Spaghetti squash made easy
I grew up eating spaghetti squash with butter and Parmesan cheese, so I have always had a taste for it, and more and more it seems an easy way to get an extra vegetable into my diet.
But spaghetti squash is hard to cut. So I decided to experiment with cooking the squash whole and removing the seeds after cooking it.
Turns out, it was easy. I baked the squash for an hour in a preheated 350 F oven. After an hour, I turned off the heat and let the squash rest for 30 minutes.
When the resting time was up, the squash was very soft and you could easily cut it in half lengthwise. The seeds were simple to remove with a spoon.
Baked Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce
Makes: Four servings Start to finish: 90 minutes (30 minutes active)
1 large spaghetti squash, washed and stickers removed 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 lb ground beef, such as sirloin 1 large onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp dried basil, crumbled 1 tsp dried oregano, crumbled 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 28-oz can Italian plum tomatoes, crushed 1 8-oz can tomato paste 1/2 cup dry red wine 1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 cup grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place spaghetti squash on the rack and set a sheet pan under the squash. Bake for one hour.
Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown, breaking up with fork, about three minutes. Transfer beef to plate.
Add onion and garlic to skillet and sauté until onion is tender, about five minutes.
Stir in basil, oregano and paprika and continue cooking one minute. Return beef to skillet; add tomatoes, tomato paste and wine. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until sauce is thick, about 30 minutes.
After an hour, test squash for doneness by inserting a small paring knife through the centre. If it is soft, turn off the heat and close the oven door. Let squash rest and finish cooking in the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove squash and cut in half. Remove seeds with a spoon and rake the spaghetti squash with a fork into a serving bowl. This will release the strands. Toss strands with about 2 Tbsp of olive oil, the parsley and half the cheese. Place the meat sauce on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. This can be served family style or plated individually.