Spaghetti squash is currently in season and I have a great recipe for you to try! Though it is often promoted as a substitute for pasta, I would like to say what everyone is thinking….it is simply not the same as pasta. However, it can be used in many similar ways, giving classic pasta dishes a twist and a fresher feeling. This is a great meal to cook at the beginning of the week and makes great leftovers!

A shortcut I love in this recipe is the homemade vodka sauce from Rice Village Farmers Market Vendor, Collar City Sauce. This is a major time saver and luckily since I sourced it from a market vendor, I knew all of the ingredients were just as fresh and nutrient dense as what I would pick out for myself. Not to mention it is absolutely delicious!

Spaghetti squash being pulled - this is one of my favorite parts to making spaghetti squash

Here’s a run down of the lovely vendors you can source from to create this recipe!

Bedias Creek Farms cares about what we eat and how it gets to our table. With skill and patience, they are raising food in a holistic, regenerative way that tastes great! From soil to animals, they utilize remedies straight from nature. They believe the extra steps we take are worth the effort.
Driftwood Meadows began their journey as a family committed to putting better food on their table, food that comes from animals raised on pasture without the use of hormones or antibiotics. Located in Centerville, Driftwood provides pasture raised pork, chicken, and eggs.
Erbe Ranch is a family owned farm located in Cat Springs, Texas raising grass-fed beef, pastured poultry and pastured pork. The property has been in Farmer Brian’s family for over one hundred thirty five years.
Regen Ranch is a woman owned and run ranch in Oakwood, Texas. With the goal of providing clean food, Christine sells grass fed beef & lamb, pasture raised turkey, and farm fresh eggs.
Zero Point Organics began has a hobby for owner James in 2016. It has turned into a passion to provide the best possible, nutrient dense, microgreens. Based in Hempstead, Texas, ZPO partners with restaurants, hotels, and country clubs throughout the Houston and College Station areas.
The Microgreen Company is a Sugar Land, Tx based microgreen cultivator. Now serving the Houston, Sugar Land, Missouri City, and Katy areas, they grow to order! Meaning they time all microgreens to be fresh and ready by Tuesday and Thursday of every week.
Lonestar Mushrooms takes pride in growing the highest quality mushrooms and implementing only the best extraction processes so your mind and body can reap the benefits. Aside from offering nutritional value, mushrooms have been known to provide a wide range of health advantages including brain health protection, immune support, improving heart health and more!
TKF Mushrooms is a Medium-scale gourmet mushroom cultivation farm in the tiny town of Huffman, Tx. They specialize in strains of Gourmet & medicinal mushrooms.
Wood Duck is an 87 acre farm, located in Cleveland, Texas. They have a thriving CSA program and have been providing healthy produce to the community for years. Wood Duck is actually in the process of fighting a proposed landfill in San Jacinto County, visit this website to learn more about how you can help!
Plant it Forward works with independent, professional farmers with refugee backgrounds to grow and distribute fresh produce throughout the community. At our market locations we work with farmer Materanya “Pierre” Ruchinagiza, who is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Each market he brings delicious vegetables and good conversation. He’s an amazing asset to the markets and his farming knowledge is invaluable!
Animal Farm is a working, sustainable permaculture center located 65 miles west of Houston. They are dedicated to producing high quality certified organic vegetables and flowers. They sell at our markets, but also have a wonderful CSA program!
Verde Greens located in Houston, Texas, uses a combination of hydroponic and no-till soil cultivation methods to produce healthy, nutritious, pesticide- and herbicide-free leafy greens, herbs, and mixed vegetables for the community.
Sweetwater Farms HTX is a family-owned, urban farm located in Houston, Texas. They are 7 minutes from the loop in the middle of a food desert. It sits on 6 acres of land and is primarily used to teach inner city youth about agriculture through its partnership with TWEF. We grow some of the freshest seasonal veggies! Farm visits are reservation are only!

Share the love! Don’t forget to share photos and tag the vendors who provided the ingredients! One of the best ways to support these local, small businesses is by spreading the word and sharing your market finds with friends and family. And of course, if you stop by the Rice Village or Heights Mercantile markets striking up conversations with the vendors will always have you walking away with wonderful recipe ideas.

Ingredients - * indicates item purchased at the farmers market

*1-2 lbs. chicken breast

*16 oz. bone broth

*2 jars of vodka pasta sauce

*2 Tbsp. olive oil

*2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes

*1 spaghetti squash

*1 lb. shiitake mushrooms sliced

*1 package of your favorite microgreens

Salt and pepper to taste

Note: You can use bone in chicken, just take care to remove the bones during the shredding process

Method

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Season your chicken breast with salt and let sit for 30 min before cooking.
Add oil to a pot or dutch oven over medium heat and brown the chicken breast (about 5 min on each side). Set aside when done.
Add just enough broth to deglaze and scrape brown bits from the bottom.
Add the rest of the broth and the vodka sauce and stir to combine.
Add the seared chicken breast to the pot and insure that it’s completely covered by the sauce. Let simmer on low heat for 2 hours or until fork tender.
While the chicken is cooking, cut your spaghetti squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Lightly coat both halves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place facedown on a baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes. You should be able to gently pull the cooked squash apart.
Pull apart your squash and set aside.
Once the chicken is tender, remove from the cooking liquid and pull apart with two forks. Take care to remove any bones if you purchased bone in cuts.
Return the pulled chicken to the pot and add all of your vegetables. Cook for another 25 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
Once the veggies are tender, your sauce is complete. Spoon over a plate of squash and top with your microgreens for a nutrient dense meal!

We hope to see you at the 1st and 3rd Sunday at Rice Village Farmers Market or 2nd and 4th Sunday at Heights Mercantile Farmers Market. Both markets run from 9-1 pm, with Heights located at 714 Yale St. and Rice located at 2504 Amherst St. These markets operate rain or shine! We will have over 60 vendors, live music, and immaculate vibes.

Thank you for following along and supporting local!

xxCB