Healthy Stuffed Pasta Shells

For the shells:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Poke the spaghetti squash several times with a knife and put it in a baking dish. Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until the squash is tender and can easily be poked with a fork (see notes). Once cooked, remove from oven and allow the squash to cool a bit before handling it.

On a cutting board, slice the squash in half. With a fork, shred the squash and place the shreds into a large bowl. Avoid the seeds; they should be easy to work around. Add the grated zucchini, spinach, diced tomato, basil, oregano, onion powder and grated Romano cheese. Mix with a large spoon until everything is evenly combined. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper to taste.

For the sauce:
In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring the vegetable stock to a simmer. Add the cauliflower florets and cook until tender, approximately 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the florets to a blender.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Add the minced garlic, and saute until fragrant, approximately 3-5 minutes. Add the butter and garlic to the blender with the cauliflower florets. Add the lemon juice, onion powder, sea salt, ground black pepper, and almond milk. Blend until you’ve got a smooth, silky puree.

Pour ½ cup worth of the sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish (I used a large oval baker but a 9×13 should work as well). Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Place the pasta shells in the leftover vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and cook the noodles according to package instructions for al dente. With a slotted spoon, transfer the pasta shells to a large bowl. Don’t rinse.

When the shells have cooled off a bit, spoon a tablespoon of the squash mixture into the shells, and then place them into the baking dish (filling side facing up).

Once all of the shells are stuffed and placed into the baking dish, pour the rest of the cauliflower cream sauce on top. Spread it out evenly. Garnish with the grated Romano cheese. Cover with tinfoil and place in the oven.

Bake for 20 minutes, and then remove foil. Bake uncovered for 13 minutes. Then put it under the broiler for about 2 minutes to brown the cheese up a bit (optional). When done, garnish with fresh chives and serve.