Ever just crave spaghetti squash? I do. It’s not something I eat all the time, but when I’m in the mood, it’s the best. Usually I steam it and serve it with a marinara sauce loaded with vegetables. That’s exactly what I did this week. But I had quite a bit of squash leftover, so I decided to make pancakes the second night.

I made a fresh tomato sauce to go on top. I love making this in the summer with yummy fresh tomatoes and basil. I made it first so the tomatoes could marinate while I made the squash pancakes. I sauteed some fresh spinach and made a balsamic reduction also. Sounds like a lot of steps, but it really was easy.

I made the pancakes with all purpose flour, but I bet it would work with gluten free flour and a little xanthan gum. I’ll have to try it that way next time. You could also add an assortment of veggies, such as grated carrots, zucchini or yellow squash. Just watch the water content. Maybe squeeze out the excess water if needed. You really don’t have to worry about that with the spaghetti squash — it’s pretty dry.

Spaghetti Squash Pancakes + Fresh Tomato Sauce

Makes about 12 pancakes

2 cups cooked spaghetti squash*

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup almond milk

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

1 Tbsp coconut oil

Fresh tomato sauce (recipe follows)

1lb fresh spinach, washed, spun dry, sauteed

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp vegan margarine

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Make fresh tomato sauce in a large bowl and set aside to marinate.

Whisk together flour, milk, baking soda, salt, olive oil and nutritional yeast to make batter. Add spaghetti squash and toss to coat thoroughly.

Heat griddle or large saute pan over medium high heat and add coconut oil. Take large spoonfuls of batter and place on pan. Cook until browned, about 5-8 minutes. Flip and cook on other side until brown. Remove to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter.

To serve, place sauteed spinach in the center of plate. Top with two squash pancakes and fresh tomato sauce. Drizzle balsamic reduction over everything. Eat it. Love me.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

3-4 vine ripe tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped

1 clove garlic, smashed and minced

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, minced

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp olive oil

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss together. Let sit for at least 1/2 hour before serving. Season with salt and pepper.

Balsamic Reduction

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp vegan margarine, such as Earth Balance

Place vinegar in sauce pan set over medium heat. Bring to light boil and reduce until thick. Whisk in margarine and serve. If reduction is too thick, add more vinegar or warm up over low heat.

*Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove seeds. Place cut side down in a microwave safe dish with about an inch of water in it. I used a glass pie plate. Microwave about ten minutes. Prick with fork to see if it is done. When soft, remove from dish and scrape the squash with a fork to create spaghetti-like stands.