Low-Calorie Vegetarian Filipino Pancit

Growing up with a Filipino mother, I had the pleasure of eating a lot of great Filipino recipes that, at the time, I took for granted. Pancit was just a side dish at special meals. My mother loves it. It always appeared on special occasions like Christmas or Thanksgiving, but never for dinner on any other day. Now I crave Filipino food daily. So when I have the chance to incorporate it into any old dinner, I will. Garnish with sesame seeds, scallions, or nuts.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 47 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 2 mins
• Calories: 139 Calories

Ingredients

• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, or to taste
• 2 carrots, chopped, or to taste
• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)
• 2 stalks celery, chopped, or to taste
• 1 cup shredded cabbage, or to taste
• 1 zucchini, chopped, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly coat a baking pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Step 2

Place spaghetti squash, cut-side down, on the prepared baking pan.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool until safe to handle, about 15 minutes.

Step 4

Separate strands of spaghetti squash with a fork and scoop into a large bowl.

Step 5

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, cabbage, edamame, and zucchini. Saute, adding soy sauce and pepper, until tender but still crunchy, about 7 minutes.

Step 6

Transfer cooked vegetables to the bowl with the spaghetti squash and toss. Taste and season as desired.