Vegan Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Tomatoes & Zucchini is a fresh, tasty meal featuring tons of summer produce. Tossed in a creamy vegan pesto, this dish is a delicious and healthy weeknight dinner.
A dish full of veggies is the best kind of dish!
I love when it's easy to eat vegetables. For me, that means a meal that makes a lot (read: tons of healthy leftovers) and a meal that is flavorful.
If it tastes incredible, I'm more likely to eat it. And if it makes a large volume then I have servings for days.
This Creamy Pesto Spaghetti Squash meets both those criteria. Spaghetti squash produces a TON of volume. And the fresh basil in the vegan tofu pesto is so tasty.
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Why I love this Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Tomatoes
- Dietary needs - this dish is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, and sugar free. Great for all diets!
- Protein rich - the tofu pesto is loaded with plant-based protein, so you're secretly filling up your plate with protein!
- Uses fresh summer produce - this is one of those dishes that can be entirely sourced from a summer garden. It still tastes great with store-bought veggies, of course!
- Only uses the oven - in a previous version of this recipe, I called for pan-cooking the zucchini and tomatoes, but to make it easier I updated the recipe to cook all the vegetables in the oven
- Roasting without oil - I used the same roasting method in this dish that I use in my oil-free roasted tomato soup. Roasting veggies without oil is so easy and still results in tons of flavor!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Vegetable Ingredients
- Spaghetti Squash: Spaghetti squash is a fun type of squash named because the tender part of the squash looks like spaghetti. They are in season late summer and early fall, so buy them when they're fresh!
- Zucchini or Summer Squash: I used both green zucchini and yellow summer squash in this dish. Feel free to use just one variety.
- Cherry Tomatoes: I used a mix of different colored tomatoes. Feel free to use regular red cherry tomatoes
- Garlic: Garlic adds tang and umami to the dish and helps flavor the veg
- Vegetable Broth: We'll use vegetable broth to roast the zucchini and tomatoes, instead of oil. Make sure you buy one with no added salt or sugar!
- Salt & Pepper
- Basil: Before you use all of it in the pesto (see below), save a couple leaves to use as a topping. A fresh pop of flavor at the end makes a huge difference.
Tofu Pesto Ingredients
- Fresh Basil: fresh basil is key for pesto. Buy the basil right before you'd like to use it to avoid it going bad. If you do buy it several days ahead of time, take it out of the package and place the stems in a glass of water to stay fresh.
- Extra Firm Tofu: I like extra firm tofu in this recipe because it creates an ultra creamy pesto. You could also use silken tofu, which would create a thinner consistency
- Nutritional Yeast: nutritional yeast is a yellow yeast that has a cheesy flavor. It's the perfect substitute for cheese in many vegan recipes, like this pesto.
- Pine Nuts: pine nuts are typically used in pesto and are known for their nutty, sweet flavor. You could use raw cashews as a sub.
- Garlic: garlic adds a nice brightness to the pesto. Garlic powder can work as a sub.
- Lemon Juice: fresh juice is best! You could use lime juice as a sub
- Salt & Pepper
How to make Vegan Pesto Spaghetti Squash
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2. Using a large knife, cut the top and bottom off of a spaghetti squash. Cut in half lengthwise. Then scoop out the seeds.
Step 3. Place the spaghetti squash halves face down on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes.
Step 4. Place the zucchini, tomatoes, and garlic on the baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the vegetable broth. Bake in the oven with the spaghetti squash for 30-35 minutes.
Step 5. Meanwhile, prepare the tofu pesto. Add all the pesto ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.
Step 6. When the spaghetti squash is cooked and cool enough to handle, use a fork to scoop out the insides, then transfer to a large bowl and toss with the tomato zucchini bake and the pesto.
Step 7. Serve topped with fresh basil. Enjoy!
FAQ & Expert Tips
Never cooked spaghetti squash before? Head over to my spaghetti squash tutorial - a post dedicated entirely to spaghetti squash!
I LOVE this dish with tofu pesto because it adds protein to the dish, making it more of a complete meal. But if you don't want tofu in your pesto, try one of my other pesto recipes instead:
- Almond Pesto Pasta
- White Bean Pesto Dip
- Kale Cashew Pesto Pasta
- Spinach Walnut Pesto
If you can't eat pine nuts or other nuts (like almonds or cashews - great in pesto!), use an equivalent amount of sunflower seeds instead.
Use a bit of spinach as a sub. A few leaves of spinach won't affect the taste much and can provide some bulk if you're missing the basil.
Basil is a delicate herb that turns brown easily. So be sure to store this dish in an air tight container.
Since the pesto is mixed with other ingredients, it will last longer than a plain jar of pesto - up to a week in the fridge.
Recipe Prayer
Thank you God for fresh, seasonal vegetables that give us the nutrients our bodies crave. Amen.
More summer vegetable recipes
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Vegan Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Tomatoes & Zucchini
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Spaghetti Squash
- 3 Medium Zucchini or Summer Squash sliced into rounds
- 1 Pound Cherry Tomatoes halved
- 6 Cloves Garlic minced
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Broth
- Julienned Fresh Basil Leaves to serve
Tofu Pesto
- 2 Cups Packed Fresh Basil
- 1 14 Ounce Package Extra Firm Tofu drained
- ⅓ Cup Nutritional Yeast
- ¼ Cup Pine Nuts
- 2 Cloves Garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a large knife, cut the top and bottom off of a spaghetti squash. Cut in half lengthwise. Then scoop out the seeds.
- Place the spaghetti squash halves face down on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes.
- Place the zucchini, tomatoes, and garlic on the baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the vegetable broth. Bake in the oven with the spaghetti squash for 30-35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the tofu pesto. Add all the pesto ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.
- When the spaghetti squash is cooked and cool enough to handle, use a fork to scoop out the insides, then transfer to a large bowl and toss with the tomato zucchini bake and the pesto.
- Serve topped with fresh basil. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate.
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