Our garden spaghetti squash finally turned yellow and while we never get tired of spaghetti squash with marinara and meatballs, I wanted to try a new spaghetti squash recipe. I found a great recipe for spaghetti squash and chard gratin and even though we eat dairy rarely, it looked too good to ignore. It’s healthy comfort food. Here is my modified, healthier version of the original recipe http://www.closetcooking.com/2009/11/spaghetti-squash-and-chard-gratin.html

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 bunch chard, 4 green onions, 1 egg, 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup cottage cheese 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper to taste. I added a whole zucchini and a pound of white mushrooms. Almost any vegetable gratins very well!

After trying this recipe twice, I found it’s quicker to cut the spaghetti squash in half and boil it for 20 minutes instead of baking it for 45 minutes to an hour. It’s also easier to scoop out the seeds after the squash is cooked. The squash in this photo was baked.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the organic sour cream (or Greek yogurt if you want to cut the calories more), egg, cottage cheese, chopped onion, diced garlic, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

Rinse the chard and chop into large slices. Wilt the chard on the stove using a teaspoon of olive oil.

Assemble the zucchini and mushrooms into a large baking dish. Add the wilted chard. Using a fork, strand the spaghetti squash into the dish. Combine all veggies with the sour cream, cottage cheese, egg, onion, and garlic mixture. Stir well. Add another scant sprinkle of parmesan on top and bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes.

If you used extra vegetables like I did in this recipe, you will notice some water from the mushroom and zucchini that should be gently drained. A large serving of this heavenly veggie gratin is under 300 calories.