Spaghetti Squash with Thai Peanut Dressing
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After being introduced to spaghetti squash and enjoying the pesto spaghetti squash {noodles}, I wanted to experiment more with this healthy and versatile ingredient. I imagined the slight crunch of the noodles lending themselves well to a crisp, cool salad with a Thai peanut dressing.
I wanted a peanut dressing that was lighter in body than many of the peanut sauces used for satay and other Thai peanut noodle dishes. Though delicious, some of the sauces end up rich and creamy. After referencing two similar recipes (Tyler Florence’s Peanut Sauce on Food Network and Once Upon a Chef), I ultimately added {roughly} the ingredients listed in my recipe below. (I didn’t measure anything out but this type of dressing is a perfect opportunity to season to taste.) My family enjoys less sweetness and more spice so one major difference with my dressing is that I left out the sugar and only used a splash of honey.
This flavorful Thai peanut vinaigrette with a nice edge of heat turned out to be great with leftover spaghetti squash noodles as a refreshing salad, but I think it would also work well as a warm {noodle} dish if you are using freshly-baked squash or reheating the noodles. Toss the dressing with the spaghetti squash, julienned red peppers, snow peas, edamame, shredded carrot or any other vegetables. If you happen to have leftover dressing, there will be many ways to use it up, such as in this healthy Asian coleslaw.
- Spaghetti squash noodles
- Red pepper, julienned
- Edamame or snow peas, optional
- Chopped peanuts for garnish
- Thai Peanut Dressing
- 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2+ tsp Siracha sauce
- 1+ tsp red pepper flakes
- Splash of olive oil
- Handful of cilantro
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece of ginger, chopped
- Hot water, optional, if dressing needs to be thinner
- Use warm spaghetti squash strands or leftover cold spaghetti squash straight from the refrigerator.
- To cook the squash, cut the squash in half, remove the pulp and seeds, and lightly brush the inside with olive oil, salt & pepper.
- Place the halves face down in a cooking pan with about 1/2 inch of water.
- Roast the spaghetti squash in the oven for 30-45 minutes at 375 degrees, until tender.
- Gently rake a fork across each half of the squash to remove the “noodles”.
- Blend the dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender.
- Toss with spaghetti squash and any other vegetables of your choice.
- Serve warm or cold.
- Garnish with chopped peanuts.
Tags: healthy salad, peanut dressing, peanut sauce, spaghetti squash, spaghetti squash noodles, spaghetti squash salad, spaghetti squash slaw, thai peanut salad, thai peanut salad dressing, Thai peanut sauce, thai peanut spaghetti squash noodles, thai peanut vinaigrette
Tue, Jun 24, 2014
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