Spaghetti Squash is a wonderful and nutritious vegetable that can be used as a substitute for everything from actual pasta to shredded potatoes. I personally use love using spaghetti squash as a vehicle for mounds of homemade tomato sauce with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan. It is simple to prepare and is a great way to add more vegetables to your diet. Gram for gram, it has about 1/10th of the carbs of regular spaghetti! Once you are able to cook plain spaghetti squash, the ways you can use it are endless.
Basic Roasted Spaghetti Squash
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Ingredients:
Spaghetti Squash
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425. Rinse the outside of the spaghetti squash and pat dry. While this part will not be consumed, I find it’s safest to clean the outside of the squash to avoid bringing any contaminants into the part you will consume while you are cutting and preparing it.
2. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the squash in half lengthwise. Use a serving spoon to clean out the strings and seeds. If you’d like, set the seeds aside as you can roast these later, they are delicious and taste just like pumpkin seeds!
3. Drizzle or spray a small amount of olive oil on the spaghetti squash (no more than one teaspoon per side is necessary) and season with salt and pepper.
4. Place the spaghetti squash cut side down on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or in a glass baking dish and place in oven.
5. When the squash has finished cooking, allow it to cool for at least ten minutes before attempting to handle it.
6. Using a serving spoon, scrape the squash away from the shell on both halves. The squash will separate into strands, hence the name spaghetti squash.
