spaghetti squash and creamy pesto recipe. a guest post by jessica of jess loves this life.

i have a special treat for you guys today! my friend jessica (who i met through the AWESOME bloggers giving back group) is here to show you how to make an AMAZING looking spaghetti squash and pesto! take it away jessica:

Hey there! I'm Jess, and I blog over at Jess Loves This Life-a blog about my every day life, my love for Disneyland, my pup, crafts, and food! Today I'm sharing one of my favorite meals with you: spaghetti squash with creamy pesto sauce & roasted tomatoes. Yummmm! I won't bore you with a long intro, because really, you need to get to making this asap!

For the squash...

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.
2. Pierce the squash a few times with a sharp knife (confession: this part freaked me out, I thought I was going to chop my hand off at any moment, so I had my fiancé help me!)
3. Sit your squash directly on the oven rack for an hour
4. When done, cut open the squash, remove the seeds and pulp, and separate strands with a fork. The squash will be REALLY hot, so make sure you use an oven mitt to hold it down while you do this!

For the pesto... 

You'll need:
-2 cups of fresh basil leaves
-1/2 cup of paremsan cheese
-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1/3 cup of walnuts (or pine nuts, though I had a hard time finding those)
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-heavy cream

1. Combine the basil and the walnuts together, and blend. Ideally you should do this in a food processor to make everything easier, but I don't have one. My blender worked just fine, it just left my pesto the slightest bit chunky, which I think made it really tast!
2. Add the garlic and cheese to the blender, and slowly add in the olive oil.
3. In a small pan over medium heat, slowly mix the pesto with a few splashes of heavy cream. This will make everything smoother and taste even better!

While the squash is cooking, lightly coat 4 to 5 mini heirloom tomatoes, cut in half, with olive oil and bake for 10-15 minutes. Top your squash with the pesto and tomatoes. Enjoy!

This is one of my favorite meals because not only is it simple to make, it's hearty and savory too! The possibilities with spaghetti squash are endless! What's your favorite way to have it??

Thanks so much to Victoria for letting me hang out here today! Don't forget to come say hello all around the internet!

Blog//Bloglovin//Instagram//Twitter