Monday, December 10, 2012

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

Spaghetti covered in meat sauce was such a staple for me growing up. One of my favorite meals, actually! Though I eventually realized that the reason why I loved it so much was that the noodles acted as a vehicle to shovel delicious, flavorful sauce into my belly.

Enter the spaghetti squash.

This fantastic winter squash has a comforting pasta-like texture but grain-free, gluten-free, all-natural, sugar-free, low-fat, oh friggin' yeah that was just 5 health buzzwords in a row! (I'm playin' to win, my friend). But on that note, it is so important to remember that organic fruits and vegetables are the true health generators. A head of lettuce or bunch of radishes doesn't need advertising or marketing dollars - you just know that it's good for your body.

(I know, it's not the most appetizing picture. But it's delicious, I swear!)

Simple Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti
The main concept behind this is to use cooked spaghetti squash as a grown up sauce carrier! Steaming has been the cooking style of choice in my kitchen as of late so that is the methodology I used below (though baking would work just as well).

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash

Directions:
Halve the spaghetti squash (my tactic was not exactly safe but very enjoyable - stab with knife, lift knifed squash and slam back down onto cutting board so that halves shoot apart).
Scoop out squash guts and seeds.
Bring about 1 inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
Place squash halves in saucepan and cover. Allow to steam for 20-25 minutes - You'll know it's done when the outside skin is easily pierced with a fork.
Use a fork to tease out the spaghetti-like squash fiber into a bowl.
Top with sauce of choice.*

*While marinara is an absolute classic, above I used coconut oil, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, sliced red onions, and chopped kalamata olives. It was very tasty, so simple and I definitely recommend it!

Squash purchased from the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, grown by Tantre Farm.

3 comments:

  1. Wow, amazing recipe! I'm converting my lousy diet to a healthy one, and I'm building a digital recipe book for it. Usually I try recipes out before adding, but this one is already on the list! Thanks for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. Congratulations on taking responsibility for your health by being aware of what you eat, Matthew! I have had so many amazing positive emotional/physical/psychological shifts from doing so myself - I look forward to hearing more about your success!

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  2. I love to cook yet I've never made spaghetti squash! I'm so happy to have discovered your blog... looking forward to more.

    Kacie
    http://www.acollectionofpassions.com/

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