bacon into small pieces. I prefer to use scissors, but you can do this however you want. Cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy, and then add minced garlic. I usually add around a tablespoon, but it is totally your preference.

Let the bacon and garlic saute for one minute, and then add the chicken broth. Let it cook until the broth has evaporated (weird, I know).

In a separate bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese and eggs together and then add to the bacon and garlic. Make sure that you cook over low/medium heat, and don't let the eggs cook all the way through. The goal is not to make scrambled eggs here! I let the mixture cook for about one minute, and then added the cooked spaghetti squash.

Rewinding for a minute, your squash just finished cooking. Now what? Simply scrape it out with a fork, you will be shocked how easily it shreds into spaghetti-like strands. Voila!

Stir the mixture of ingredients until the squash is well coated in creamy deliciousness. Season with salt, pepper and a bit more Parmesan. Serve immediately to your hungry family, or eat it straight from the pan, like I did.

SO good. Probably better than regular spaghetti carbonara in my opinion, and it made me feel better about raiding my daughter's Christmas candy.

Enjoy, xoxo!