Spaghetti squash can be used in place of pasta noodles for almost any dish; and the flavor is sooo good!
And not only is it good for you, but it's a great way to cut calories; you replace the carbs and starch from the noodles and the there's also no fat because you do not need oil or butter to keep the strands from sticking together like noodles have a tendency to do.
So now you're ready to cook with it. First grab your husband or someone who is very strong and skilled with a knife; the shell is very hard to cut open!
Cut the squash lengthwise and toss the seeds out. Place the squash cut-side down in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees or until tender. Let cool, then drain if there is excess moisture. Ours was fairly dry tonight, but sometimes they can be kind of watery.
Once drained, scrape out the spaghetti-like strands with a fork and set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. This is the sauce recipe I used tonight:
16 ounces bottled spaghetti sauce of your choice (or your favorite homemade spaghetti sauce!)
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon each garlic and basil
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper to taste
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
In a medium-hot skillet, cook onion, carrot, and garlic in oil until almost tender. Add tomatoes; cook and stir until thickened. To help thicken the sauce, you may add a little mashed potato flakes if desired. Add spaghetti sauce; heat through. Ladle sauce over squash; serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired. Makes about 4 servings; but my husband and I ate the whole thing! :)
This would also work with Alfredo Sauce; in fact, I found this recipe on cooks.com and I can't wati to try it!
Try it with Broccoli Pesto Sauce!
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This is a very helpful site for choosing, storing, and buying squash! I'm going to bookmark this one!
What is your favorite squash and how do you prepare it?
