Spaghetti Squash Italian Style

I’m getting used to embracing the fall, and one of my new favorite things about the change in weather is the gourds. I love spaghetti squash now. I purchased mine from a local pumpkin farm. It was my first time making this sort of squash, but I’m certainly glad I did.

Being a winter gourd, spaghetti squash is incredibly tough to hack into. Therefore, the way you cook it is completely up to your preference. You can use the microwave, the oven, or even boil it. I, myself, first tried to hack into the center 9attempting to cute along the “equator” of the gourd. None of my knives were quite sharp enough to cut through the exterior. So, I moved on to option 2. I poked various holes throughout the squash and threw the whole thing in the microwave for 7 minutes, then turned it over (careful! it’ll be hot!) to cook the other side.

If you’re like me and you can’t find a machete to slice the gourd pre-cooked-ness, no worries, but it will take just a little longer to cook. Make sure to pierce the squash before cooking. To bake set oven to 375 degrees and cook for about an hour, or until you can stick a knife into it without too much resistance. In the microwave it takes 10-12 minutes (flipping over half way through) and let stand 5 minutes to cut and seed. You can boil for half an hour or put in a crockpot with a cup and half of water for 8-10 hours. (That would be dedication…)

If you have an ax to wack the squash in half, it’s going to cook faster. It can be baked rind side up at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until knife can be inserted without too much resistance. Or microwave it for 6-8 minutes, rind side up. Or boil about 20 minutes.

When squash is cooked, let cool, seed, and then pull a fork from “stem to stern”. And there you have it – Mother Nature’s Spaghetti.

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash, cooked and seeded
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (grape tomatoes work well)
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons sliced black olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese to taste

Directions:
Place prepared spaghetti squash in a large bowl, mix in olive oil, then gently fold in other ingredients. Add salt, pepper, and parmesan to taste.

Easy enough, right? And the best part is, this is a healthy alternative to the traditional pasta dishes, and still tastes great, I promise. You can even just cook the squash and add your usual spaghetti sauce and voila! dinner is served. Or if you’re short on ingredients just toss squash with some olive oil and parmesan cheese.

Added bonus – squash seeded are just like pumpkin seeds so put those babies in the oven and snack on that!

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Thanks, Tiffany!