Zucchini and feta with spaghetti squash is a satisfying low oxalate side dish or low oxalate main dish for vegetarians. It’s one of my favorites, although it’s a very new take on an old family recipe.
Zucchini and Feta with Spaghetti Squash
I have to admit I’ve never been a big fan of pasta, except for macaroni and cheese and my zucchini mostaccioli. It makes me feel sluggish and crabby soon after eating it. In fact, as my reactive hypoglycemia symptoms worsened in recent years, I added fewer and fewer noodles to my zuchhini mostaccioli until the pasta was more of a condiment than a main ingredient. I never used a recipe; I just sauteed up a mess of zucchini with some onion and garlic, then threw in a handful of Tinkyada brown rice noodles (4.7 mg. per half cup elbows, cooked) and feta at the end. I could eat it every day in the summer when my garden was producing squash by the sackful. After going grain-free this year, however, I wasn’t sure what I would do. I tried zucchini mostaccioli without the noodles, and although tasty, it wasn’t satisfying. Then I tried it with spaghetti squash, and yum! I’m back in business, and I don’t have jeopardize my new-found freedom from hypoglycemia in the process (I haven’t had a low blood sugar episode in four months now! Boy, can I just say I am loving grain-free.)
Hope you like Zucchini and Feta with Spaghetti Squash as much as I do!
Zucchini and Feta with Spaghetti Squash
1-3 tablespoons olive oil
3 smallish or 2 medium-sized zucchini, thinly sliced (or yellow summer squash)
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon fresh basil (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 cups cooked spaghetti squash
Celtic sea salt to taste and a pinch of freshly-ground pepper
4 ounces feta cheese
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet and gently saute the zucchini over medium low heat* for ten to twelve minutes. Add the onions and garlic and continue to saute until the onions are translucent and the zucchini is soft. Add the basil and spaghetti squash, stirring and adding more olive oil until the squash is lightly coated with olive oil and the “pasta” is well-mixed (get instructions on how to cook a spaghetti squash). Add the salt and pepper and top with feta cheese.
Makes about 8-10 side dish servings depending on how big your zucchinis are
* I use low or medium low heat when cooking with olive oil because vegetable oils tend to oxidize when exposed to high heat and most of us with oxalate-related symptoms are already in oxidative stress. We don’t need to overtax our bodies by eating oxidized cooking oils!
GAPS and SCD Modification: Replace the feta cheese with a stong flavored “legal” cheese such as Parmesan cheese or blue cheese.
Variations: I admit, I don’t ever make this dish the same way twice. I just throw some mix of the above ingredients into a skillet in the order I described and see what happens. You might want to add some other veggies (my mom likes red pepper and mushrooms), adjust the seasonings (I often skip the basil) or adjust the amounts of the veggies. If you eat pasta, you might also want to throw in a handful of Tinkyada brown rice noodles (2.8 mg. per half cup sphaghetti, cooked) in place of the spaghetti squash (or with it!).
Low Oxalate Info: All ingredients in zucchini and feta with spaghetti squash are low oxalate or very low oxalate. Each half cup serving has about 4.6 mg. oxalate.
Other Diets: Zucchini with feta and spaghetti squash may be appropriate for Paleo, vegetarian, low carb and gluten-free diets. It may also be appropriate for SCD and GAPS diets with modification.
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