Chia tomato spaghetti sauce

I really wanted this post to feature spaghetti squash! 

I had a spaghetti squash delivered in my veg box and have been a little scared to use it since my first attempt a few months back was less than desirable (i.e a pile of mush)....so with trepidation I had another attempt....ahhhh the same result! When I scrape the cooked squash halves wth a fork just as I saw in many tutorial videos I came across my squash simply did not turn into elegant spaghetti style strands, but instead...more mush.

What am I doing wrong? I can only assume I am overcooking it, or maybe I need to let it cool a little before spaghettifying it?  Any advice appreciated...!

Anyway, I had to resort to a backup spaghetti plan. Sasify noodles! 

salsify (complete with earthy covered skins)

Salsify is another veg I have not used before, also delivered in the veg box. I figured I could julienne the stems (is that the right word for them?!) in a similar way to my noodle stir fry. It worked pretty well so I'm pleased. My salsify stems were quite skinny and getting a bit old and bendy so they were  harder to work with than if they were thicker. You could of course use courgettes or parsnips instead....or even spaghetti squash if you can master it!  Or if you want to go all out, just use regular spaghetti! :-)

The sauce is the star of today's post. I wanted a traditional style Italian tomato sauce flavour but with a thicker consistency since the sauce clings less to vegetable noodles compared to pasta noodles. Enter the chia seeds... achieving a thicker sauce but without altering the flavour (with a bonus 'superfood'  infusion). You could of course add other veggies to this sauce and use it top anything you like.  I also added my 'meat' balls to add some carbs to an otherwise low carb meal. 

Recipe: Chia tomato spaghetti sauce

Ingredients:

2 tsp oilve oil
400g (large tin) chopped tomatoes
2 tbs tomato puree
1 tsp mixed dried Italian herbs
2 garlic cloves- crushed
1 small white onion- chopped
handful of fresh herbs- chopped (I used basil but parsley would also work)
2 tsp ground chia seeds (ground ensures a smoother texture)

Method:

Fry the onion and garlic in the oil for approx. 5 minutes until softening. 

Add all ongredients other than chia and frash herbs. Simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the chia and fresh herbs suring the final 2 minutes of cooking.

Serve immediately over the 'spaghetti' of whatever type you choose.

Notes: I stir fried my 'noodles' of salsify in a little coconut oil for approx. 5-7 minutes until they had just softened. My veggie noodle recipe is here and my meat balls recipe is here or for a quinoa version try these. 

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.