PŪRe Delicious: Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti squash
I really only stumbled upon this type of squash several years ago. Generally, I’m not a squash eater. I love squash soup, but the texture of cooked squash doesn’t do it for me. But spaghetti squash is different! It is lighter in flavour and peels off like spaghetti. I use it as a substitute for spaghetti when I’m really watching my carbs. I use regular meat sauce over it for the guys and I make my own vegan tomato sauce.
The first time I tried it was a totally different recipe. I cooked the squash and peeled the outside then fried it up with some kale, pine nuts and halved cherry tomatoes. Wow! It was good!
Ingredient:
1 Spaghetti Squash
Olive oil/water (depends on cooking style)
Salt & Pepper
Directions:
There are 3 ways to cook spaghetti squash.
Microwave
The easiest way is to stab it with a sharp knife like a baked potato. Pop it in the microwave and cook it on high. I usually start at 5 minutes and then test to see how soft the skin is becoming. As it softens you know it’s ready not usually more than 10 minutes. This way is my favourite because it’s easier to cut in half after it’s been cooked.
Oven
Another way to cook it is face down in the oven, in a Pyrex dish or something similar with a bit of water. You cut the length wise in half, and put it face down in the water.
The third way is to cut it in half add a little olive oil and salt. Place it face down on a cooking sheet with parchment paper.
In both cases if you are cooking in the oven set it at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
Also, when you are splitting the squash in half either before it goes in the oven OR after it comes out of the microwave make sure you clean out the squash like you would any squash getting rid of the seeds and icky goop in the middle.
Be careful it is SUPER HOT when it comes out. Hold the squash upright to get the best “spaghetti” style noodles, where you take your fork from the top and peel the squash off to the end of the squash and you have what looks like spaghetti.
