To roast the squash, cut it into rings about 1-inch thick, remove the seeds, and spread over a lined baking sheet with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes, until the squash is soft but not mushy, then peel the skin off the outside of the rings.
Let it sit for about 10 minutes before you peel, so that you don't burn your hands.
Working over a bowl, pull apart the strands of spaghetti squash, one ring at a time. Set aside while you make your broccoli and cheeze sauce.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add minced garlic and red pepper flakes.
When the garlic is fragrant and starting to brown, add broccoli florets and vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper and turn the heat down to medium-low.
Cook until the stock is evaporated and the broccoli is bright green and al dente.
Add mashed cannellini beans and nutritional yeast.
Here comes the ~cheeze~ sauce.
Stir the mixture together, adding more stock a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is the consistency of a thick cheese sauce.
Add the spaghetti squash and a little more stock.
Stir it all together! The cheeze sauce should be coating the spaghetti squash, but it shouldn't be too wet.
Serve immediately.
Cheezy Vegan Spaghetti Squash with Broccoli and Garlic
Makes 2 Servings
Estimated active time: 20 minutes
Estimated total time: 60 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 small spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 cups broccoli florets
½ cup vegetable stock
1 cup cannellini beans, rinsed, drained, and roughly mashed with a fork
⅓ cup nutritional yeast
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut about half an inch off of the top and bottom of the spaghetti squash, and discard those pieces. Cut the squash crosswise into rings about 1-inch thick, and run your knife around the inside of the rings to cut the seeds out. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the baking sheet, then spread the squash rings over it, moving them around a little so that the undersides are evenly coated with a little bit of oil. Season with salt and pepper, then flip the rings over and season again. Roast in the preheated oven until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes. When the squash is done, set it aside on the counter while you cook the other vegetables. It'll be easier to handle if you let it cool for 10 minutes before taking it apart.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes (if using), season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, just until the garlic is fragrant, about a minute. Add the broccoli and vegetable stock and turn the heat down to medium low. Season with a little more salt and pepper, and cook until the broccoli is bright green and al dente and the vegetable stock has reduced to about half. Add the nutritional yeast and stir everything together, so that the yeast and the remaining stock make a sauce. If the sauce is super thick and clumpy, add more stock or water, a tablespoon at a time, until it's thick but still a little runny. Add the cooked squash and toss everything together, then divide into two bowls and serve immediately.
Recipe by Christine Byrne
