Silky cashew cream and basil pesto go into this crispy panko topped, totally vegan, and 100% delicious spaghetti squash bake!

I created this dish while seeking a fun new way to use my lemon pistachio pesto, which I shared with you earlier this week. The pesto was born out of a late summer use-up-the-rest-of-the-basil-growing-in-my-back-yard kind of whim. But then I wanted something more suitable for fall when putting it to use. I’ve been itching to mess around with spaghetti squash. If you haven’t cooked with this stuff yet, you’re missing out. It’s super easy and fun, in a kitchen dork kinda way. Any night of the week you can easily pop one of these in the oven, roast just as my recipe below outlines, and top with your favorite pasta sauce. I suggest trying out some homemade marinara sauce for a healthy alternative to traditional pasta.

For this spaghetti squash bake, I decided to get a little more involved. I wanted to create something rich and satisfying enough to stand on its own as a main dish. Something where you’d never miss those little pasta strands of refined carbohydrates that we all crave so much. Something that would make you want to yell “this is so much better than spaghetti!” This dish totally does the trick. I served it alongside a handful of spring mix and a little slab of tofu (I always get my protein in), but you could just as easily eat a plate of it as a meal. The cashew-pesto cream adds just the right rich, satisfying element and is actually really tasty on its own. I might need to explore this part of the recipe some more.