Pinspiration: Spaghetti Squash with Basil-Parsley Pesto

[PSA: I did not come up with this dish, I found it on Pinterest, which brought me to The Roasted Root Blog. I loved it so much I made it and had to tell you all about it. The recipe is Julia's, the opinions are mine. I linked her blog so you can see her version and other yummy recipes.]

So today in brave things I've done, I actually made a dish I found on Pinterst.  This one includes fish! Go big or go home, amiright? As my friends and family could have told you, I NEVER cook! I just haven't had the patience or interest to even try. And luckily for me, B likes cooking so he took over once we moved in together. But recently (and I think it has to do with my new job and constant harassment from friends and family), I've actually wanted to try making things. I know, weird right? So here's the first meal I tried, and since it came out soooo good, I figured I'd share it with you!

Here we go:

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Total time: 1 hour and 5 minutes

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
1 4lbs spaghetti squash
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1lbs of raw shrimp, peeled and tailless

If you want to make your own Basil-Parsley Pesto Sauce:
1/2 cup of tightly packed basil leaves
1/2 cup of tightly packed parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup pine nuts

If not a jarred pesto sauce is totally fine (and what I used).



To make:
The Spaghetti Squash
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
2. Cut the two ends of the spaghetti squash off. Then stand it on one of it's now flat sides to cut from top to bottom
3. Scoop out all the seeds of both halves, including the stringy stuff that's holding them in (This is not the spaghetti part of the squash and taste kinda weird if left in)

4. Rub about a tablespoon of olive oil over the insides of the spaghetti squash, then sprinkle some salt and pepper (as much or as little as you like)
5. Place both halves cut-side down on a baking sheet
6. Put the squash in the oven and let it cook for 45-50 minutes. Once it's done, remove it and let it cool for about 10 minutes, or until it's cool enough to hold

7. Once it's cool enough, use a fork and scrape out the insides into a big bowl. Once you're done all that should be left is literally the skin. (I didn't realize how much it would make the first time!)

If you're making the Basil-Parsley Pesto sauce:
1. Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until it reaches a thickness you like

The Shrimp:
1. Heat the olive oil to medium in a large skillet
2. Once hot, carefully (because they will splash the oil at you) place the shrimp and add the garlic
3. Let the shrimp cook until they start to plump and turn pink, then flip (each should take about 2-4 minutes)
4. Once all the shrimp are cooked, lower the heat and add the sauce (either home made or jarred) and spaghetti squash.
5. Mix everything together and enjoy!

Omgee it was soo good!! So the first time I made it, I did the shrimp, which was fantastic. The second time, B wanted to try it with chicken. So we did all the same steps, except cooked chicken, then cut them into bite sized pieces. Also super yummy! I'm not sure which version I like better, but I'm def glad I stumbled upon it! Thanks The Roasted Root!