Low-Carb Spaghetti Squash Baked Feta Pasta

Recipe posted in: Flex Meals & Snacks, Lunches & Dinners, Main Courses
low carb baked feta pasta with tomatoes

Cheesy, baked pasta dinners rarely find their way into a weight loss plan. However, if you know anything about Nutrisystem, you know that we love to take everyone’s favorite meals and transform them into healthier, diet-friendly versions that don’t sabotage your success. After all, the best type of diet is one that you can stick to! That’s why we tasked our recipe developers with creating a lightened-up, low-carb alternative to the trendy Baked Feta Pasta that you’ve been seeing all over your social media feed.

Featuring melty feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, olive oil and fresh basil over spaghetti squash, this creamy, dreamy pasta dinner is packed with flavor. The lightened up dish was inspired by the easy uunifetapasta recipe that went viral on TikTok, originally created by Finnish food blogger Jenni Häyrinen (@liemessa). According to the New York Times, the recipe got so popular that it caused a feta shortage! Once you try it, you’ll understand why.

To fit this meal into your weight loss plan, we swapped ordinary white pasta with nature’s version: spaghetti squash! We also add extra fiber with salt-free chickpeas. Garlic, oregano, black pepper and fresh chopped basil pump up the flavor without pumping up the calories. It’s the perfect family friendly dish that the whole household is sure to love.

Get started with this Low-Carb Baked Feta Pasta by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Grab a baking dish and fill it up with cherry tomatoes, minced garlic and salt-free canned chickpeas. Place a blog of feta cheese in the middle of the baking dish and drizzle the tomatoes and feta with olive oil. Season with black pepper and oregano before placing the dish in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes.

While the feta pasta sauce is baking to perfection, scoop out the flesh of a cooked spaghetti squash. Not sure how to cook a spaghetti squash? Watch a quick video tutorial.

Once the feta mixture is done baking, stir it all together. The feta should be soft and creamy. Finally, add the spaghetti squash strands and fresh basil to the dish. Toss it together and get ready for the best pasta low-carb pasta dinner you’ve ever had!

Our Low-Carb Baked Feta Pasta recipe contains just 360 calories. It counts as one SmartCarb, two PowerFuels, one Extra and one and a half vegetable servings on the Nutrisystem weight loss plan. Be sure to log this healthy dinner in the NuMi app to stay on track with your daily meal plan. It provides an easy-to-use journal to help you stay organized each day.

Healthy Hacks: If you’re craving the texture of pasta, you can swap the chickpeas with chickpea pasta! Look for one with just chickpeas in the ingredients. Want to cut the carbs in this recipe even more? Feel free to omit the chickpeas altogether. If you’re not worried about your carbs, you can also try it out with whole grain pasta instead of spaghetti squash (just be sure to count this as another SmartCarb if you’re on Nutrisystem).

Fill up your weight loss menu with healthy pasta recipes! Add these delicious ideas to your meal prep menu:

If you have created your own healthy pasta recipe, we want to hear about it! Submit your recipe and an image of it on our Recipe Submission page for a chance to be featured right here on The Leaf Weight Loss Blog. Your creative ideas are sure to help someone else on their journey to health and wellness!

Want to lose weight while enjoying pasta, pizza and burgers? Get started with a Nutrisystem weight loss plan today!

Servings: 4

Calories per Serving: 360

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 SmartCarb, 2 PowerFuels, 1 Extra and 1 ½ Vegetables

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups cooked spaghetti squash
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 2 cups chickpeas, no salt added
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 8 oz. feta cheese
  • 2 tsp. oregano
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Place tomatoes, garlic and chickpeas in a baking dish. Place the block of feta in the middle. Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and feta. Sprinkle with pepper and oregano.
  3. Bake for 30 minutes.
  4. Remove baking dish from the oven. Stir the mixture together. The feta should be soft and creamy.
  5. Add cooked spaghetti squash and basil to the dish. Toss until well combined.
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