spaghetti squash with vegeatble and bean tomato sauce

What to make when alone for dinner, not in the mood for pasta or rice...So I decided on spaghetti squash with a vegetable & bean tomato sauce. It was the perfect dish.

Preheat oven at 375

While the oven is heating up I prepared the squash, I cut it in half then cleaned the inside. Placed the squash cut side down on a cookie sheet with a bit of water, and cooked it for 45 minutes. Again that depends on the size of the squash. Mine was a small squash, so just check it every so often, it is ready when soft when pierced with fork.

While squash is cooking in the oven, I prepared my tomato sauce. Again this was for one person but lots of left over for lunch the next day



1 to 2 tbsp of olive oil to cook vegetables
2 garlic cloves or more if you prefer
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 pepper (red or orange) diced
1 small zucchini diced
1 small carrot diced
1 small jalapeno (optional, I add one so I used it)
1 can of tomatoes
1/2 can of tomato sauce
2 to 3 tbsp ketchup (I like to add for the sweet and vinegar)
1/2 can of kidney beans or more (that's all I had in the fridge)
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
a few leaves of basil from the garden (optional)

Heat oil at med to high, add garlic and onions. Cook until onions are translucent, careful not to burn garlic. Then add remaining vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

What I did was pulse the tomatoes a few times in my small hand processor just to break up the tomatoes, again that's optional.

Mix in the tomatoes and tomato sauce in with the vegetables. Stir well. At this point you can also add the ketchup if using. When it start to bubble up just reduce the heat to simmer.

I cooked it until the squash was ready and the vegetables were tender. 15 minutes before the squash is ready you can add your beans and seasoning to the sauce and adjust to your taste.

If using fresh basil, chopped it fine and then add on top of the sauce in your plate. So that it doesn't cook and you really get the basil flavor as you are eating your meal, Enjoy!