Shrimp Spaghetti Squash

I LOVE pasta, but I'm not a huge fan of the carbs that come along with it. So I tried to make a mock pasta. I know, I know - nothing's as good as the real thing. But this imitation is pretty damn good, especially once you toss it in a lovely HEALTHY alfredo sauce. So anyways, what did I use as replacement noodles? Spaghetti squash, carrots, and zucchini.

Ingredients (makes 2 dishes):
- 1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
- 2 zucchini, shredded with a vegetable peeler
- 2 carrots, shredded with a vegetable peeler
- 1 cup mushrooms
- 2 cups baby shrimp
- 2 tbsp herb & garlic cream cheese
- 2 tbsp light cream cheese
- 2 tbsp no fat sour cream
- 1 clove garlic, minced


What to do:
1. Set the oven to about 375. Put the squash halves in, skin side down. Let them bake for about 40 minutes, or until soft.
2. Spray a frying pan, and put in the shredded carrot, zucchini, and mushrooms.
3. Prepare the shrimp according to the package.
4. Mix together the veggies and shrimp, cook over medium heat.
5. Mix the cream cheeses, sour cream, and garlic in with the veggies/shrimp. You can add more or less cream cheese/sour cream depending on how you like your sauce.


It should look something like this at this point:

6. Take out the squash, and carefully (it's hot!) scrape the insides with a fork. You'll see why it's called a spaghetti squash - the inside pulls apart in strings, making it looks like spaghetti.

7. Scoop out as much as you can, and add it to the other veggies/shrimp in the pan.

8. Let it cook for another few minutes.

9. Make sure your squash skins are cooled, and scoop the "noodles" into the squash skin halves.

10. Eat up, and enjoy!

Although this dish is almost entirely vegetables, it is pretty filling. The protein from the shrimp adds some more substance, and the alfredo sauce adds some heaviness as well. The best part about this noodle dish is that it doesn't leave you feeling bloated and on a carb overload like most pastas do.

So try it out while squashes are still in season! It's a dish you won't want to miss!