• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Whole Smiths
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Recipes
    • Cooking Method
      • 5 Ingredients or Less
      • 30 Minutes or Less
      • Easy-to-Make
      • Instant Pot
      • Make Ahead, Keep on Hand
      • One Dish, Pan, Pot or Sheet Pan
      • Weekend Living
    • Dietary Guidelines
      • Dairy-Free
      • Gluten-Free
      • Grain-Free
      • Paleo
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
      • Whole30
    • Meal Type
      • Breakfast + Brunch
      • Dinner
      • Lunch
      • Soups, Stews, + Chilis Too
      • Vegetables, Sides + Salads
      • Smoothies + Beverages
      • Dessert
      • Snacks + Appetizers
  • COOKBOOKS
    • Good Food Cookbook
    • Real Food Every Day
  • Podcast
  • About
    • Meet Michelle
    • Food Philosophy
    • Michelle This Month
  • Resources
    • Discounts
    • Shop
    • Cooking Staples
    • Better Beauty
  • Contact
    • Work with Me
    • Contact
The Whole Smiths

The Whole Smiths

Whole Eating + Happy Living

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Recipes
    • Cooking Method
      • 5 Ingredients or Less
      • 30 Minutes or Less
      • Easy-to-Make
      • Instant Pot
      • Make Ahead, Keep on Hand
      • One Dish, Pan, Pot or Sheet Pan
      • Weekend Living
    • Dietary Guidelines
      • Dairy-Free
      • Gluten-Free
      • Grain-Free
      • Paleo
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
      • Whole30
    • Meal Type
      • Breakfast + Brunch
      • Dinner
      • Lunch
      • Soups, Stews, + Chilis Too
      • Vegetables, Sides + Salads
      • Smoothies + Beverages
      • Dessert
      • Snacks + Appetizers
  • COOKBOOKS
    • Good Food Cookbook
    • Real Food Every Day
  • Podcast
  • About
    • Meet Michelle
    • Food Philosophy
    • Michelle This Month
  • Resources
    • Discounts
    • Shop
    • Cooking Staples
    • Better Beauty
  • Contact
    • Work with Me
    • Contact

Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

If you’ve been reading my blog as of late, you know I have a new found love of spaghetti squash. I just can’t get enough. The truth of the matter is, I’ve never really been a huge pasta fan. Unless it was stuffed with some cheese and smothered with cream, I’ve always passed on it. But I love this healthy squash! And making it into a carbonara makes it even better.

I love it’s versatility and just how easy it is to prepare. HOWEVER, I will give you a warning on preparing it. Be careful cutting this thing open people. It’s not an easy task and if you’re not careful there may be some stitches in your future. You can Google the best way to cut them open for some additional tips on how to do it safely. I like to live on the edge, therefore, like a fool, I continue to cut it open “normally”. Just be careful out there folks.

A traditional carbonara is made with egg, pancetta (or bacon) and parmigiana reggiano. And yes, parmigiana reggiano is cheese, and yes that’s dairy and no, that’s not considered paleo. BUT, I also give you the option to use ground salted cashews to take it’s place. Problem solved if you are avoiding dairy. 🙂

In a traditional carbonara, you add the egg and cheese to the hot pasta directly to create a creamy “sauce” and the egg essentially cooks from the heat of the pasta. When I was researching a variety of paleo versions however, I found so many (ok, all) making the sauce separately then adding it back in later. I wasn’t sure why that was rather than just tossing the egg directly into the dish itself and letting the heat from the squash do it’s thang. I decided to just go with the  traditional way I was already familiar with and I’m glad I did. I’d like to say it’s because I’m a sucker for tradition, but it more so came from my laziness in not wanting to make a whole separate sauce and keep things simple.

There is one area that I want to warm you about this recipe, so listen carefully. Make sure you roast this squash in the oven to cook it. A lot of people use a microwave or InstantPot but I’m going with a NO on that. You really want to make sure that you don’t overcook it as it will become a bit soggy, releasing too much liquid and creating a soggy dish. I also prefer the roast-iness that comes from cooking it in the oven. You can find instructions for roasting it HERE.

I hope you love this as much as me and my family does!

Easy Spaghetti Squash Carbonara from the Whole Smiths. Paleo friendly, gluten free and Whole30 compliant.

print recipe
5 from 1 vote

Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

A lighter version of the traditional Italian carbonara using spaghetti squash.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Main
Cuisine: Paleo / Primal
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Author: the whole smiths

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sized spaghetti squash
  • 1/2 lb. pancetta
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 1 lb of asparagus trimmed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 C. roughly 1/2 lb. grated parmigiana reggiano OR 1 C. ground salted cashews
  • 4 eggs
  • Salt + Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Slice spaghetti squash lengthwise in half and scrape out seedy innards
  • In a baking dish, place spaghetti squash face down and fill with one inch of water
  • Microwave for 13 minutes or until tender
  • Using kitchen shears, cut pancetta into small bite sized pieces
  • Heat olive oil in pan on medium high heat
  • Once oil is hot, add onions and pancetta and cook until onions are soft and pancetta starts to become crispy
  • Add garlic and cook for two more minutes
  • Using slotted spoon remove onions, pancetta and garlic and place to the side
  • Using same pan and grease rendered from pancetta, add asparagus and sauté for 5 minutes or until it becomes tender
  • Once spaghetti squash is done, scrape innards into a separate bowl using a fork, be careful it's hot!
  • Add pancetta, onions, garlic, asparagus and parmigiano reggiano OR ground cashews to spaghetti squash
  • Add eggs to all ingredients and toss until all is coated and egg is cooked through
  • Salt + pepper to taste
did you make this recipe?Tag @thewholesmiths on Instagram

 

32 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
Previous Post: « Baja Shrimp Taco + Chipotle Crema
Next Post: “Fireside” Roast + Mashed Cauliflower »
Note: I only work with companies and products that I feel passionately about and that align with the Whole Smiths’ views and that this post contains sponsored content. While I am compensated for the work I do, my opinions and bad jokes are always 100% my own.

you might also like

  • Spaghetti Squash Bolognese
  • Spaghetti Squash + Meatball Casserole
  • A Pizza Pasta from The Whole Smiths that's sure to be a hit amongst the entire family. Not only is this "pasta" gluten-free and paleo, it's Whole30 compliant thanks to the spaghetti squash.
    Spaghetti Squash Pizza "Pasta"
  • banana blondies gluten free paleo
    Paleo Banana Blondies
Real Food Every Day Book

available now

my new cookbook

  • 100 simple recipes designed to keep things easy in the kitchen
  • Health and wholesome, family-friendly recipes labeled for your dietary needs
  • Chapters such as 30-Minute Meals, 5-Ingrediends or Less and Meal Prepping

take a peek

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Anu says

    October 31, 2017 at 12:01 am

    Wait, I’m confused. The post says to bake the squash and the recipe says to microwave…which is it? I’ve never been able to make spaghetti squash with any method (roast, microwave, instant pot) without it turning into a mushy, soggy mess, so I’m curious!

    Reply
  2. Megan says

    January 5, 2021 at 5:17 pm

    SO GOOD. Had to make it without the asparagus but really enjoyed making a lighter version of a longtime favorite! It was so good I had to share, and so many friends asked me for the recipe. Will definitely make again!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Spaghetti Squash Carbonara from the Whole Smiths. Gluten and grain free, paleo friendly and Whole30 compliant if you leave the sprinkle of cheese off on the end. A must have!… – Brake Lee says:
    July 17, 2016 at 10:02 am

    […] more About Spaghetti Squash Carbonara from the Whole Smiths. Gluten and grain free, paleo friendly and Whole30 … […]

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

available now

my new cookbook

Real Food Every Day Booktake a peek

welcome!

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet, I’m Michelle and welcome to the Whole Smiths. These days I’m a mother to two smiley girls, a happy wife to one fantastic dude and we live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

don’t miss a recipe!

Keep your kitchen tasty with a new recipe delivered to your inbox each week as well as our latest cooking tips, event information and favorite food finds.

REAL FOOD FOR REAL PEOPLE.

don’t miss a recipe!

Keep your kitchen tasty with a new recipe delivered to your inbox each week as well as our latest cooking tips, event information and favorite food finds.

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
These Lemon Pepper + Parmesan Brussels with Caper These Lemon Pepper + Parmesan Brussels with Caper Aioli are one of the December recipes ready for you! Fancy enough for Christmas dinner, easy enough for a Wednesday evening. Bada bing, bada boom.Grab the recipe at the link in my profile. ✨
GF Egg Nog Sheet Pan PANCAKES! Sneak peek at jus GF Egg Nog Sheet Pan PANCAKES! Sneak peek at just one of the recipes coming to you next month.Can I suggest these may be *the* perfect Christmas morning breakfast? No flipping, no batches, no time at all! Not to mention, NO COLD PANCAKES WHILE YOU WAIT FOR THE OTHERS TO COOK! 😳Join us at the link in my profile to get the recipe.
#thankful 📸: @angelaspillerphotography 🤍 #thankful📸: @angelaspillerphotography 🤍
Regular sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving? BO-RING! Regular sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving? BO-RING!CHAI SPICED Sweet Potatoes?? Way cooler.Seriously, chai anything just sounds way cooler than plain anything. Not to mention obviously tastier too. Recipe on www.TheWholeSmiths.com, use the search bar to search “chai sweet potatoes”.
I love these guys so much. That’s it. That’s t I love these guys so much. That’s it. That’s the post. #sundaysnuggles
Obsessed. Let’s talk...🛌🥱 In early 2020 I Obsessed. Let’s talk...🛌🥱In early 2020 I polled my audience because we were on the hunt for a new mattress. You overwhelmingly recommended @avocadogreenbrands. And then we all got locked down and I put our mattress hunt on hold. I bought a cheapie mattress online instead since we couldn’t try things out and none of us had any clue what was happening. Big mistake. HUGE. It was the worst mattress ever. So earlier this year we decided it was time to get a PROPER GROWN UP MATTRESS and went with @avocadogreenbrands.I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous about ordering online and not being able to “test” it in person. I’m here to tell you it’s one of the best things in my life. It is THE MOST comfortable mattress I have ever laid my pretty little face on. And Brad agrees.Not to mention is green and environmentally friendly.Legit, slipping into bed at night feels like a hug from heaven and I can’t even handle it. I told Brad that, God forbid, we ever divorce I’m taking the mattress with me. So, if you are on the hunt go with @avocadogreenbrands. We went with the Avocado Green mattress with pillow top. And I just looked and they’re having an early cyber/Black Friday Sale. Anyways. Obsessed and eagerly awaiting my next nap. ✌🏼
Gluten-Free Cranberry Bars Personally, one of my Gluten-Free Cranberry BarsPersonally, one of my fave desserts ever is pumpkin pie. I wish it was a year ‘round thing. BUT! If you aren’t pumpkin crazy, not into pies and need something DIFFERENT to bring to Thanksgiving this year, let it be this. Think a lemon bars more festive friend. In fact, it’s great for a Christmas too. It’s available now to my community a the link in my bio. ❤️

© 2023 · The Whole Smith · Privacy Policy · Website Design by Anchored Design