Spaghetti Squash and Blazin' Sauce

Recipe by: Mandy Burns, featured on Chef AJ Live on 11/21/23

Ingredients: Serves 4

• 1 package of Tempeh
• 1-2 Tb of Blazin Habanero Balsamic
• 1-2 Tb of Smoked Hickory Balsamic
• 1-2 tsp Water
• 2 med Spaghetti Squash (or sub any type of pasta for faster meal prep)
• 1 jar of Marinara Sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400*. Cut both squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and any stringy bits. Set seeds aside for later. Place squash cut sides down on a baking sheet that is covered with a piece of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bake in the oven for 45-75 minutes, depending on the size of the squash halves. Test doneness every 15 minutes starting at 45 minutes by piercing the back of the largest squash with a fork, it should slide in easily.
2. While the squash is cooking, dice the tempeh into small cubes. Mix together equal parts Blazin Habanero Balsamic and Smoked Hickory Balsamic in a small dish, thin with a little water. Toss the tempeh in the balsamic mixture to evenly coat, then air-fry pieces for 20 minutes at 400*. Reserve the remaining marinade.
3. Clean the squash seeds discarding any of the stringy bits leftover from the spaghetti squash. Once cleaned, toss the seeds in the leftover tempeh marinade and allow the seeds to sit until the squash is out of the oven.
4. Warm the marinara on the stovetop. Once the squash is done cooking, remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to the lowest temperature (100*-150* is fine). Use a fork to fluff up the “spaghetti” strands, remove from the skin and plate it. Top with marinara and tempeh cubes.
5. Spread the seeds on a baking sheet that is covered with a piece of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and bake at 100*-150* for 1-3 hours. Shake or stir the seeds every 30-45 minutes so they cook evenly and don’t stick together. Check for doneness at 1h, 30 minutes by eating one, the seeds should be nice and crunchy. Enjoy!