Here is a little factoid about me: A year ago hubby and I ditched meat and went vegetarian for several months! While doing so we also dove head first into juicing, after watching the documentary
Fat Sick and Nearly Dead (check out the website
HERE). Though we both decided that being completely meat-free isn't right for us, we didn't come away from the experience empty handed! I now know so much more about nutrition, health and animal welfare than I did 2 years ago, and to me that is great!
I also found out about so many delicious vegetable substitutes for pasta and rice, and one of them was spaghetti squash! I never got around to trying it for one reason or another so last week I decided to give in and try spaghetti squash. I did what everyone does when they are trying something new these days, I scoured the interwebz for recipes, tips and anything that would help me prepare this strange vegetable the proper way. After finding so many complicated recipes, I ditched all that and called my mom! :)
So this post is dedicated to you mom, thank you for your help, I love you!
1. First you want to pop your spaghetti squash into the microwave for 4-10 minutes depending on the size. Yep, the whole thing, just pop it on in there. You will need to do this to soften the darn thing, or else you wont be able to cut it, unless you have a jackhammer!
2. Once that is finished, start by cutting off the ends, then slice length wise. I got hubby to do it for me because the sucker is tough to cut through. You may not need help depending on how long you put your squash in the microwave.
3. Next you will need to scoop out the guts.. I used an ice cream scoop and you know.. it worked great! But, feel free to use whatever you wish. :)
4. Once you have scooped out all the goop, place both halves "face-down" in a baking dish.
5. Fill the baking dish half way with water.
6. Bake in the middle of the over for 45 minutes - 1 hour, depending on the size of your squash. For small/medium squash 45 minutes should work fine, for medium/large squash an hour should do the trick!
7. Once your squash is baked to perfection, in other words you can effortlessly stick a fork or a knife though the whole thing.. You will need to take the squash out of the dish and lay it flat on a plate. Begin scooping out the innards with a fork, and this is where you will start getting the spaghetti! Think of it like scooping out a baked potato!
8. Place the scooped spaghetti squash onto a plate, and add salt and pepper if you wish.
9. Top with your favorite spaghetti sauce, I used meat sauce here! I will have to post a recipe for my homemade spaghetti sauce, it is so good. :)
Then you are ready to eat!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe and that it was super simple to follow. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them in the comments section below!
XOXOX
ps: all photos were take with my phone.. so excuse the harsh weird yellow-ish lighting.
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