One of my favorite vegetables to use at home is the spaghetti squash. It’s the perfect vehicle for a number of delicious combinations of flavors. My kids love it because it looks and eats like spaghetti, but you have the added bonus that it’s a vegetable. Here are my top 4 recipes for the spaghetti squash.
First I’ll talk about cooking the spaghetti squash, and then some different variations on dishes you can make.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise, along the long part of the squash. I find it easier to cut the squash when I cut off the ends of the squash first. Once you have two halves, spoon out the middle that has the seeds and stringy stuff. For anyone who has ever carved a pumpkin, it’s the same thing you do with the inside of the pumpkin.
Put the two halves of squash into an oven safe container that has a lid. I use my chicken roaster. Add half a cup of water to the roaster and cover with the lid. Then throw in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until you can pierce a fork through the top of the squash easily.
Scoop out the squash, which should come out like strands of spaghetti. Be careful! It’s really hot.
Now you can season your squash!
Tomato Sauce Squash
This recipe is the equivalent of spaghetti with tomato sauce. Once the squash is cooked, put it into a serving dish and top with a jar of tomato sauce. If you want to be fancy, you can add your own homemade sauce, but I usually just cheat and use a jar. Top with some parmesan cheese, and you’re done!
Butter Squash
Once you get the cooked spaghetti squash into the serving dish, add a couple tablespoons of butter and sprinkle some cinnamon on top. This one is probably better served as a side dish as it is a little sweeter.
Salsa and Cream Cheese
In a separate bowl, combine half a brick of cream cheese with a cup of salsa. Mix the salsa and cream cheese together and then combine with the squash. Place in a oven safe serving dish and top with cheddar cheese. Throw the dish back in the oven until the cheese has melted.
Cheesy Squash
For this one, shred 2 cups of mozzarella cheese and mix it in with the spaghetti squash. This is how my husband always makes it, and it tastes delicious!
I’d love to hear about any other ways that you make your spaghetti squash!