spaghetti squash

I've been wanting to try spaghetti squash for a while now and was inspired after seeing a few recipes on foodgawker. I decided tonight was a good night to make since I have off from my usual class. It was an interesting experience and everyone loved it!

I wanted to start out with a basic recipe so I didn't make it with sauce and cheese which I've been seeing a lot. Definitely trying that next though!

I sort of looked at about three recipes for the actual squash cooking because everyone had something different to say about it. After reading some recipes and comments, I combined a few things that worked really well for me. I started by microwaving the squashes for about three minutes each just so they'd be soft enough to cut. They were way too hard to cut uncooked. Or maybe my knives just suck. I'd believe it.


After microwaving, cut them in half longways and place them face up on a baking sheet covered with parchment. I made three because they looked really tiny. It ended up being perfect with just a small amount leftover.


I coated the cut side in a little olive oil and some kosher salt and black pepper. Into the oven they go at 375F for 45 minutes.


When they were done I took them off the pan to prep it for some chicken. (Yay less dishes!) Scoop out the seeds and webby looking parts (think of gutting a pumpkin) without scraping out the spaghetti like flesh. It should look a little like this..


Here's the fun part.. get a fork and gently scrape out the "spaghetti" into a bowl.


Keep on scraping until you basically just have the skin left. More spaghetti comes out of these buggers than you'd think!


To try and keep it simple, I sauteed the squash in some olive oil with garlic, basil, and chives, and paired it with some herbed chicken.


If you haven't tried this yet I highly recommend it. The preparation and recipe variations are endless! Next time, saucy with lots of cheese. Oh yes.