SIBO Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi

Before the spiralizer was invented, few food sensations could compare with the firm, toothy bite of well-cooked pasta. But there was always one exception: spaghetti squash.

Some of you may remember this unusual vegetable from your mother's Weight Watcher days. It's an oblong, yellow melon-shaped squash with golden flesh that separates into long, spaghetti-like strands after cooking. Unlike 'real' pasta, however, spaghetti squash is low in the kind of carbohydrates that feed SIBO bugs, making it a perfect food for you and me.

Spaghetti squash is more nutritious than pasta, too. A one cup serving provides vitamins and minerals including beta carotene, vitamin K, niacin, folate, calcium and iron. Plus a pinch of protein (1 gram) to boot.

But perhaps the best thing about this tasty vegetable is the cool factor. It's super easy to prepare, and it's fun to make.

Are you sold yet?

No, I don't own stock in a spaghetti squash operation. I just had one of these babies hanging around all week, so I decided to make SIBO Shrimp Scampi. Didn't follow a recipe or measure, so the amounts listed below are estimates.

Here are a few Recipe Notes.

Instead of butter, I used chicken fat-and-drippings (aka sauce) from a pot-roasted chicken. This is a uniquely flavorful ingredient I sometimes have on hand. Whenever I roast a chicken, I always pour off and save the sauce in a clean jar in the refrigerator, where it forms a thick layer of fat on top and keeps for a week or two. If you happen to have any of this precious elixir in your fridge, do use it in this recipe! Otherwise, butter will do.

I used frozen shrimp but there's no reason not to use fresh. The quantity of shrimp you'll need really depends on their size, as well as your appetite. Each spaghetti squash serves two people, so in terms of shrimp, use what you need.

If you're wondering how to make the "spaghetti", it's easy! Just drag the tines of a fork across the cooked innards of your squash, and watch the magic happen.

Finally, you'll notice an optional clove of garlic in the recipe below. Please opt out if you are new to SIBO eating or flaring. Garlic contains both fermentable carbs (FODMAPs) and sulfur compounds, a deadly combo when it comes to gas and bloating. I avoided garlic like the plague during my first two years of SIBO eating, and am only just now re-introducing it, once in a while and in tiny quantities for that hit of flavor. Garlic-infused oil is a decent substitute for fresh garlic if you want the taste without the FODMAPs.

And now....the recipe. Bon appetit!

SIBO Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash
10-12 whole frozen pre-cooked shrimp, thawed
1 Tbs butter or chicken fat
1/2-1 cup chicken broth
3 Tbs chopped chives or green onion tops
1 small clove garlic, grated or pressed (optional, only for those in gut-stable mode)
pinch Himalayan salt & pepper to taste
2-4 Tbs parmesan cheese


Directions

Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, use a spoon to scoop out and discard seeds. Place prepared halves, cut side down, in baking dish filled with about an inch of water. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from oven to cool. Each half spaghetti squash serves 1 person.

Melt butter in saucepan, add shrimp and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth (more or less depending on how large the shrimp are—this will be the sauce), garlic (if using), chives, pinch of salt and a grind or two of black pepper. Simmer, covered for 5 minutes.

Fun part: While scampi simmers, place each half cooked squash on individual dinner plate (shallow bowls are ideal) and use a fork to scrape spaghetti strands from squash, right onto the dish. You should get about 2 cups spaghetti per each half squash.

When scampi is done simmering, divide shrimp in two portions and arrange over spaghetti squash mounds. Spoon sauce over top and sprinkle with grated parm.