Harvest Spaghetti Squash Spirals…The Frozen Trader Joe’s Version Vs. The Homemade Version
Due to a high volume of requests that I keep this Trader Joe’s frozen food remake series going, I have decided to try to post a new recipe remake weekly.
So this past week, I had seen yet another fall item in the frozen section of Trader Joe’s that I knew without fail I could make a better and more improved homemade version of.
If you have followed me at all over the course of the past few years, on this website or on social media, you might have seen one of my various spaghetti squash creations. To me, other than cutting the squash ( I KNOW its the least fun part of cooking spaghetti squash!), making your own spaghetti squash is pretty simple. Putting marinara on it is even more simple. How is it possible that Trader Joe’s is even making a frozen version of this? I had to buy it and see what it consisted of.
So before I go into the contents of the bag, here is the nutrition label. This is a dual column label. What that means that when the new nutrition label came onto the scene earlier this year, packaged items that have more than one single serving but could be consumed in one or multiple sittings, manufacturers are required to label one serving’s nutrition facts as well as the calories/nutrients you get if you do consume the entire package. 290 calories for this whole package isn’t bad if its your meal. 14 grams of protein is okay but not great. The fiber content is great, as one would hope for a product that is basically all squash. As per usual, the sodium is on the higher end, but it is processed and needs some preservatives…SOME.
So, my apologies, but I made the mistake of taking a video for Instagram of what the inside of the frozen bag looked like, but I didn’t take a solid picture. This is a picture of the whole three servings from the frozen bag of Harvest spaghetti squash spirals as it is being cooked. THE ENTIRE CONTENTS. Forgetting everything else and that my skillet is a tad dirty from other food, that looks like a rather small amount of squash in a rather large bag of food, right? For the record, half of the bag is air, which is disappointing as it is.
So that’s a teaser, because the final products will be shown plated at the end. Anyhow, I made the homemade version of this dish, and I wanted you to see a little of how it was done. The recipe called for butternut squash, so again I took the semi-convenience route and bought Trader Joe’s fresh butternut squash chunks for that portion of the recipe.
Then, we have the spaghetti squash. Yes, these things are a pain to cut, but at the end of the day, you get SO much more squash than from the frozen version. Not to mention, a whole pound of spaghetti squash is 141 calories, so there isn’t much need to ration it out. It is full of fiber as well, so it will keep you satisfied. Below is what my squash looked like after 30 minutes face down roasting in the oven.
After we remove the squash from its skin…
Below is the butternut squash roasted with some garlic powder, salt and pepper.
While all of that was happening, I also grated some fresh grana padano…good thing I saved the chunk I had from last week’s recipe!
Next, I made the Harvest pasta sauce. I was really nervous about this, as I am often with sauces. I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. I was praying it would come out as good or better then the frozen pellets of sauce from the frozen version. I have actually tried the jarred Harvest Pasta Sauce Trader Joe’s has, so I had an idea of what the flavor should be like.
I am proud to say it was perfect. I used almond milk, butternut squash puree, pumpkin puree, some Vital Farms butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a little carrot puree I made myself! What I liked about making my own sauce is I could truly taste the flavors of the pumpkin and carrot and not just the salt, which is most of what I taste in frozen food sauces.
So, here we have the Trader Joe’s frozen version. It doesn’t look bad, and it doesn’t taste bad either. It is saltier, which is to be expected. Also, I find it odd, because spaghetti squash noodles are very stringy, and there is no stringy noodles in here, so are the noodles spaghetti squash or butternut squash?
Another thing I don’t love about the frozen version is, they call this 3 servings. This should be a one serving dish, period. I highly doubt, unless its a tiny side item, that anyone is going to divide this into three portions.
Here is my homemade version. For the record, I didn’t mix the sauce in before the picture like I did with the Trader Joe’s version, but you can clearly see spaghetti squash, right? Also, let’s face it, there really is no substitute for how fresh vegetables and sauce taste. But that’s not even the real kicker. THIS BELOW IS ONE SERVING.
This is a better view of the two plates side by side. Trader Joe’s on the left, homemade on the right.
As I have said before, I see the practicality in frozen food, but what could Trader Joe’s have done different to make their frozen version better?
- Added way more spaghetti squash. The bag was half empty and had plenty of room for it.
- Added the harvest squash sauce in a sauce bag, the way they do with the fresh salads, that a person could warm up in the microwave or hot water. I think the taste and consistency would have been slightly better that way.
So there you have it…oh yes…and the recipe…
A healthy, heartier spin on an already healthy version of a frozen meal.
- 1 medium-large spaghetti squash
- 1 bag Trader Joe's butternut squash chunks
- 1/4 cup grana padano Parmesan, grated
- 1 cup Califia farms unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup Trader Joe's butternut squash puree
- 1/4 cup Trader Joe's pumpkin puree
- 2-3 large carrots
- 2 tbsp. butter
- salt
- garlic powder
- pepper
- fresh parsley as garnish
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Set oven to broil. Cook spaghetti squash as desired. For this recipe, I cut mine in half and set it face down on parchment paper in a baking pan and let it roast for 30 minutes.
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While the squash is roasting, spray a skillet/stir-fry pan with cooking spray and cook the butternut squash cubes as directed, adding a bit of salt, pepper and onion powder as desired. Take out of the skillet and set aside in a bowl to cool.
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Grate your parmesan into a bowl and set aside.
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When the squash comes out of the oven, let it cool before scooping the insides into another bowl, or you can use the same bowl as the butternut squash if you desire.
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While the squashes cool a but, make the sauce. You will set out a pot and pour the almond milk into it. Then add the butter and let it melt, then add the pureed pumpkin and butternut squash mix.
I made a carrot puree on my own by putting a few large carrots into my air fryer for a few minutes and then pureeing them in a blender with some leftover almond milk. If you don't have these cooking tools, you could chop up a few carrots and cook them in the skillet until they are soft or steam them in the microwave. You could also leave them out if it's too much of a pain.
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Stir the sauce up and add a bit more salt, garlic powder and pepper. Then you can pour it over the squash and stir it up. Add some grana padano and parsley for garnish if desired.
