Try this super yummy paleo spaghetti carbonara, packed with bacon, onion, and black olives, for a healthy alternative to this traditional pasta dish. Honestly, I am not very fond of spaghetti squash on its own; I find it rather bland and disappointing. So I am always trying to find new ways to spice up this vegetable with other ingredients. I am really happy with the way this recipe turned out; it is full of flavors and it is deliciously satisfying!
There is so much to eat in this spaghetti squash carbonara that you can serve it as a whole meal. You can also prepare this dish ahead of time and preserve it in the refrigerator, covered with aluminum foil. Then pop it in the oven whenever you are in the mood for simple, comfort food.
This paleo spaghetti carbonara is healthy, packed with flavors and budget friendly!
Be extra careful when you take this dish out of the oven; the spaghetti squash can easily tip over and all the baking juices (including the precious bacon fat!) could spill on your hands. For this reason, I use the smallest baking dish I have that will hold the spaghetti squash cut in half.
How to serve? Using a large spoon, scoop out a generous portion of spaghetti squash and place it on a plate with stuffing on top. You may want to drizzle a small amount of warmed up coconut milk all over. Enjoy with some leafy greens on the side!
- 1 medium spaghetti squash (3.5 lbs), cut in half and seeds removed
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 lb of bacon, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup of black olives, sliced
- 2 TSP sea salt (divided)
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Season the bottom of the spaghetti squash with 1 TSP of salt.
- Mix together the onion, bacon, and black olives. Divide the stuffing into two equal parts and fill in the center of each spaghetti squash.
- Sprinkle with 1 TSP of salt on top.
- Garnish around with pieces of rosemary.
- Place the two spaghetti squash halves in the smallest baking dish that will fit (to avoid tipping over).
- Put in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 1 hour.
- Bon appétit!
This recipe has been shared on Fat Tuesday – Real Food Wednesday – Phoenix Helix Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable – Paleo Rodeo – Natural Family Friday
Dana says
LOVE this idea! I was missing spaghetti squash pasta with red sauce since going AIP, and carbonara especially since I traveled to Italy last fall! Can’t wait to try it out!
Annie says
After one hour at 400°, the bacon in the squash bowl didn’t seem done–looked very much like when I put it in. Should I have attempted to stir this while baking? We scooped out the shells and continued baking like a casserole for 15-20 minutes. Any ideas what went wrong? (stuff on top was deliciously browned!)
Sophie says
Hello Annie!
I don’t think you did anything wrong. If you cook the bacon in the squash, it won’t be as brown and crispy as it is if you fry it in a pan. We are so used to having crispy bacon that one might think it isn’t cooked if not brown. Your trick to scoop it out and finish like a casserole is excellent! Or you could bake the spaghetti squash in the oven alone, and cook the stuffing in a pan separately. Since I wrote the recipe, I have done it a few times and I even add artichokes! Sooo good 🙂
Heather says
I made this tonight and it was great! I do have a convection oven so the bacon and black olives that were toward the top got nice a crispy. It added a nice touch I thought.
Sophie says
Hello Heather!
This is also a favorite with the kids at our house! You can’t go wrong with mushrooms and bacon 😉
Real Food with Dana says
Hey Sophie! Just wanted to let you know I featured this recipe in my “50 Paleo Fall Squash Recipes Roundup” I posted this weekend. Looks amazing!! I couldn’t resist sharing it 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration, keep the awesome recipes coming!
Here’s the link if you want to check it out! http://www.realfoodwithdana.com/paleo-winter-squash-recipes-roundup/
Michelle Tamasa says
Yum! This was an easy weeknight homerun tonight! Thanks for sharing! Everyone gives it a thumbs up to add into our normal rotation.
Sophie says
Thank you Michelle for your feedback 😉
Terri HarpLady says
I tried this out last night, and it’s quite tasty, although I did have to give it an extra 15 minutes to get the spagetti squash to soften a bit more. For breakfast this morning I scooped everything out of the 4th quarter & reheated in cast iron. A tasty & super easy breakfast!
Thanks for all that you do, Sophie!